3

Th early reviews have been pretty borderline. But you are still gonna watch this movie.

I loved Spiderman 3. And I will watch it again.

Since I am no critic, I will quote from Rollingstone.com - one of the reviews I sort-of agree with.

The movie is too long at 139 minutes

Too packed with villains (did we really need three of those suckers?)

Too limp in its love story (Kirsten Dunst looks weary of playing Mary Jane)

Too reliant on a climatic battle scene (You always knew that it was gonna be a biggie with 4 guys involved in the 'finals')

But, audiences won't give a damn. In an era of cynical, cash-in sequels, Spider-Man 3, like its two predecessors, has a heartbeat that resonates strongly. Director Sam Raimi has always kept his focus on the human side of this Marvel Comic hero: that means screwed-up crybaby geekboy Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) over the superhero he becomes when he dudes up in Webslinger drag.

Peter's is consumed by Spiderman's awfully sweet media image, and it gets to his head. So much that he ignores the pain that MJ goes through. And once the symbiote gets to him - you see a side of Peter Parker you never would expect. Everything else he did when he gets 'bad' is fine by me - but using a blonde to piss of a red-head ain't cool.

Gwen Stacey (Bryce Dallas Howard) is pretty wasted.

Most enjoyable Special effects: Spidey flying through the corridors of Manhattan with the son of the Green Goblin in hot pursuit on his flying skateboard and a killer sequence in which a construction crane goes berserk and knocks the side out of a skyscraper.

Thomas Haden Church: enjoyable to watch after his super performance in Sideways.

James Franco (Harry) is gonna surprise everyone.

Topher Grace (Eddie Brock) as Venom - the real reason why I went for this movie.

Maybe the Sandman was not required. That part could have been filled by Venom itself. Apart from that (and Gwen Stacey), I liked everything about the movie, including the just-about-predictable surprises.

"The third chapter in the Spidey saga (a fourth is in the planning stages) is uneven, ungainly and frayed at the edges but there's lively mischief in it still. My guess is that when the summer blockbuster season finishes pummeling us with formula, Spider-Man 3 is going to look like one of the few that was touched by human hands. "