SPIDER-MAN 3

All I can say is SCREW ALL YOU REVIEWERS!

All I kept hearing from people is how Spider-Man 3 was not as good as they thought, but it was better and more than I thought it would be. I have not been so sure that I loved a film so much right after seeing it since Toy Story. I loved both Spider-man and Spider-man 2, but this totally exceeded my expectations. Maybe the not so good reviews lowered my expectations, but I totally loved this film, and here's why.

First the hot button, the over stuffing of the cast, everyone thinks there's too many villains and too many plot points, I couldn't disagree more. I'm not saying that this was the only possible way to do this storyline, but Sam Raimi did it very well. The way he made Peter a little more ego-tistic in this film was so perfect. He didn't come out and be all "I'm the best", no, he was just a little bit too amazed at how much the city loves him and he embraced it a little too much. The black suit was also done well, Peter was a guy that if he was told he was being an ass he would stop faster than he can spin a web. The black suit took him to a place that he couldn't come back from. Evil Peter was also fun to watch, he had his share of ass-ness, but mostly he was just Peter to the max. Everyone is expecting Peter to turn all evil like Eddie Brock, but the black suit doesn't change you, it enhances your aggression and cancels out your inhibitions. Deep down Peter is still a nerd, so it made him more nerdy, but more of a confident nerd. I love the role Gwen Stacy played, she was used by black-Peter to get MJ jealous, but she wasn't a home wrecker she actually felt bad that she was used to make MJ jealous.

The whole Harry and Peter story was told well, I don't wanna spoil anything but it really takes unexpected turns. Flint Marko a.k.a. Sandman was done very well, in the comics he was a thug that got his DNA mixed with sand and that's it, in this film hes more than that, He's a caring divorced father that made some bad choices in the past to help his sick daughter. The whole storyline of him actually being the killer of uncle Ben may get some fans mad, but I think the way Raimi worked it out very well, it made Peter more angry and fueled his rage. Eddie Brock was one of my favorite characters of the film, for a character that seems like he's in it for a small portion has actually got some major screen time, and is very amusing to watch. Venom is just a feast for the eyes, very well done, every fan should rejoice.

The acting was top notch, Tobey Maguire did an amazing Peter and a more amazing Bad Peter. You can tell he had fun with this side of Peter. Kirsten Dunst really did well as MJ, making you feel for her when you realize Peter really isn't there for her. James Franco did his best portrayal as Harry yet, and not to reveal spoilers I'll leave it at that. Topher Grace was SOOOOOOOOOOO good as Eddie Brock, totally blowing away any doubts about him pulling it off. He really was fun. Thomas Hayden Church was a great Sandman, not only did he look the part, he actually brought a sincere honesty to the character. Bryce Dallas Howard did a great job as Gwen Stacy, and she looked and acted so beautifully. All the regulars were back, Rosemary Harris did a great job as Peter's moral support Aunt May. J.K Simmons did a hilarious job as J. Jonah Jamenssen again, and Bruce Campbell did a great job in his re-accuring cameo. I'm not saying who he plays, but its his best cameo yet.

Sam Raimi, this man has brought Spider-man to a whole new level and keeps doing it in this film. His storytelling is so good, and in this film its almost flawless. Part one and two both had some pacing issues, but this was just perfect. There was enough spidey action to please fans, but he never lets us forget that this is Peter's story, not Spider-man. When I watched this film I thought, this is a man that loves this character and did him justice again. The film was again very well shot, there were a number of Sam Raimi shots that were classic Sam Raimi, but also some new techniques that I found very interesting.

The FX were to die for. Best Visual Effects Oscar right now, I don't know how Pirates will top this. The fight scenes were so cool, it felt like a real comic book come to life. The sandman scenes were just genius, after taking particle effects and dynamics in maya, I know how hard that is to do, and boy did they raise the bar. Venom was very well done too, he really looked like Todd Macfarlene's drawings, I was very impressed.

One thing I was afraid of was the absence of Danny Elfman, my favorite film composer of all-time. But the new guy Christopher Young did a good job filling in his big shoes and stayed true to Elfman's tone of the film. He kept the Spider-man theme the same, but created a great new theme for the black suit Spider-man, which sounds very Incredibles-ish) and chillin but catching new themes for Sandman and Venom.

All in all this film was one of the most enjoyable films I've ever seen, I stood in line for 2 hours, and it was well spent. I also was lucky enough to see it with a great crowd that was very applause-happy. I left the theater very entertained and inspired. Inspired to one day make films that younger generations will wait in line for two hours to see in great anticipation as I was tonight, hopefully I'll deliver like Spider-Man 3 did.

5 out of 5