Back in the Spider's Web... Again!

Once again Sam Raimi bring us back to the amazing world of Peter Parker with Spider-man 3 now available on DVD. With amazing special effects and dazzling visuals the third film in the Spider-man saga continues the spectacular adventure that began in the first film. In this installment Peter Parker faces his toughest challenge yet while fighting three new villains, the new Goblin, the Sandman and Venom. Spider-man's courage is tested in this tale of love, revenge, redemption and forgiveness.

After accepting the responsibility and power of being Spider-man, Peter Parker is on top of the world being in love with the girl of his dreams and feeling the adulation of New York. Just when things are looking up for intrepid hero, "ghosts" from the past come back to haunt Peter Parker while at the same time deal with a wedge in his relationship with Mary Jane. Spider-man' greatest challenges comes from within, as he must battle his dark side brought out by the seductive influence of the infamous black costume.

A hero is only as good as his villains, and in Spider-man 3, the web slinger must face three of his deadliest menaces from his legendary comic book. Seeking revenge on Spider-man, Peter Parker's former best friend Harry Osborn, played excellently by James Franco for a return performance, follows in his father's footsteps becoming the New Goblin. The next villain Spider-man must contend with is the Sandman, played well by Thomas Hayden Church, the escaped convict who accidentally gains super powers from being caught inside a science experiment. Once again facing the tragedy of his uncle's death once Peter Parker learns that Flint Marko, the Sandman, is the man who really killed Uncle Ben.

Ironically as villains, both the Sandman and Harry Osborn are sympathetic characters, even though the choices they make are poor ones in spite of what motivates them. For Harry, its living under the shadow of his father, Norman Osborn the original Green Goblin, seeking revenge not only out of a twisted sense of justice, but to finally prove to his father that is a man. For Flint Marko the Sandman, the love for his daughter adds a human dimension to a seemingly ruthless and cold-blooded killer.

To the round off the trio of terror there is Venom, the combination of Eddie Brock a darker version of Peter Parker, and the Black Costume Symbiote. The last villain Peter Parker deals with is Eddie Brock, the dark version of Peter, who later becomes the second half of one of Spider-man's deadliest enemies, Venom. The rivalry between Peter Parker and Eddie Brock, played by Topher Grace, over a job at the Daily Bugle is well done, as Topher Grace steals the show a bit with attempts to one-up Peter Parker. Of course once Brock becomes Venom, Topher Grace has complete fun unleashing his "evilness," terrorizing New York City with Sandman.

The story to Spider-man 3 is good, even though the action slows down a little, and falls short of the excellence of the previous films. Although the film starts on a high note, the film moves into darker territory as the story unfolds. Spider-man, would not be Spider-man if he did not have obstacles to overcome. One might think that having three villains in one movie might be a hindrance to the story, but in this case, they are merely plot devices to move the story along, for the true villain of the film is the Black Costume itself. This alien symbiote, which eventually becomes Venom, puts Spider-man through the ultimate test of his heroism, seducing him with the promise of more power while unleashing Peter's dark side.

However, the lull in the story almost brings the pace to a grinding a halt. To make matters worse, Peter Parker's actions under the influence of the black costume soon come across as silly, with a contrived dance number as he tries to make Mary Jane jealous. Another major issue that hinders the film, is the design of the Black Costume that is worn my Spider-man. Instead of looking like the basic black outfit adorned with a white spider, instead it is just an all Black version of the red and blue Spider-man costume. From this aspect of the movie, Sam Raimi seems to have dropped the ball in keeping true to the comic books.

While Spider-man 3 may not be the best in the trilogy, it still holds its own in spite of its flaws. The story is self is worthy of three stars out of four, and does not get overwhelmed by the special effects. Most of the characters are given enough room to develop and are played very well by the actors save for Kirsten Dunst, who seems to play Mary Jane as a spoiled brat, after getting a bad play review. The spectacular fight scene at the end of the movie, offers up an amazing finale with a surprising twist. Overall Spider-man 3 is worthy to own for any DVD collection, adding another chapter to the Spider-man Saga. Web swinger never looked so good.