MovieMantz Review: 'Spider-Man 3'

Spidey's Back! Spidey's Black! 'Nuff Said!

by Scott Mantz

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Have no fear, webheads — your friendly neighborhood "Spider-Man 3" is finally here, and it's the biggest, most exciting Spidey of 'em all! Swinging into theaters on May 4 — about 5 years to the day that the first film opened with a then record-breaking $115 million — "Spider-Man 3" effectively launches the summer 2007 movie season on a spectacular note while bringing the $1.6 billion franchise to an immensely entertaining, emotionally satisfying and action-packed conclusion.

That's high praise, given the nature of film trilogies to end on a whimper rather than a bang (witness "The Matrix Revolutions" and "X-Men: The Last Stand"). But despite boasting a bigger budget (rumored to be over $300 million), a longer running time (2 hours and 19 minutes) and a more ambitious story (with 3 super villains), returning players Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst and director Sam Raimi have successfully completed the exceptional superhero series with a rousing capper that's closer to "Return of the King" than to "Return of the Jedi."

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To top it off, a mysterious alien substance possesses Spider-Man, changing the color of his familiar red-and-blue suit to black, enhancing his powers and exposing his darker, more violent side. Spidey may not realize it yet, but as he gears up for the biggest battle of his life, he learns the hard way that an even bigger battle is about to be waged within himself.

Obviously, there's a lot going on in "Spider-Man 3," but the brilliance of the story — which once again interweaves action, drama, romance, depth and humor — lies in its ability to bring it all together in the end, wrapping up not just the film, but also the series as a whole. Director Sam Raimi, who developed the story with his brother, Ivan, and "Spider-Man 2" vet Alvin Sargent, who co-wrote the screenplay, introduce new characters and subplots while effectively retaining key elements and images from the first two films.

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