The Plot:

  As usual just when he thinks everything is going well, problems arise for Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire), the alter-ego of Spiderman. This time instead of peer pressure, girl troubles or an eight limbed megalomanical genius, Parker is faced with a bevy of new problems. 
  Just before breaking out of prison Flint Marko (Thomas Haden Church) confesses to his cellmate that he was responsible for the death of an old man while trying to steal a car. As it turns out the old man in question was none other than Ben Parker, Peter’s father-figure/mentor who met his untimely demise in the first Spiderman movie. Naturally, this new information gives rise to feelings of anger and vengeance that Parker does not handle well. To make matters worse, by the time Spiderman catches up with Marko, the criminal has already undergone an accidental de-molecularization that has turned him into a sand monster that packs a mighty big punch. 
  As if this wasn’t a problem enough, Parker’s best friend, Harry Osborne (James Franco), who knows the secret of Spiderman’s true identity, has pursued his insane father’s research and taken on an alter-ego of his own as the new Green Goblin. This new Goblin comes complete with pumpkin bombs, a nasty blade that slices through nearly anything and of course a high-powered flying glider with spikes.
  Just for good measure this time around Spidey must also deal with a third villain, a symbiotic life form that bonds with our favorite web-head and turns him into a new, stronger, more confident black-suited Spiderman. But when Parker realizes that the new suit is making him more aggressive and cocky he rids himself of it. But the symbiotic life form quickly finds another   host in Parker’s psychotic and violent co-worker, photographer Eddie Brock (Topher Grace). Spiderman must pull out all the stops to meet these new challenges and to retain the affection of his longtime girlfriend Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst).

The Point:

  Ever since director Sam Raimi and Columbia Pictures have restarted the movie version of Spiderman box office records have been broken and millions of fans worldwide have been treated to two (now three) of the greatest comic book to movie adaptations in film history. I am continually surprised at the creative momentum these movies have had on the franchise. One problem that has pervaded Raimi’s Spidey movies is the long theatrical cuts of the films. At two and a half hours Spiderman 3 is no exception to this trend. It is perhaps the only real drawback to the film. 
  Even hardcore Spiderman fans will have little to complain about with Spiderman 3 as the introduction of the black symbiotic life form and the resulting creation of the Eddie Brock/Venom monster (a favorite villain for many Spidey fans) is something that many have been waiting to see on the big screen. Some people have complained that the movie simply has too many villains and doesn’t spend enough time on any to do them justice. While this is true to some extent, fans needn’t worry. With a weekend opening of $148 million and the announcement that three more Spiderman movies are planned, there are plenty of opportunities for Spiderman to do battle with new and reoccurring villains for many years to come.