spider-man 3

I really wanted to go last night to watch Spider-Man 3. You know, at one of the midnight showings. But there was a small snag. See, I'm not really the type to organize that kind of outing -- more the type to follow along when someone else suggests it. So I didn't think about the necessity of buying tickets before-hand because shows were likely to sell out. Oops.

By the time I thought about it, the closest theater I could find who still had tickets available was 40 minutes away, at a theater I'd never been to before in a town I rarely visit. So rather than stay up until 3:00 am or later and risk getting lost, I decided to just go to bed (I was tired anyway) and watch an early showing this morning closer to home.

On the way to the theater this morning, I caught some reviews of the flick on a local radio station. And pretty much everyone said they hated it. Which made me even more curious.

I was pretty excited for the film -- I've really loved the last two, except for Kirsten Dunst. But I've loved the directing, the writing (for the most part), and -- of course -- the special effects.

Most of all, though, I've loved Tobey Maguire as Peter Parker. The Spider-man story resonates with me, and it's largely because of Peter. Peter is such a nerd, and I get nerds. And he's so wonderfully good. Just through-and-through, a good person. And who doesn't appreciate Peter Parker's ill luck -- don't we all feel at times like the universe is against us, like nothing goes right for us? It doesn't hurt, either, that Tobey Maguire is so gorgeous.

***SPOILER WARNING***

As for this third installment, though ... well, I have mixed feelings. The special effects were still amazing. I couldn't help but think to myself, "Some computer geeks had a great time with the Sandman." Thomas Haden Church, who I used to watch weekly in "Wings" growing up (yes, I know, my TV choices have alwasy been a bit lame), was pretty darn good as Flint Marko. I couldn't help but think how horribly he's aged: he's not a pretty man, but that worked well for his character. Topher Grace, also, was just perfect as Eddie Brock -- just the right mixture of sleaze and charm. James Franco -- returning from the first two films as Peter's best-friend-turned-worst-enemy Harry Osborn -- always has the look and actions of a comic-book character to me. And I mean that in the best possible way: I think he was an excellent choice for the Spider-man films, even though I can't stand him in pretty much anything else.

But the writing. Well, it was just plain hokey, as one IMDB user put it. All the moral lessons were so stilted, so contrived. We're supposed to be thrilled about Harry's sudden change of heart, despite its suddenness. It also annoyed me that his change of heart was based entirely on his butler's testimony rather than Peter's -- honetstly, who trusts their butler over their best friend? I was disappointed that the "inner battle" Peter faces is really nothing more than black goopy stuff from some meteor. Even if he does have to choose not to let it control him, that choice is so much more poignant when the evil really does come from inside you. Emo-Peter -- black eye-liner, black clothes, and bangs hanging in his face -- was just ludicrous.

And of course, we had to hear yet another villain explain why he's not really a bad guy. Ironically, this film is supposed to be about how our choices make us who we are, and how we can always choose to do what's right -- but when a sand-monster chooses to steal money in order to save his daughter's life, we're supposed to forgive him. Wait a second! If he chose to do something bad ... doesn't that make him bad? I'm confused.

Oddly, the part I most enjoyed about this movie was the love story with M-J and Peter. It was interesting to see Peter get all into himself and then have to face the realization that he's not ready for a real relationship with Mary Jane yet.

I guess it all boils down to the unreality of the film. One of the things I've loved about the other two is that they felt realistic to me -- realistic choices, dialogue (for the most part), actions -- even though the story was clearly fantastic. This one, though, just felt silly and fake far too often.

Even the music -- both during the action and during the end credits -- wasn't as good as the last two films. The Snow Patrol song, "Signal Fire," was all right, but it was certainly no "Vindicated."

Not everyone is meant to make a difference. But for me, the choice to lead an ordinary life is no longer an option. (23 points)

The last quote was from Stan Freberg's "St George and the Dragonet." Congrats, Christina!