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A Reel Life film section

Issue: Autumn 2007


Spider-man 3 (2007) movie review

It's teen angst again when Peter Parker is infected by a symbiote and the urge to wreak revenge on his uncle's killer. Mary Jane, meanwhile, finds Peter isn't aware of her own struggles.

Spidey (Tobey Maguire) is the hero of New York, but things can only get worse. Of course. The SPIDER-MAN franchise in MCU is very much about the nerd who doesn't fit in, and the girl he loves. SPIDER-MAN 3 has more story than SPIDER-MAN 2, but it is still a combination of cliched seen-it-before.

Dunst does some lovely singing as M.J., which is nice, and she does demonstrate the misery of men who respond with Mr Fix-it instead of listening and empathising. Why DO they do that? Parker is so busy applying his own life to hers that he doesn't notice that her career is not going well. That could be a useful story line if any males had an epiphany and stopped treating women as fuck-ups who need a big man to tell them what to do.

Movie poster, Spiderman 3; Festivale film review

Movie poster, Spiderman 3
Next summer, the greatest battle lies... within.

Meanwhile, Peter is tempted by the dark side, and so it goes. It's an action flick, with very broad characterisation and stories. The old aunt delivers the profound spiritual lessons, Spidey and Petey each have a nemesis, and it all ends in a huge special effects extravaganza punctuated by Dunst's screams.

SPIDER-MAN 3 is a movie to use to pass the time. It's bright and glossy and noisy and races along, but it lacks depth. It's your time, spend it your way.

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by Ali Kayn
Due for Australian release 3 May 2007
For credits and official site details, see below
Search Festivale for more work by the film-makers below.

See also: Superman Returns ; Batman Begins
Spider-man (2002); Spider-man 2 (2004); Spider-Man 3 (2007); The Amazing Spider-Man (2012); The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014); Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017); Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018); Spider-Man: Far from Home (2019); Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021); Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse - Part One (2022)
[[$include film/2022_mcu_seealso-xref.orh]]

Just the facts:

Title: Spider-man 3 (2007)
Written by: Sam Raimi (scr, story) & Ivan Raimi (scr, story) and Alvin Sargent (screenplay); Stan Lee (Marvel comic book) and Steve Ditko (Marvel comic book)
Directed by: Sam Raimi
running time: 139 mins
rating: M

The Players: Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, Thomas Hayden Church

Official website: Sony Pictures
IMDb entry

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