 Spider-Man: The High Definition Trilogy 3-Movie 4 Disc Boxed Set - Part 3 (Spider-Man 3 consist of 2 Discs) Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) finally has the girl of his dreams, Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst), and New York City is in the throes of Spider-mania! But when a strange alien symbiote turns Spider-Man's suit black, his darkest demons come to light - changing Spider-Man inside as well as out. Spider-Man is in for the fight of his life against a lethal mix of villains - the deadly Sandman (Thomas Haden Church), Venom (Topher Grace), and the New Goblin (James Franco) - as well as the enemy within himself. Storyline: Peter Parker has finally managed to piece together the once-broken parts of his life, maintaining a balance between his relationship with Mary-Jane and his responsibility as Spider-Man. But more challenges arise for our young hero. Peter's old friend Harry Obsourne has set out for revenge against Peter; taking up the mantle of his late father's persona as The New Goblin, and Peter must also capture Uncle Ben's real killer, Flint Marko, who has been transformed into his toughest foe yet, the Sandman. All hope seems lost when suddenly Peter's suit turns jet-black and greatly amplifies his powers. But it also begins to greatly amplify the much darker qualities of Peter's personality that he begins to lose himself to. Peter has to reach deep inside himself to free the compassionate hero he used to be if he is to ever conquer the darkness within and face not only his greatest enemies, but also...himself. Written by Dark-Spidey Reviewer's Note: Reviewed by Greg Maltz, December 8, 2008 With heavy studio involvement in Spider-Man 3, the story ballooned to a scale that had the potential for disaster, like many other sequels. The Spidey 3 script addresses a complex love relationship; two major villains new to the series; the resurrection of a third villain who also represents a complex friendship; an arc about letting revenge eat away at the soul; and a director and cast that had fought hard through the previous two films and now faced a grueling production schedule. How could it possibly succeed? The answer turned out to be surprisingly simple--an answer hinted at in the earlier films: the Spider-Man saga does not try to get too heavy for itself. In Spider-Man 3, comic relief is in constant supply and one of Maguire's great gifts as an actor is that he can be self-effacing and nerdy while still maintaining enough strength and character to be a believable super-hero. His portrayal of Parker and Spidey is both sensitive and strong, and littered with moments that are simultaneously humorous and painful. While the story itself is a bit disjointed, pulling in disparate characters and subplots, it maintains its themes and delivers more action than the previous installments. The challenge for successful films is to keep sequels fresh while inheriting some of the unavoidable expectations and demands that come from studios shelling out big bucks for a blockbuster project. While another recent "3" sequel, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, buckled under the weight of its own expectations, Spider-Man 3 managed to stand upright, captivating audiences for nearly two hours and 20 minutes of action, drama and humor. Best of all for the HT crowd, the picture and sound of Sony's two-disc Blu-ray release are top notch. Spider-Man 3 picks up where the previous film leaves off, with Peter and Mary Jane finally in a strong relationship and the city of New York showing Spidey the long-overdue appreciation he deserves. But problems quickly crop up. Harry (James Franko) seeks revenge for the death of his father by attacking Peter using all the tricks of the Green Goblin. Flint Marko (Thomas Haden Church), the criminal who murdered Ben Parker, escapes from jail and develops superhuman capabilities when his body's molecules merge with sand in a particle accelerator. An organic substance from space falls to earth on a meteor, attaches itself to Peter's spidey suit and starts to eat away at his selflessness until he becomes egocentric and vengeful. Peter finally shakes this manifestation of revenge in the bell tower of a church, but the black substance then infects Eddie Brock (Topher Grace) turning him into the criminal, Venom. There is no doubt that the third installment covers the most ground and takes the most chances--not just with the effects but with the complex emotional ties of the characters and the wild humor that keeps the film from taking itself too seriously. The scope of Spider-Man 3 is perhaps too ambitious, as it addresses three villains and touches on many profound issues such as vengeance, faith and forgiveness, each one of which could have been expanded to fill an entire film itself. The result is that it feels a bit cramped, and the writing is not quite up to par with the focused screenplay of the first two. Nevertheless, Spider-Man 3 has its moments that surpass anything seen in its predecessors. One of the highlights of the trilogy for me was seeing the "egocentric" Peter strut around Manhattan while James Brown's "People Get Up and Drive that Funky Soul" played. Peter then shows up in a jazz club where Mary Jane works. In a farcical cabaret performance, he shows off his skills on piano and his dance moves. Coupled with the outstanding special effects--especially those of Venom and the Sandman--the final installment in the Spider-Man trilogy comes very close to perfect entertainment, while staying true to its comic-book roots. I believe Spider-Man 3 has gotten a bad rap from the press and most viewers. It is nowhere near as dismal as most critics and fans make it sound. In fact, it is first-rate entertainment, not dismal at all. In many ways it has superior action, drama and humor compared to its two predecessors. The story and writing may not be as tight, but the actors do a fine job, the effects are spot on and the Blu-ray production credentials make this an easy recommendation--unless, of course, you already have the Spider-Man 3 BDs as part of the trilogy box. As a side note, I noticed that Spider-Man 3 outlined an important role for faith. One of the subplots of the film addresses the inward struggle within Peter Parker. The story sets him up to deal with issues such as revenge, ego and jealousy, that can eat away at the soul. At Parker's lowest point in the film, he visits a church and it is there that he is able to dispel the blackness that has invaded his character. I found this sequence to be a compelling and wholesome aspect to the film, and a fitting resolution of a complex subplot. The visual effects were cool, too! (Based on Comic Book) IMDb Rating (11/08/17): 6.2/10 from 418,910 users
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