Making A Case For Spider-Man 3

This is certainly a controversial topic that not many people are willing to talk about. Fortunately, enough time has passed where people are able to look past any and all mistakes made by the third chapter in Sam Raimi’s original Spider-Man trilogy. 

It’s been over a decade since Spider-Man 3 has hit theaters and has been the cause of debate for its derision and criticism. However, is the film as bad as we all remember it to be?

Most people would say that it is, but that doesn’t mean that the movie didn’t have its bright spots and high points in its two-and-a-half-hour runtime. 

 

Action Sequences

First and foremost, the action sequences in this installment of the original webhead series are, by far, some of the best and that is not showing any disrespect at all to the train sequence in Spider-Man 2.  

Some of the most exciting sequences come from the climax at the construction site where Spidey and his friend-turned-enemy-turned-friend again, Harry Osborne or the New Goblin go up against Venom and the Sandman. Osborne is able to take down Sandman with his pumpkin bombs and Spidey defeats Venom/Eddie Brock by exploiting its weakness of vibrations. 

A lot of people will complain that there are one too many villains in the film, but in this case, it ups the ante and gives the audience some of the most dazzling action sequences in comic-book movie history. 

 

Venom/Spider-Man Dynamic

Plenty of people have already seen the 2018 film Venom with Tom Hardy and Michelle Williams and were torn about the results. Many critics complained that Spider-Man was not involved in the fabric of the story. 

Spider-Man 3, to this very day, is the only Spider-Man-related film that was able to give Spider-Man and Venom more of a connection. Was it perfect? No, but the filmmakers were able to establish a relationship between the two.

Of course, when 2018s Venom was released most people scratched their heads in confusion when the Webhead was not involved in the film. Making a solo Spider-Man film without Venom is feasible as there are many villains in Spidey’s rogue gallery, but making a Venom movie without Spider-Man was puzzling and this is what Spider-Man 3 succeeds and why it has aged better with time. 

 

Sandman

You can say whatever you feel about the third Spidey installment, but Thomas Haden Church was almost pitch-perfect in the role of the Sandman. Church looked like a spitting image of the villain. 

What’s so great about his character is that the filmmakers add a few layers of character development as he is trying to do what he thinks is best for his sick and dying daughter, thus elevating him from a small-time petty criminal that gets into a freak accident, making him a supervillain and clashing with Spider-Man. 

 

Love Triangle

The love triangles are complex enough in this third entry that it makes for great viewing. Seeing Spider-Man and Gwen Stacy lock lips while Mary-Jane runs to Harry Osbourne in jealousy, not only makes for some decent drama but makes the audience wonder who will end up with whom. 

Granted it might get a little complicated to keep track of but it certainly adds characters and love subplots that keep the story going and give audience members someone to love or hate. 

 

Harry Osborne’s New Role

What seems to be the most underrated piece in the entire Sam Raimi Spider-Man trilogy is Harry Osbourne’s different turn as the New Goblin. We definitely get a new take on the character from friend to foe and eventually back to a friend again. 

However, given his sheer caliber and screen time as a villain, it is very interesting to watch how his presence clashes with Spider-Man and his newly-found symbiote. 

Those are just a few points as to why Spider-Man 3 is actually a really great movie, although other people have said much worse about this movie.