Spider-Man 3 [4K UHD + Blu-ray]

When the review of "Spider-Man 3" in our local paper came out and trashed the movie I was braced for the worse, although since there were four midnight showings on opening day it seems obvious this movie is going to make a lot of money (at least this first weekend). But I really did think it would be nigh impossible for this 2007 film to be better than its 2004 predecessor, which is my favorite comic book movie to date (a verdict I render as someone who teaches comic books in general and Spider-Man in particular in my Introduction to Popular Culture course). "Spider-Man 3" certainly has its flaws and it is not as good as "Spider-Man 2," but those things do not add up to the film being a disappointment.For Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) and Spider-Man these are the best of times. Spider-Man is beloved by the people of New York City and Aunt May (Rosemary Harris) has given Peter the engagement ring that she received from Uncle Ben (Cliff Robertson) a half-century earlier so that he can propose to Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst). But Harry Osborn (James Franco) knows that Peter is Spider-Man, believes Spidey killed his father Norman (Willem Dafoe), and has found the secret Green Goblin hideout. So right off the bat he comes gunning for Spider-Man. This seems like they are trying to wrap up a loose plot thread from "Spider-Man 2," but this is but one of the several major pieces this movie puts in place for the endgame. Meanwhile, Flint Marko (Thomas Hayden Church) has broken out of jail and become the victim of one of those classic comic book situations where science turns a man into a monster, in this case the Sandman. When Peter finds out it was Marko who actually shot Uncle Ben he takes his first step off the deep end. Peter also has problems in that ambitious Eddie Brock, Jr. (Topher Grace) wants Peter's job as a photographer at "The Daily Bugle," where J. Jonah Jameson (J.K. Simmons). Then there is Gwen Stacy (Bryce Dallas Howard), a classmate of Peter who gets rescued by Spider-Man and has a big old crush on the web-head, and the sticky black thing from another planet that has attached itself to our hero. No wonder the movie runs 140 minutes.Director Sam Raimi pours on the special effects in the computer generated fight sequences. What made Doctor Octopus a great villain for a Spider-Man movie was how the two could fight on both the horizontal and vertical axises. Obviously that continues with Venom and to a lesser extent with Sandman, but what those two villains have in common is the fluidity of their "costume" and "body" respectively. They have fun making Spider-Man's costume all torn and tattered, but that is nothing compared to what they are able to do with Sandman's face and body in these fight sequences. When Spidey fights the New Goblin (and there is a reason Harry is not running around as the second Green Goblin), it looks more like a high-speed video game with everything happening faster than the eye can see (compare that with the great fight between Peter and Harry when they are not wearing their costumes).For me the problematic character is Gwen Stacy, because in the original "Spider-Man" comic books Gwen was Peter's girlfriend long before Mary Jane became his wife. Given the relatively small number of Spider-Man movies that you can make, it made sense to skip Gwen and have Mary Jane there from the beginning, even if it meant turning her into the girl next door instead of the sexy redhead in the go-go boots. But we now know that Peter ends up with MJ, just like we know Clark Kent ends up with Lois Lane and Bruce Wayne is never going to get married. So Gwen's mere presence is problematic because she cannot be the woman he loves who dies because he is Spider-Man. In the "Ultimate Spider-Man" comic book MJ is there from the beginning too, knowing Spider-Man's secret identity, and the integration of Gwen's character into that revision of the story was okay, but it did not have the significance or resonance of the original storyline. The movie Gwen is more like the comic book Mary Jane and that whole plot line would have worked better with Betty Brant (Elizabeth Banks) or an entirely new character than resurrecting Gwen Stacy.Besides the delicious irony that the blond Dunst has died her hair red while the redheaded Howard has gone platinum, I was bothered by how they had Gwen be a model. Mary Jane was the model and that was important because just like Peter it was a mistake to take her at face value. Instead Dunst gets to sing a couple of songs and while the movie agrees she is not good enough to sing on Broadway it seems a strange way to create a crack in her self-confidence, especially given that nobody faked self-confidence better than MJ. But they are fully committed to the idea of Mary Jane as the girl next door even if they have yet to figure out what that means for the character and her relationship with Peter. Howard is not given much to do, although her last moment is her character's best, and the same goes for James Cromwell as Captain Stacy. But Bruce Campbell completely steals his one scene, Mageina Tovah as Ursula steals a couple, and Stan Lee has his best "Spider-Man" cameo to date, but Dylan Baker's Dr. Curt Connors is still no closer to turning into the Lizard.The main element they have kept from "Spider-Man 2" is the idea that the conflict between Spider-Man and his foes is no longer black and white, but shades of gray. I liked that for once Doctor Octopus was not a ranting lunatic with mechanical arms but a good man turned evil by a fateful accident (the flip of what happened to Peter Parker) who refuses to die a monster. It was that moment more than Mary Jane discovering that Peter was Spider-Man that really gave "SM2" its weight. This time around there are important shadings for Flint Marko and Harry Osborn, just as there are for Peter Parker as his black Spider-Man costume gets the better of him (but Eddie Brock, Jr. is bad to the bone from start to finish).In the end I round down on "Spider-Man 3" because I think they are overdoing it with Spider-Man's mask coming off or being half torn (even though I understand the impulse to have the face of the actor you are paying millions to actually appear on screen), the comic relief from spectators during the big battle at the end gets in the way of the developing tragedy, and the fade out scene was by far the weakest of the series to date. I am also not happy with the way Peter's character is regressing, because even before the symbiotic flips him to the dark side he is embracing his inner nerd way too much. Maguire is hysterical when he has Peter strut himself down the street, but it rings wrong for the character. Also, even with the swelled head he is getting from the public adoration as Spider-Man, I do not want to believe that having the costume on when he receives the key to the city was enough to let Peter betray MJ the way he does there. The scene later on at the Jazz club is the insult; it was the other that was the real injury part of the equation. Still, I bet I make it back to the theater to see this one again.

Going into this one, I was wondering if Sam Raimi would be able to top himself in the wake of his magnus opus SPIDER-MAN 2. Bluntly, the answer is no. But, listen, SPIDER-MAN 3 is still very much worth dropping your hard-earned dollars for. SPIDEY 2 was a five star film, this one rates as a four starrer and remains a quintessentially fun summer blockbuster picture.The special effects are seamless. CG Venom and the Sandman look great, while CG Spidey continues to astound. Admittedly, I wasn't too impressed with how the Goblin looked. You really gotta hand it to Sam Raimi, he knows how to handle epic superhero battles. In various fabulous faceoffs, Spidey takes on the Goblin, the Sandman, and Venom and, each time, our hero doesn't walk away without leaving a piece of himself on the floor. Even though we knew Spidey was going to come out on top, the fight scenes are credible and effective enough that he seems to be the underdog in each encounter. I have absolutely no complaints with the Spidey sequences.SPIDER-MAN 3 is again very well served with returning supporting actors J.K. Simmons as J. Jonah Jameson (hilarious!) and the sexy Elizabeth Banks as Betty Brant (more, please). Sam Raimi's buddy, Bruce Campbell, has a funny bit as a Maitre d', Mageina Tovah as the landlord's daughter brightens up the room with her endearing if skeletal presence, Stan Lee provides the obligatory cameo ('nuff said), Bryce Dallas Howard is essentially wasted as Gwen Stacy, and Rosemary Harris is the usual boring fount of wisdom.Folks have already mentioned the overstacking of supervillains and the onerousness of the multiple plot stories. I say, "Phooey" to that. I was able to track every story arc with ease and keep up with every character. In my opinion, the villains are drawn with just enough depth and are given ample back stories. By virtue of having been in every film installment, Harry Osbourne comes off as the most layered antagonist. James Franco, whom I normally dislike, is very good here. Flint Marko, aka The Sandman (Thomas Haden Church), is immediately revealed to be a sympathetic character as the audience, early on, becomes privy to his core motivation. Eddie Brock (a puny and miscast Topher Grace), however, is just plain bad egg. Now, there's a chance that newcomers to the Spidey mythos might be befuddled with the abrupt introduction of the inky, wriggly alien symbiote. Furthermore, Raimi then ignores the symbiote for lengthy film moments, opting to leave it in residence at Peter's cramped apartment to bide its time. Raimi is seemingly relying on the fans' knowledge of the alien costume to carry the day in lieu of actually sketching out some sort of a backstory. Not that there's much of a backstory on it in the comic book source. SECRET WARS, anyone?Hands down, Spidey's my favorite superhero. Like a host of kids, of the plethora of superheroes, it's Peter Parker with whom I identified the most when I was a mere tadpole. What makes him such a rootable underdog character is that Stan Lee and the ensuing comic book writers portrayed him as a sensitive teen/young man with relatable dilemmas who ekes out small victories in life even as he trounces heinous superbaddies. This film strays away from what makes him so likable. The start of SPIDER-MAN 3 finds a smug Peter Parker as Spiderman has become the toast of New York. His image is displayed on giant monitors and he is lauded in the newspapers (excepting the Bugle, of course). He even is presented with the key to the city. This same scene also comes up with an act by Peter as Spidey which is blatantly disrespectful towards Mary Jane. In fact, the success of his Spider-Man persona blinds him to what's going on with Mary Jane, whose career isn't flowing as smoothly. Understandibly, it's not too long before M.J. begins to feel that Peter isn't there for her. Suffice it to say, while I loved every Spidey sequence, there are moments here where I genuinely did not like Peter Parker.Or put another way, my dissatisfaction with Peter is actually a nod towards Kirsten Dunst's very effective performance. She's easily the best actor in this film and is so likable as Mary Jane that every thoughtless act by Peter towards her exacerbated my resentment towards the dude. I'm just not kosher with plotlines necessitating my hero to act like an obtuse jerk. And, since I'm crapping on the poor guy, I must say the hairstyle he chooses when under the symbiote's influence is less than cool. If it was supposed to emphasize his dark turn, it failed miserably, and the film, in my eyes, lost some credibility. The audience, including me, burst out laughing every time that goofy downswept hairstyle popped up. Unintended laughter - it's not a good thing.But I want to reiterate: Spider-Man is my favorite superhero. He got me thru junior high school (middle school, to you youngsters) and high school. I hated to criticize this movie, but it would've been wrong to merely leave it as a glowing review and to ignore the warts. Yet, with its flaws, SPIDER-MAN 3 is still very much a sensational movie, and I do feel that, ultimately, its positives outweigh the negatives. Tobey Maguire is the definitive Peter Parker, no matter what. I can't really envision anyone else in that role. Dunst, as always, is superlative and very lovely and oozes acting talent. The complex story, in spite of hitting a few false notes, did keep me involved. The action scenes are eyepopping, nothing at all wrong with them. Sam Raimi playfully continues to throw in insane gag bits and incidental, low key humor (for some reason, I like the doorknob bit). There's even several brief dance numbers, and it's up to you to laugh and go with it or groan and grouse. Most, hopefully, will do the former.

Thank you so much

Played as it should.

The first 2 movies were a bit more grounded in reality compared to this third entry. This one brings in the even more fantastical elements of SM lore which don't mesh too well with the vibe established in this universe. Raimi still did a good job directing this more Loony Tunes sequel, just remember he rarely takes any of it seriously here. The story is bonkers which IS a disappointment but the action is still cool and ambitious, and Toby Maguire dancing in the bar is so cringey I always laugh "now dig on this." Some of the actors also feel miscast after the excellent casting seen in the previous films. Overall however it has to be said, I still prefer this to the annoying Amazing Spider-Man 2, and even HomeComing.

This 3rd installment in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man franchise follows the same formula of the previous two films yet suffers from some serious problems. I'm not entirely sure why but whilst watching this movie in the cinema and at home I just didn't feel the same as I did when I watched number 1 and 2. I think that too much is happening in this movie, Peter is having his face-off against Harry as well as his alter-ego "new goblin" as well as tackling the sandman and venom. Not to mention having an annoying blonde Gwen ruining Peter's relationship with Mj, who is also being a right pain in the ass to him in this movie by constantly complaining. Oh and also he has to deal with his new black venom suit that's making him out of control AND also he now has a rivalry with Eddie Brock over photos of spider-man. OH AND hes out to get revenge on Flint Marco for being the true killer of his uncle Ben. There is just too much going on here! 3 enemies is simply too much! There's hardly any time for venom at all as he enters and leaves the movie swiftly. I don't know, this film just tries to do too much and as a result ending up causing the cancelation of Spider-Man 4. It's an ok film but it's not the multi-award winner that the first two were.

Spider-Man is my all time favourite superhero! After seeing the first trilogy with Tobey Maguire, it made me a bigger fan of both Spider-Man and superheroes alike! I had the first and second one, but didn't have the third, so I decided to get it to complete the trilogy! Tobey Maguire is the Spider-Man I grew up and I remember seeing the first film in cinema as a kid! Spider-Man will always be my all time favourite superhero!

This has my 4th copy I've had, and needles to say, disappointing, at 1:59:00 the audio will cut out completely for the ending of the movie on the 4k disc. I have not check standard disc as the reason primarily to buy the 4k disc is for the 4k upgrade.

Perfect condition. BRILLIANT MOVIE, honestly I bought it because I lost my old Spider-Man DVD’s and it was FANTASTIC the nostalgia in its self was fun but not as fun as watching Spider-Man 3. It was so interesting and I could write a literal essay right now but I do t want to spoil anything😂