Spider-Man 3-A Flawed Film I’ve Slightly Warmed-up to

I've warmed up to Spider-Man 3 slightly. While the film is incredibly flawed and messy, I've grown to look past those flaws and see the good parts that occasionally shine throughout the film. While I've never been the biggest fan of Peter and M.J.'s storyline, primarily due to how out-of-character the two feel and act towards each other, even before Peter receives the black suit, I still admire the film's attempt to conclude the relationship between the two in a relatively cohesive and moving way, even if it isn't very well-executed. I feel similarly to the film's attempts to conclude the conflict between Peter and Harry, as despite feeling overly goofy with the whole amnesia aspect of the storyline and James Francos' bizarre performance, I still admire the attempt to conclude the conflict a way that feels emotional and character-driven, even if the film isn't entirely successful in this. Other emotional beats, such as Peter's relationship with Aunt May and everything to do with Sandman, are genuinely excellent and incredibly moving. As the years have passed, I've also grown to admire the film's overly goofy tone throughout, be it Emo Peter or the unintentionally hilarious moments with Harry or Eddie Brock.

Plus, Sam Rami's direction still shines through so much of the film. While so much character drama feels mishandled, it still slightly works due to Rami's grounded direction in the more dramatic sequences, with close-ups that tangibly ground the drama. The action, though, is where Sam Rami's direction shines. Like the other two films, Rami provides a tangible sense of scale to the action, now amplified using late 2000s CGI. Some of the VFX can be spotty, mainly when the film goes into close-ups during the action, as the close-ups look clearly like the actors in front of green screens. The editing can also get jumpy and hard to follow during the action. But when the action shines, it truly shines, entirely due to Rami's direction.

There's still much to the film that doesn't work for me. Everything to do with Eddie Brock and Venom feels incredibly awkward, where the goofy tone works the least. And as I said, the Peter and M.J. storyline falters due to how out of character the two feel. There are also some unintentionally hilarious moments in Harry's storyline. More than anything, though, the film feels bloated. Too many storylines are struggling for attention, which gives the film this scattered and bloated pacing, where it constantly cuts from one storyline to another, even if they don't always thematically connect.

I still consider Spider-Man 3 to be a very flawed and messy film. But as time has passed, I've grown to admire parts of the film, be it the attempts at emotional conclusions for these characters or the much-derided overly goofy moments throughout the film. Despite the inconsistent visuals and occasionally jumpy editing, the action is entertaining. It all makes for a movie that, as unquestionably flawed as it is, I still feel has its merits.

Watched in 35mm. Now Streaming on Disney+ in the U.S.