By snoadmin
It’s been almost a year since the first teaser trailer for “Spider-Man 3” surfaced, and the anticipation has been building ever since. This Friday – at midnight for some hardcore fans – that anticipation will explode into a 139-minute climax in theaters across the country. But can the third installment of this comic-book-turned-movie-series live up to its hype?
I was invited to a private screening of the film on Tuesday night at the Howard Hughes Center to watch the movie in an IMAX theater. Waiting for the movie to start, I stared at the massive screen that loomed over the crowd and hoped that the film would do it justice.
It did.
“Spider-Man 3” is an epic movie filled with action, suspense, drama and rivalry. Picking up near where the sequel left off, Peter Parker (Toby McGuire) has finally learned how to balance his regular life with his life as Spider-Man. He is very much in love with Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst) and plans on proposing to her.
But nothing is that easy. Harry Osborn (James Franco) is still seeking revenge on the masked hero for his father’s death as the New Goblin. A black symbiotic substance from space attaches itself to the Spider-Man costume, giving Parker energy and power, but also amplifying his aggression. And Flint Marko (Thomas Haden Church), a small-time thug, is wreaking havoc on the city as the Sandman. Spider-Man has his work cut out for him.
The action seems to attack the audience non-stop. It seems like only minutes into the movie when Spidey is battling the New Goblin, and it doesn’t cease until the climax of the movie when Spider-Man has to face off with The Sandman and rival-photographer-turned-enemy Venom (Topher Grace).
The only thing that was really unnecessary was a long sequence that shows Parker as a lady killer once he wears the black suit. There is some cheesy dancing and girls swooning, and he gets dark emo hair that covers his face and is suddenly wearing eyeliner.
I’m not a big comic book fan, so I can’t tell you how accurate the movie was to the comic series. But what I can tell you is that the movie is solid. And while I pray that more sequels are on the way, if they decide to stop this series at a trilogy, I would still feel satisfied.
