My Sequel Sense is Tingling!

Ladies and gentlemen, blockbuster season is upon us. Exhibit A: Spiderman 3. I thoroughly enjoyed the first two installments of the Sam Raimi directed franchise but this one has been getting mixed reviews and I must say that I had a mixed reaction to it. First of all, the action is top notch and the special effects are exactly the quality you would expect from a movie with a reported $400 Million price tag. The sequences involving the Sandman (Thomas Hayden Chuch) are particularly eye popping. The movie loses its way, however, because it tries to cram too much into its 2 hours and 20 minutes. As a result, most of the film's storylines remain undeveloped, especially the criminally underused Topher Grace as Eddie Brock/Venom. The "Symbiote" story arc isn't given the seriousness of tone it deserves. In fact, as the alien symbiote enhances Peter Parker's (Tobey Maguire) Spidey abilities it is also supposed to turn him into a jerk. However, in "Spiderman 3," Parker's transformation is symbolized by subtle eyeliner and asymmetrical bangs a la Fall Out Boy. Yes, Spiderman became a self asorbed emo boy for a good portion of the film. While the story and pacing may be unfortunate, there are more good points than bad. For instance, Bryce Dallas Howard is very effective as Gwen Stacey and the audience finally gets a payoff to the Harry Osborne (James Franco) and Peter Parker rivalry. "Spiderman 3" is a bit of a disapointment but don't let that dissuade you from seeing it.