Spiderman is my hero and has been my hero since I was about eight years old, so I am going to pretty much like anything that puts him on the big screen. That being said, I will attempt to put my bias aside as I review the movie.
Peter Parker is back and in his return, our lovable nerdy superhero is just a bit cocky. I like this about the movie. I like that Spiderman is a bit cocky, even before we see the black spider suit ( which is so spectacular looking, seeing it in the trailer doesn't do it justice). It seems real, like any of us would get just a bit cocky if the entire world loved us, even if the world didn't know who we were. If the news talked nonstop about you, raving about how much we need you, you would get a bit cocky. MJ is back as well and staring in a Broadway musical. Sadly for her, she gets most of the cockiness of Peter directed in her direction and it is beginning to take its toll on the relationship. Add in Gwen Stacey, a lab partner of Peter's and a few forbidden kisses and we have all the romantic turmoil of a romance movie. Also back is Harry Osborne. Hell bent on revenge, he engages Peter is one seriously kick ass fight sequence early in the film and that sequence really sets the tone for the action in this movie. It is raw, intense and violent and perfect in every way. The results of that fight leave Harry a bit off and we see the return of the nice charming Harry of Spiderman 1. Enter Sandman, a misunderstood villain with an ability to rearrange his body because he is mixed with sand. He provides some great battles to Spiderman and is the actual killer of Ben Parker. We also get Eddie Brock, a rival photographer trying to get Peter's Job. Finally we get an alien Symbiote. It attaches itself to Peter, bringing out a rage and arrogance never seen before.
Yes, this movie has a lot in it and at times it veers off its path in favor of some laughs in an attempt to distance Peter from our hearts. Yes, the pacing is a little choppy at times, but it always finds it way back with some wicked action, tremendous CGI or some truly great laughs. Toby is spectacular in his role of a darker Spiderman and a cocky Peter Parker. He manages to walk that fine line without getting ridiculous. Thomas Hayden Church is very good as Sandman and the effects of watching Sandman come together for the first time are simply breathtaking. Topher Grace turns out to be quite the revelation as Eddie Brock/Venom. Grace's cocky swagger with an underlying vulnerability make Eddie a great creep and in the Venom suit he is vicious and a great study of the ultimate villain. Venom is pure evil, the anti-Spiderman and Grace handles it effortlessly. However, James Franco gets he best marks in his turn as Harry. Franco has finally come into his own as Peter's former best friend. His charm oozes through as Harry returns to his nice guy roots, but he quickly changes face when Harry goes back to the dark side and Franco handles the switch like a pro. I found myself almost rooting for him because of how much he added to Harry.
The fight scenes are dazzling and the climax is a doozey. Four people with super powers fighting it out as a sea of people watch and cheer and cringe. And as all of this is happening, MJ is dodging falling objects left and right as she is hanging onto web some 50 feet in the air. It could all feel very overwhelming but Director Sam Raimi is a master with his camera and proves very much worth the budget it took to make this film soar. I was moved to fits of cheering, randomly shouting out "That was awesome" no less than 10 times and I have been waiting nearly 15 years to see Venom on the big screen and Raimi did not disappoint me. Venom looks amazing and is every inch the bad ass he should be. Was the Venom storyline wrapped up a bit too quickly, yes it was, but when a fourth one gets made, I have no doubt he will be back. This movie takes everything that worked in the first two installments and added to them, making a movie that is thrilling, hilarious, interesting, technically sound and epic.
There are complaints, both from movie fans and comic book fans and that is fine as everyone is entitled to their opinions, but I found this to be my favorite Spiderman movie. It is the most intense, yet also the lightest of the 3. Because I have cared so much about Peter and MJ in the first two, I wanted so badly for them to work here. J.J Jameson, while doing less here than in the other 2 movies, provides some great acting and a few great laughs, as we have come to expect. Stan Lee gets his best cameo and Bruce Campbell is perfectly cast in his cameo as a french Waiter. I do feel as if all of the other stuff was needed. We needed to see Peter dancing in the street and strutting his stuff, to show what a difference that black suit makes. We needed to see MJ and Peter going through their issues, to make us realize how much MJ is what keeps Peter going. It is all there for a reason and if people can't see that, well that is for them to figure out. No, Eddie Brock is not the middle aged body builder he is in the comics but why should he be? Where Venom is the bad Spiderman, why shouldn't Eddie Brock be the bad Peter Parker? Eddie should look and feel like what Peter would be without morals, the way it is when they are in the suits. Sam Raimi knows what he is doing and I can only hope they will find a way to bang out more of these insanely amazing movies.
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