Tangled Web

Superheroes are funny things. They can embody so much about the American dream - the ability to fight crime, right the world, get the girl and wear a goofy leotard while they're at it. Superman not only leaps tall buildings in a single bound, he can teach us why the human part of him is the most important. Batman shows us that a dark past can mean a bright future, if put to the right use. And Spider-Man has always been the hero for the nerd in all of us, the awkward science whiz who dons his red and blue costume and becomes graceful, witty, and charismatic. So, the nerd in me (which is pretty much the whole thing, when you get down to it) was very excited for the opening of Spider-Man 3 last week. So excited, that I invited 20 of my closest friends to the legendary ArcLight Cinema in Hollywood for a midnight showing of the year's biggest blockbuster to date.

The idea behind the third installment of the webslinger's story was a complex one - everything seems to be going right for Spidey, but no one around him is happy about it, least of all his girlfriend Mary Jane, or his vengeful former best friend, Harry. Then, in the midst of all this turmoil, a black symbiote takes him over, causing both Spider-Man and Peter Parker all sorts of trouble, not the least of which is pissing off new supervillain Sandman, hospitalizing Harry, and putting his relationship on life support. Once Emo-Spidey realizes that this thing is ruining his life, he gets rid of it, only to have it immediately latch onto the umpteenth person that wants to kill him - revenge-minded photographer Eddie Brock. Thus, the stage is set for an epic showdown between Spider-Man, the Sandman, and his arch-nemesis, Venom.

On the surface, this sounds like one hell of a setup - drama on multiple levels, some truly classic villains from Marvel lore, and enough duality to make Two-Face do a double take. But Spider-Man, the movie, has just as many problems as Spider-Man, the character, starting with the writing. The duo behind the creation of Smallville, Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, who infused Spider-Man 2 with the wit and charisma that made it great, were inexplicably not invited back for the third film. Instead, a little old-fashioned Hollywood nepotism was put to use, as Alvin Sargent invited his brother Ivan to share scriptwriting duties with director Sam Raimi. The result is dialogue that feels flat and contrived, even wincingly awkward at times. Where the first sequel was sharp, funny, and even sublime, this version is dull and unintentionally funny - you find yourself laughing at parts that are meant to be high drama, and making excuses for whole sequences that simply don't fit.

Because of the high bar that had been set in the previous two movies, this one needed to reach new heights in order to justify the rabid hype, not to mention the nine-figure opening weekend. In short, it didn't. The subpar script threw every other aspect of this film under intense scrutiny, and not a lot survived. The acting was typically strong from leads Kirsten Dunst, Tobey Maguire, and James Franco. But the supporting cast, dealing with lines that even Stan Lee might have found a bit campy, struggled to provide the glue to hold this movie together. Bryce Dallas Howard and Thomas Haden Church were particular disappointments - fine actors in their own rights, but they seemed to be there as plot devices rather than full-fledged characters, means by which to evolve Peter Parker's character arc.

The team behind bringing Spider-Man 3 to life, headed by Sam Raimi, appeared this time to have fallen in love with the process, rather than the result. Instead of turning out a good product - a superhero film that makes us laugh and examine who we are, they made a movie that they enjoyed. Budget-consuming, albeit breathtaking special effects, long, ridiculous sequences involving "evil" Peter/Spider-Man with a Hitler haircut and a penchant for ruining lives, even one shot with Spider-Man looking heroic in front of a billowing American flag that drew uproarious laughter - they all contributed to the dumbing down of a truly intelligent, layered superhero.

Despite all of this, there are bright spots here. The excellent J.K. Simmons is once again hilarious as Daily Bugle editor J. Jonah Jameson, and crowd favorite Bruce Campbell has a scene-stealing cameo as a French Maitre'd. The graphics department for this series has once more outdone themselves, blending computer and camera seamlessly in some of the few moments in the film that actually transfix you. But for all the fanfare, the good parts of this film are the exception this time, not the standard. If it proved difficult for Sam Raimi's team to top themselves once, the second time proved impossible - they were equipped with a Spider-Man budget and cast, but only delivered a Peter Parker effort.