The collected works of ScottyB

*Warning, SPOILERS - plot details may follow*

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Well last night I went and saw it. Spider-Man 3. To say I was excited was an understatement. Being a huge fan of the Marvel world and its comic book movie adaptations, as well as a massive fan of the first two films, I was so glad the time had finally arrived. Essentially two years of waiting, finally coming to a conclusion.

We arrived at the cinema. Early. Very early - and luckily we did, because the cinema (even in the second night) was virtually packed by the time the lights went out. The queue outside before we all began filtering in had doubled back on itself down the rather large corridor and there were a couple of ‘bouncers’ there to make sure people kept in line and organised. And to check everyone had tickets. Thankfully I held onto them!

Getting into line early had its benefits, we got good seats on the first tier of the upper-level, nobody in front of us (though the people to the back of us were bloody annoying) so we had a good viewing experience.

At 2 hours and 35 minutes, its no quick flick, but the time just flew by. $258 million worth of special effects spectacular, you really couldn’t fault the action. Not for a second. In fact, my only critic about the whole film was that it just didn’t seem long enough! The character development seemed a little rushed, particularly in the case of Sandman. Obviously I knew the basic background behind the new villains, Venom for example I used to live and breathe when I was at school and I had a fair idea of Flint Marko’s history, but I felt his story in particular was a tad rushed in the film. There were loads of sub-plots going on throughout the film so tying them all in and concluding them all even in two and a half hours was going to be quite a feat. Nonetheless, this little crit aside, Sam Raimi does a typically brilliant job of keeping the Spider-Man series alive and well.

The Symbiote was done perfectly. I don’t think I could have imagined the special effects done any better than they were presented. The tarry, black looking substance from space. Evil goop. And the scenes where it first binds with Parker and in the bell tower when he finally shakes it off both gave me goosebumps. Seriously cool.

Venom. Wow. I have to say I was skeptical when Topher Grace was announced as taking the part of Eddie Brock. The shoes of Venom are big ones to fill. Perhaps Marvel’s most popular character and a definite fan favourite. And I’m right up with there with those said fans! Topher Grace did an amazing job as Eddie Brock. He was perfect for the role; The over-confident upstart who slips into the photographers position at the Daily Bugle, right under Peter Parker’s nose. The anger when he is humiliated by the dark Spider-Man. I have always loved that storyline within the comics and within the film saga, it still remains my favourite conflict.

New Goblin. Another fantastically developed storyline. The fallen Harry Osborn. It is such an incredibly emotional story and because we know Harry, his history from the previous films, the development of that character and the rift that develops between Harry and Peter - and why it is all so, we are much more drawn to this side of Spider-Man 3, I think. It seemed to have a much more weighty bearing on the film, more important than our new villains even though they were given the most focus and attention in the lead up to the film’s release. So much confusion, anger, pain and realisation in his character. You could hear the sobs all around the cinema at the conclusion of his story. Franco puts in his best performance of the three films in this one in my opinion too.

Sandman. Continuing on from what I mentioned earlier about the development of his character in the film, I just felt it could have been elaborated on a little more. I can understand the reviews that mention it all being too rushed. If you didn’t already know the character, you’d never feel for his cause properly. While the action was all perfectly woven into the film as a whole, you simply couldn’t get emotionally attached to his drive and direction. I’m really hoping they make a Spider-Man 4 simply to see Sandman given a bit more background historical justice. On the plus side, the special effects were just jaw-dropping. The sand effect was executed perfectly. Another time I once wondered how they were going to give the comic freedom faithfully to the big screen. Somehow they managed it and the result was a particularly memorable group of fight sequences. His confession to Parker in regards to Uncle Ben was a solemn moment too.

J. Jonah Jameson yet again steals the scenes he is in. The pill sequence was hilarious, the camera-buying sequence was hilarious. In fact, J.K. Simmons does such a brilliant justice to the character I have a hard time remembering what JJJ looked like in the comics. It just feels like Simmons was exactly who they modelled the comic book personality after. Fantastic.

Mary Jane’s character, coming to terms with dating a city’s idol, a celebrity, is heart-felt. The distance between her and Parker in Spider-Man 3 is great, and the drama and flair is perfectly balanced. You feel for her foray into theatre, her successes and her failures.

Spider-Man. Once again faithfully recreated on the big screen by Tobey Maguire. I can’t think of anyone else who could play the role with the same enthusiasm and ability that Maguire does. The ego, the icon, the arrogance, the anger, the sadness, the loss, the mix of emotions that really hit Spider-Man and Peter Parker hard in this flick. The dark side of Spider-Man caused by the Symbiote was awesome, clever, powerful and sad all at the same time. The comedy scenes were great, on the phone with Ursula in the background feeding him cookies.. (even though the dance down the street bit and the bar dance scene could have been shortened to make way for more villain character development I felt). You can’t help but relate to Parker on numerous levels.

Overall, a brilliant flick worth waiting for. I hope that it doesn’t end as a ‘trilogy’ because the story can certainly lend itself further. Spectacular special effects, great villains, polished drama, personal betrayal, angst, anger.. a faithful reproduction doing the culture proud.