SPIDERMAN 3

US, 2007, 144 minutes, Colour.
Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, James Franco, Thomas Haden Church, Topher Grace, Bryce Dallas Howard, Rosemary Harris, J.K. Simmons, James Cromwell, Theresa Russell, Dylan Baker, Bill Nunn, Bruce Campbell, Elizabeth Banks, Cliff Robertson, Willem Dafoe, Stan Lee.
Directed by Sam Raimi.

When Spiderman was released in 2002, it created an enormous impact. Not only was it one of the best of the adaptations of a Marvel comic for the screen but it also came to the notice of moral and religious groups who were pleased to write and publicise articles on Spiderman as a role model (well, not his acrobatics but his moral decisions and motives). At a crucial moment, Peter Parker had a significant conversation with his wise Aunt May about power meaning responsibility and service. So far, so good.

Two years later, Spiderman 2 made an even bigger impact. I went back to my review of three years ago and found that I was echoing the kind of comments on the first film:
‘His work in keeping law and order and rescuing those in danger means that Peter has difficulty with his true identity. His inner potential, a more extraverted hero, emerges when he is Spiderman. He has a highly developed sense of responsibility and duty which he sees as requiring self-sacrifice in renouncing his love for Mary Jane, especially since Spiderman’s enemies would put her life at risk (which they do). Aunt May gives him a strong pep talk about the need for heroes…’.

Three years later, it is now Spiderman 3 time. There is plenty to satisfy the fans of comic book heroes as well as those still looking for the values. The running time is almost two and a half hours, so it is quite long and younger audiences may fidget at the dramatic interludes – but some action will come along sooner rather than later. In fact, there is probably too much plot for one film, Spiderman having to fight three villains, though there is a pleasing twist before the final battle in downtown New York and the ultimate confrontation between good and evil.

Sam Raimi has achieved quite a feat in directing three successful episodes of Spiderman (but it makes you wonder if there really is any potential for a fourth). In terms of special effects and stunts, there is more than enough to satisfy.

The cast, mainly from the previous films, are fortunately given plenty to do. This is true of supporting characters like J.J. Simmons who gets some quite hilarious moments as the Bugle editor. Even Willem Dafoe and Cliff Robertson have cameos, their characters contributing to new plot developments. (Spiderman 3 relates more to the original film than to Spiderman 2). Rosemary Harris as Aunt May is still as wise and long-suffering as ever. And, again, she is the character who is able to put the moral sense and perspective into words.

Tobey Maguire has always been convincing as Peter Parker. Last time, he had to face the conflict between heroism and love for Mary Jane. It goes much deeper this time. And we see a lot more of Peter’s complex personality. We see his succumbing to vanity and an inability to empathise with Mary Jane and her acting crisis. But, with an alien substance crashing to earth and insinuating itself into Peter’s body and psyche with frightening effect, it unleashes some of his shadow side in both arrogance (trying to outdo Travolta’s Saturday Night Fever strutting) and in violence, in consuming vengeance for the death of his Uncle Ben. He sees a sinful side of his nature and has to deal with it and make serious decisions.

Kirsten Dunst is back as Mary Jane with her character developing and having to cope with professional disappointment as well as Peter’s self-centred behaviour. She also has plenty of opportunity to do some heroine-in-peril screaming at the end. James Franco is also back as Harry. His role is considerably built up this time, giving him big stunts and evil action as well as some sweetness-and-light niceness.

There are two more spectacular villains. Thomas Haden Church gets atomised while on the run from the police and transforms into The Sandman – plenty of eye-popping effects there. Topher Grace is an ambitious young photographer who covets Peter’s photography job at The Bugle – and opts for the dark side.

Bryce Dallas Howard offers some (unwilling) rivalry to Mary Jane as Peter’s lab partner in studies, daughter of the police chief (James Cromwell) and Topher Grace’s girlfriend. Longtime Raimi collaborator, especially in the Evil Dead films, Bruce Campbell, has some funny scene-stealing moments as a restaurant maitre d’.

Quite a cast line-up bringing the wide range of characters alive.

And, of course, the issue of Peter Parker/Spiderman as a role model. At the opening, he is still the same service-oriented, responsible superhero ready to combat evil. But, to our surprise (and our wishing he wasn’t), he becomes a rather vain twit. He has feet of clay and is obtuse to Mary Jane, basking in his popularity and crowd adulation and being given the keys to the city. But, it gets worse, when we see his literal dark side. But, this is interesting in terms of exploring the good and the propensity for evil in human nature, even in a superhero. We wait for the resolution of the moral dilemmas and for Peter to come to his senses. Aunt May is key again with her advice.

In fact, there is quite an impressive sequence towards the end when Peter has to face the corrosive nature of revenge and acknowledge the grace of being able to forgive. It is preceded by a sequence with explicit Christian imagery. The dark Spiderman sees a cross on the steeple of a church. He then sits brooding, like a gargoyle, on the high roof. However, he goes into the belfry and makes the choice for light and goodness. Meanwhile the ambitious photographer who has lost his job and reputation kneels in the body of the church below, praying before a large crucifix. But, his prayer is that Peter Parker will be killed. At this moment, the alien ooze which Peter is shedding falls on the photographer and he chooses evil.

Spiderman 3 is pro-good, not only in combating the personifications of evil in the villains but also in the hero.

1.The popularity of the series? Achievement as cinema? A third episode?

2.The nature of the appeal: the hero, his life, heroism in action, the villains, the combat between good and evil?

3.The values dimension of the film: a hero who has a sense of responsibility, duty, self-service and self-sacrifice? The importance of vengeance, revenge and its eating away at people? Forgiveness?

4.New York City as a character, the detail of the skyscrapers, the ordinary streets, apartments, school? The musical score and its atmosphere? The themes?

5.The stunt work and action, the pace, editing? For Spiderman, for Harry, for the Sandman, for Venom? For the asteroid creature? The movement through the city canyons?

6.The special effects, the transformations for Harry, Venom, the Sandman? For the crises? The crane and the crashing into the skyscrapers? The taxi in the spider web?

7.The credits, the score and the moods, indication of themes? The glass shards, mirrors, the glimpses of the past two films? Linking the present to the other films?

8.Tobey Maguire as Peter Parker, as a character, seeing him in action, people’s acclaim, saving Gwen from the fall, the crane? His ordinariness, in class, with Gwen? The police, with the police chief, the photographs and Eddie, the rivalry? The job? With J. Jonah Jameson? The keys of the city?

9.His going to see Mary Jane in the play, her name on the awning, her performance of the song, the applause, Harry in the audience, his watching Peter, the encounter afterwards? The tension between the two? The bad reviews, Mary Jane being upset, Peter and his talking about himself and fame, not taking notice of mistakes? Mary Jane feeling that he didn’t understand her? His going to Aunt May, the talk about the proposal, Aunt May and her wisdom, the fifty years, memories of Ben, the proposal, giving him the ring, the advice? Mary Jane going to the theatre and her being sacked? Her trying to get into Peter’s apartment? The reaction to the keys of the city, talking with Peter, his flight in, Harry? The kiss with Gwen (and the echo of Mary Jane’s kiss with Peter and her claiming it)? The restaurant, her tension, her leaving? The comedy with the maitre d', the ring, his French accent, the failure of the engagement?

10.Mary Jane and her past, singing, acting, reaction to the reviewers, her feelings, talking, Harry and his sympathy? Discussions with Harry, going to see him in the hospital? His being nice, trying to phone Peter, not answering his calls? The restaurant and her being hurt, seeing Gwen? Harry and his help, the cooking? The kiss, her being upset and leaving? Harry’s transformation, his abducting her, the phone call, Peter at the bridge, her rejection of him? Caught in the taxi, the dangers in the web, her screaming, her being saved?

11.Harry, his experiments, the transformation, memories of his father, attacking Peter, the fight, cutting through the web, Peter and his trying to save the ring? Harry and the invocation of his father, pride? The crash, being in hospital, losing his memory, becoming nice, friends with Peter and Mary Jane? Back home, Bernard looking after him? The portrait of his father? Memories of his father? Hearing his voice? His painting, cooking, the kiss, upset, regaining his memory? His anger, fighting Peter, the bombs, the explosion, his disfigurement? Bernard and his telling him the truth? Harry rejecting Peter’s appeal for Mary Jane, the truth and his change of heart, helping, the fight, his being wounded, dying?

12.Aunt May, her age, experience, memories, the story of the proposal, giving Peter the ring, puzzle about him, talking about vengeance and revenge when Peter described the death of the murderer? Her visit to his apartment? Her talking to him?

13.Marko and his story, a development from the first film and the killing of Uncle Ben? His escape from prison, on the fire escape, his daughter, her illness, the confrontation with his wife and her anger, wanting the money for the operation, his daughter giving him the necklace? The chase, going into the facility, being pursued, the atomiser, his being disintegrated, coming back together again, emerging from the sand? The Sandman? His interventions, flowing through the city as sand? The police, the truck, the robbery? The crashes? Spiderman’s intervention? The menace? His confrontation with Spiderman, the fight in the subway, his seeming to be destroyed? His reappearance, the plan with Venom, to confront Spiderman?

14.J. Jonah Jameson, the comedy, his talk, taking the pills, his nervousness, Miss Brant and her warning him, Eddie and the photos, hiring and firing, his assistant? The photos, the false photo of Spiderman, his having to retract, his buying the camera from the little girl – and the film?

15.Eddie, ambitious, relationship with Gwen, selfish, taking the photos, boasting to Peter, his forging the photo, his failure, the humiliation? Going into the church, praying for Peter’s death? The slime, hearing the truth, his being transformed into Venom, his teeth? The slime going back and forth from his face? The attack, joining with Sandman, his final choice to be evil, his death?

16.Gwen, in class, modelling, the rescue, the key to the city, the kiss? Meeting Mary Jane in the restaurant, her niceness? The dance with Peter in the club – realising that he was trying to make Mary Jane jealous? Her apology to Mary Jane? Her father, his police work?

17.Peter and the truth, the asteroid on the bike, going into the apartment? Going to the professor, discussing the composition, the professor and the phone call and the warning? The black suit, in the trunk? His deliberate decision to put it on? His meanness, public opinion, the newspapers against him, Eddie wanting to take the photo, the false photo? His wanting vengeance against the Sandman, the discussions with the police commissioner, the photos? Recognising the Sandman? His vengeance on Harry? Their fight, Harry’s disfigurement? Listening to Aunt May’s advice, wanting to reconcile with Mary Jane? The finale, his true self, the choices, the appeal to Harry? Fighting with him? The pathos of Harry’s death? The final talk with the Sandman – the Sandman and his explaining what he did? His apology? Peter’s forgiveness? A grace? The Sandman disintegrating?

18.Peter and his false persona, the clothes, strutting down the street, the club, the false image, interrupting Mary Jane’s song, playing the piano, the dance with Gwen? Narcissistic and making a fool of himself?

19.The religious emblems, the crucifix in the church, his sitting on the church and like a gargoyle, his having to change? The cross on the steeple? The belltower, the bells, his transformation, taking off the asteroid? Its falling down to Eddie, Eddie in the church, praying to the crucifix devoutly, to kill Peter? Eddie and the slime, his being transformed? The religious aura of the value themes?

20.The film combining action, character, values?