Movie Review Spiderman 3

Spiderman 3 (2007) 

Directed by Sam Raimi 

Written by Ivan Raimi, Alvin Sargent 

Starring Tobey Maguire, James Franco, Kirsten Dunst, Thomas Haden Church, Topher Grace, Bryce Dallas Howard, J.K Simmons 

Release Date May 4th, 2007 

Published May 3rd, 2007 

It was bound to happen. The law of diminishing returns had to kick in at some point. For some film franchises; it happens right away (Matrix Reloaded, anyone?). For some; a good run continues (We’ll see what happens with Shrek and Harry Potter soon). Other film franchises have never gotten off the ground creatively (How did we get a second Fantastic Four and a third Rush Hour?).

But, for one of the great franchises of all time, a great run doesn’t exactly end as much as it ebbs. In Spiderman 3 a great franchise doesn’t jump the shark, to appropriate a TV term, rather it levels off with a first mediocre entry. Failures in logic, underwritten villains and overripe melodrama, can’t sink a great franchise but it does bring an unsatisfying end.

When last we left Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) he had revealed himself as Spiderman to the woman he loves Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst) and she had run away from her wedding to be with him. Now, Peter is ready to take the relationship to the next level and ask Mary Jane to be his wife.If only things could be that simple.

Unfortunately for Spiderman a trifecta of villains has other plans for the webslinger's future. First there is Peter’s ex-best friend Harry Osbourne (James Franco) who believes Spiderman killed his father and wishes for revenge. Then there is Flint Marko (Thomas Haden Church) a petty thief who stumbles into some kind of science experiment and becomes the Sandman.

Finally, the third villain, for a time, is Peter himself. With New York finally coming to see Spidey as a real hero, things are going to Peter’s head. He is soaking up the love and admiration of the public and is beginning to neglect his relationship with Mary Jane. When a meteor filled with a lively black goo slams into the earth it attaches itself to Peter Parker and its power is transformative.

The problems with Spiderman 3 are going to be obvious and overbearing for some and easily forgivable for others; but they should be obvious to everyone. Director Sam Raimi, in a rush to cram a whole lot of plot into not a lot of space, cuts a few to many logical corners. Coincidence and contrivance takes the place of rational plotting.

Characters make decisions based on what is needed for the scene even if it contradicts previous behavior. More than once a character arrives somewhere because the plot needs them and not for any other logical reason. One character holds on to a piece of information that could have been helpful as far back as Spiderman 2. This previously insignificant character happens to hold this info until just the moment that it is needed in this plot.

Despite the logical leaps and the abuse of coincidence and contrivance, there is still much to enjoy in Spiderman 3. The computer graphics continue to be cutting edge. The action and CGI work together in dazzling effect. The scene in which Flint Marko becomes the Sandman is a visual mind blower as we watch Thomas Haden Church pulled apart atom by atom until there is nothing but sand.

Then; there are the fight scenes which grow bigger with each successive battle. Peter versus Harry, fighting in mid air. Spidey taking on Sandman inside and outside a moving brinks truck and the battle at the end between Spider and the tandem of Sandman and that villainous black goo, which attached itself to a new host, are all terrific scenes and more than enough reason for me to recommend Spiderman 3.

Later this summer Shrek will try to avoid its own jump the shark moment. Meanwhile Pirates of the Caribbean will try and bounce back from a lackluster follow up. Every franchise is different but each will have a low point. If Spiderman 3 is the low point for the Spiderman franchise then we can look forward to more great things from our friendly neighborhood Spiderman the next time he swings into theaters.

Movie Review Spider-Man 2

Spider-Man 2 (2004) 

Directed by Sam Raimi

Written by Alvin Sargent 

Starring Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, Alfred Molina, James Franco, Rosemary Harris 

Release Date June 30th, 2004 

Published June 29th, 2004 

The first Spider-Man was a spectacular adventure that surprised a lot of critics with its depth and terrific characters. Spider-man 2 is likely to surprise even more. Free of expository scripting, this sequel leaps into the fray and delivers something most sequels cannot, a follow up that is more than worthy of its original.

2 years have passed since Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) was bitten by that radioactive spider and Spider-man has continued saving innocent New Yorkers from all sorts of peril. Still, he is not quite the hero you would expect. Spider-man is still consistently vilified by the maniacal newspaperman J. Jonah Jameson (JK Simmons). Worse yet, his Spidey powers are coming and going, often leaving him falling from the sky and in pain.

As for Peter Parker, well, he's getting it worse than his alter ego. It does not pay to be a superhero so Peter is forced to take odd jobs to pay for his tiny one-bed-no-bath apartment. Unfortunately, his web slinging duties tend to make him late for work and thus he gets fired a lot, including from his latest job delivering pizzas. Peter's Aunt May (Rosemary Harris) is close to losing her home and blames herself for the death of her husband Ben. Peter has not told her what really happened.

Peter is also failing his college courses, too often late to class where his professor (Dylan Baker) is ready to fail him unless his paper on the legendary scientist Otto Octavius is good enough to save him. Doctor Octavius (Alfred Molina) just happens to be working for Peter's friend Harry Osbourne (James Franco) at Oscorp where he is developing a dangerous new energy source with the help of four massive metal tentacles that fuse to his spine. You can tell this is going to go bad and it does. Octavius' experiment blows up, killing his wife and leaving the tentacles permanently fused to his back. Worse yet, somehow the tentacles are now in charge and they want to try the experiment again.

Of course that is not Peter Parker's biggest problem. No, his biggest problem is still his unrequited love of Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst). In the two years since Peter told Mary Jane they could never be together, she has become a successful actress and model. Her face is plastered all over the city, a constant reminder to Peter of what he has given up to be Spider-man. Mary Jane has finally tired of waiting for Peter and has told him she is going to marry Astronaut John Jameson (Daniel Gillies).

That is a minor gloss of this wonderfully dense and well-conceived plot. Director Sam Raimi and writer Alvin Sargent, with an assist by writer Michael Chabon amongst others, have concocted a rare action-adventure film with a life outside of its computer graphics.

Filled with humor, sadness and life, this is a script worthy of attention of awards shows. The middle portion of the film is especially good. Peter Parker gives up being Spider-man and while his grades are up and he may finally be able to be with Mary Jane, crime goes up 75% and even Jonah Jameson wishes Spidey would come back. With Doc Ock on the loose, you know Spidey will be back but this terrific script and cast make this obligatory decision a seamless part of the story and the maturing of Peter Parker.

The script nods endlessly to its comic book source. The scene where Peter tosses his Spidey suit in an alley garbage can is a direct lift from the comic book. Extraneous characters like John Jameson and the doctor who treats Peter after he thinks he's lost his powers, Dr. Curt Connors, are both historic characters from the comic book. Both go on to have serious accidents that lead them to becoming villains in the comic, FYI.

There is also a bit at the end involving James Franco's Harry Osbourne that relates to one of the comics all time best storylines. Fans of the comic who recognize these characters are drooling over which will be the big baddie of Spider-man 3.

What a loss it would have been if rumors prior to the film’s shooting had come true and Tobey Maguire had been dropped as Spider-man. No offense to Jake Gyllenhaal who was rumored to take over for Maguire, but Spider-man is clearly Maguire's role. Maguire has not always been one of my favorite actors. I've always found his earnest nerdiness and dewy eyed look cloying. Somehow, Maguire turns those negatives into positives for both Spider-man and Peter Parker. His nerdy exterior is the perfect cover for the superhero inside, his nervousness and quavering voice as Peter Parker is the essential yin to Spidey's confident superhero yang.

The chemistry between Maguire and Kirsten Dunst is tremendous and the love story is almost as exciting as the CGI fight scenes. Almost. These are some impressive effects, but I digress. There are real fireworks when Peter and Mary Jane are together. The unrequited love story has grown from the puppy dog crush of the first film to a deeper, more mature longing and we feel it every time they are together.

Now back to those effects. Science has not moved far enough yet to make Spider-man or his nemesis Doc Ock look completely seamless, but this is as close as anyone has come other than George Lucas. Doc Ock is a terrific-looking character. At first he seems kind of goofy looking, Alfred Molina is not the first actor you think of when you think of a comic book movie. However, once the character gets into fighting Spider-man it really gets good. The climactic battle on an elevated subway train is one of the most exciting action scenes ever. Ever!

If there is a criticism of Spider-man 2, it’s that there might not be enough of Spider-man himself. As good as Maguire is at being Peter Parker, that is where the film’s depth comes from. I can see where some audience members will be counting the seconds until Peter is back behind the mask. That for me is a minor criticism because whether it's Spider-man or Peter Parker, this movie is a terrific ride filled with emotion, humor and unbeatable action. As Roger Ebert said, this may be the best superhero movie ever made.

Movie Review: Unfaithful

Unfaithful (2002) 

Directed by Adrian Lyne

Written by Alvin Sargent, William Broyles Jr. 

Starring Richard Gere, Diane Lane, Olivier Martinez, Michelle Monaghan, Chad Lowe 

Release Date May 10th, 2002 

Published May 9th, 2002

I have never understood people's desperate need to get married and buy a house in the country. Being a city person, I just can't imagine leaving behind the constant motion for the quiet serenity. There is something very dull sounding about spending the rest of your life with someone so far away from where there are things to do. Maybe that is what drives Diane Lane's seemingly happy, married mother of one to risk her marriage on a stupid fling. Or maybe she just needed to be in a city.

In Unfaithful, Lane is Connie Sumner, mother of one son named Charlie (Malcolm in the Middle's youngest, Eric Per Sullivan) and wife of Edward (Richard Gere), a businessman whose business is never really explained. The marriage is typically mundane. Edward takes the train into work every day and comes home at the same time every day. Connie doesn't work as often as Edward; her job obtaining items for auctions brings her into the city maybe once a week. 

On one particularly windy day, as Connie is shopping for her sons ninth birthday, the wind literally blows her into the arms of a handsome rare books dealer named Paul Martel (Oliver Martinez). Paul is a good ten years younger than Diane, but his lust for her is quite obvious. Maybe having a younger man find her attractive (or maybe Paul's cheeseball game, in which he gives her a book that he has planted in a particular spot for just this occasion) something stirs in Connie and her intrigue will lead her to stray from her marriage.

Edward is not entirely clueless. In fact, after Connie's first meeting with Paul, Edward senses something is wrong. Eventually Edward's suspicions grow to the point where he hires a private detective to follow his wife. Of course, he finds out what he suspected is true and this leads to a plot twist that is surprising, not for shock value but for how studied and quiet it is.

Director Adrian Lyne does something interesting with Unfaithful. A less-skilled director would have made Unfaithful into a predictable thriller with either the husband or the lover as some kind of psycho who flies into a rage and tries to kill everyone. Lyne, however, is more interested in the effect on the marriage. All of the actions taken by the characters are a logical extension of real emotion and not mere plot manipulation. Even toward the end, when the film takes its twisted turn, the actions still feel realistic.

Diane Lane is receiving the best reviews of her career for this role, and they are deserved. Gere is also strong, but the film's best element is director Adrian Lyne, whose lovely camerawork and studied pacing brings a realistic portrait of a troubled marriage that shouldn't be troubled.

Unfaithful is an interesting portrait of the need to break routine and cause change in one's life even if that change is painful and unnecessary. No matter how much two people love each other, there is only so much they can do together without getting bored. That may not be romantic or moral, but anyone who has ever been in a long-term relationship can understand the need for personal time and space and the need to have something that is entirely your own. This doesn't justify cheating on a wife or a husband but a film like Unfaithful provides a logical explanation of this destructive behavior.