Whenever I think of a superhero, Spider Man is the one that comes to mind first. No other superhero ever seemed so super while remaining so human, and that’s why Spider Man has remained the most popular character in the Marvel universe since his debut in Stan Lee’s 1960’s comic.

The Spider Man films have held fast to this concept that a superhero is only as compelling as his alter ego. By the time Spider Man 3 begins, even people who were unfamiliar with the character prior to the film trilogy’s debut have gotten to know the characters so well that they feel like they know them personally.

With the start of the third film, Spider Man has gotten past his bad publicity, and the public has finally begun to embrace him and recognize him for the hero that he is. Unfortunately, this kind of admiration can go to any person’s head. Peter Parker is no exception. Here’s where we get to see some new sides to Peter; he’s no longer so shy and depressed.

What separates this film from the others more than anything is the inclusion of not one, but three villains all in one film. It’s a common practice with Superhero films to introduce more and more villains with each sequel, often because the strongest villains have been used and killed off and multiple villains are needed to make up for their lack of depth as characters. At times there are so many story lines intertwining they barely give you a chance to catch your breath. Between Peter’s brush with the dark side when Venom takes over and his quest to bring his father’s true murderer to justice, his battle with his friend Harry and even complications with Mary Jane…whew, it’s a lot to take in.

Spider Man 3 teeters on the edge of succumbing to this very trap that many superhero franchises do; at times things feel rushed and we aren’t given the exposition we were in previous films. But in the opinion of this reviewer, luckily Raimi and his team are simply too talented and too invested in these characters and storylines to ever allow them to fall flat. The Sandman’s introduction is abrupt, but we are still given a delicate portrait of the man behind the sand quickly and effectively. And it’s a pleasure to finally see Harry take up the mantle as Goblin Jr. to avenge his father’s death in the first film.

With all these villains there are bound to be many battles and the visuals in this film are put to spectacular use in bringing these battles to life. Watching Harry chase Peter on his new glider boogie board between two buildings, or watching Spider Man rescue a girl from falling a hundred stories when an out of control crane knocks her into the air is truly inspired action. It’s this kind of excitement that lets us know that while Spider Man is very human underneath, he’s still a badass superhero. It’s easy to see where they spent the 250 million dollars (the highest sum in movie history) it took to make this vision come to life.

Still at the end of the day, despite a couple too many storylines and a little lack of effort by Kirsten Dunst, Spider Man 3 is still one of the most exciting films you’ll see this year. Even with all the battles and jumbled storylines, it’s still the film’s heart that carries it. Touching on subjects of forgiveness, free will and unconditional love. Spider Man 3 is as much a story about the human condition as it is about Good vs. Evil and Friend vs. Foe. It doesn’t quite resonate the way Spider Man 2 did, but those are shoes too big for almost any film to fill.

Final Rating: * * *

Reviewed by: Chris M. (August 17, 2007)