NEW Maguire/dunst/franco/grace - Spider-man 3 (Blu-ray)

Anyone who has followed the SpiderMan movies probably knew that the third wouldn't be able to keep up the pace set by the first two. Spider Man 2 was even better in some ways than the first, and while it would nearly be impossible to top that in a second sequel, Spider Man 3 had to be done. All of that said, I was inclined to be forgiving in watching Spidy 3, which was a good thing.
Although it was fun and entertaining, the third Spider Man has gotten away from Spidy's dry humor and witty repartee, and has become just a good superhero/action movie. I like these, and you will too probably. It is certainly busy with plot, fight scenes, and bad guys: Gwen Stacey is introduced, becomes MJ's 'rival' of sorts for SpiderMan, who is already busy fighting Hobgoblin, Sandman, and Venom. It's nothing if not a vigourous workout for our hero! And well worth the purchase price (check the Amazon.com vs. .ca prices!).
Spiderman 3 also manages to convey some important, if simply spun, messages about forgiveness and letting go of the past--something that gets harder but more important to do as we age. And perhaps that's what the Spider Man movie franchise should consider, before it too becomes stuck in recycling past conflicts---please, Marvel, think of something else for Spidy 4 other than Spiderman vs. Rhino, Electro, or the Lizard...etc.!

I bought this DVD to complete my collection and because it was a great deal. Although the movie received the worst ratings out of the three some Sam Raimi, I enjoyed it. The characters are still great and the action is fantastic. I love this version of Peter Parker and this movie is great as part of the trilogy.

I've heard a lot of criticism about Spider-Man 3. Most of that criticism centres on there being "too much going on" or too many villains in the movie. I have to disagree, as a former comic book reader/small-time collector this movie brought back so many memories. It doesn't follow the comic book story very much, but it's not a comic book, it's a film. And if another medium can be used to tell a good story, then why not use it and change it if need be? I thought the complexity of having three villains throughout the movie really added something interesting to the story. The story was never dull, hard to keep track of at times, but never dull. I often found myself wondering what would happen next and trying to guess what the next plot twist would be. While some comic purists may find a couple of scenes absurd, I found those scenes add a lot of comic relief that might broaden the audience of the film a little. The story appeals to a mass audience, which is what big budget films are supposed to do and I think it's successful in that regard. It's also successful in making comic book characters seem "cool" or hip in the sense that Spider-Man isn't just for us comic book geeks or for the people who are old enough to actually remember some of the earlier television series, like the late 1960's version. If changing the stories a little and adding some Hollywood hype can keep Spider-Man in popular culture, then I'm all for it. This movie tells a good story, has effective comic book characters (heroes, villains, supporting characters) and has some comedy as well. It's a great film.