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Spider-Man 3 – Screen Savers

Spider-Man 3 – Screen Savers

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One of the happiest pieces of film industry news in recent memory, was news that Sony and Marvel had signed a deal to bring Spider-Man to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Sony, to their credit, actually managed to deliver two decent movies while at the helm of the Spider-Man franchise.

The two films I am referring to are of course the first two parts of Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man Trilogy, Spider-Man in 2002 and Spider-Man 2 in 2004. Spider-Man 2 especially deserves praise as it is a prime example of a superhero film done right.

However, when Sony decided to reboot the series with the Marc Webb directed The Amazing Spider-Man 1 & 2 in 2012 and 2014 respectively, it was a completely different story, no pun intended. These two films, while passable (well the first one was anyway!), just weren’t the box office juggernauts or critical darlings that Raimi’s first two films were. But I am not here to direct my ire at either Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Man or Marc Webb’s direction. My ire belongs with the final chapter in the Raimi trilogy, 2007’s Spider-Man 3.

Spider-Emo 3

After knocking it out of the park in the previous outing with a story about our favourite web head’s epic struggle against Doctor Octopus, this time around in Spider-Man 3 we were finally getting to see Spider-Man vs Venom on the big screen.

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Now if you are like me, and you grew up watching the Spider-Man TAS that ran from 1994 to 1998, this was one of those must see superhero versus super-villain match ups. But sadly my dreams and the dreams of so many true believers were dashed by utter mediocrity.

Spider-Man 3’s problems start with the plot, which I can only describe without the use of colourful language as shambolic. Instead of a well fleshed out plot like in the previous two instalments, we were treated to a medley of Spider-Man stories all sandwiched together. Peter discovering Flint Marko’s connection to Uncle Ben’s death culminating in a battle against Sandman as symbiote suit Spider-Man. A love triangle between Peter, Mary-Jane and Harry Osbourne, who has now taken over the mantle of Green Goblin. And of course the genesis and demise of one of Spider-Man’s greatest foes, Venom. All of which is crammed into 139 minutes.

No Saving Grace

While you can argue that the sub-plots involving Uncle Ben’s murder and the love triangle were storyline branches that needed to be closed off from the earlier movies, what was done to Venom was absolutely unforgivable. For starters, the casting of Eddie Brock was all wrong. Eddie Brock was depicted in the comics and the animated series as an angry, revenge obsessed bodybuilder. But it was obvious that Sam Raimi was trying to take the character in a very different direction with the casting of Topher Grace as Eddie Brock.

Grace was best known at the time, and still is to this day come to think of it, for playing Eric Foreman on That 70’s Show. They took one of the most dangerous members of Spider-Man’s rogues gallery and picked an actor known for playing one of the least intimidating characters in television history. How am I supposed to take the character seriously when I’m constantly expecting Red Foreman to show up and threaten to put his foot up Eddie Brock’s ass?

DOUCHE

But as if Raimi himself knew at the time that his interpretation of Venom was destined to fall flat on its face, both Eddie Brock and the symbiote are destroyed by one of the Green Goblin’s pumpkin bomb at the climax of the films final act. Venom, a villain often depicted as being superior to Spider-Man in almost every way, killed off in a manner that makes him seem like little more than an afterthought. This is a creative choice that baffles me to this day.

So if I had one recommendation for you all when it comes to Spider-Man 3 it is this. Forget that it exists and go watch Spider-Man 2 while we wait patiently for Spider-Man: Homecoming in Summer 2017.

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