Spidey 3 (Not at all Spoiler Free)

[starrylites]

Peter: Can I just say I love how much of a dork Peter is? Dark!Peter walking around New York trying to seduce women is one of the funniest things I've seen on scene. I was laughing my head off. I got glared at by the high schoolers, but I glared at them for talking through the trailers. I say we were even. His inner struggle is good, I prefer the "Spider-Man no more" inner fight, but the revenge was something that he's had built up inside for a long time, so it needed to explode and come to a head. I would've liked to have seen more of real!Peter after MJ breaks up with him before he puts the black suit back on. I also wish he'd apologized to Harry sooner than he did...waiting until the very end. If I were Harry, I would have had a hard time going to Peter's aide when he still said some pretty terrible stuff, done some terrible stuff, without an explanation and didn't apologize. I mean...Peter tried to blow him up...and Harry went without an apology? Dude. Better man than I, let me tell you.

Mary Jane: MJ has a personality. Before she was the girl next door, and you knew she wanted to be on Broadway, but otherwise you really didn't see much of MJ herself. You see what upsets her, her jealousy of Peter, her desire to want to make things work, her complete love for him, and yet...she just doesn't quite trust him. I could actually really feel for her in this movie, and relate to her in a way. The key to the city scene, the break up scene, and the first jazz club scene were really, really sad, and I felt terrible for her. Kirsten did a great job with that stuff.

Harry: I love Harry's role in the movie. I mean I really do. He kinda bugged me in Spidey 2 up until he found out Peter was Spider-Man. Here you see his complete transformation into the Green Goblin, the accident, the amnesia, his memory coming back, the fight, he loses, Peter comes seeking help (much like Spidey 2 only this time Peter comes looking for him), Harry refuses at first, learns the truth from butler-who-I'm-sure-has-a-name-I-just-can't-remember, and goes to Peter's aide. Harry's development is great, he dies a hero, you come out feeling relieved that he knows the truth and that he and Peter were best friends til the end. I have one complaint, however: Amnesia!Harry is...a little too juvenile for me. I don't know, I found him too playful, and the painting bit...was just weird.

Aunt May: I want more Aunt May! She's Peter's reality check, and I just felt like she sort of got pushed aside. I think she's important and I just would've liked more. You know a cute little talk where she tells Peter she knows he's Spider-Man. That would have been fun.

Sandman/Flint: Like I said when I posted last night...I want to hate Marvel villains, but they always do something to make it so you can't. You don't Magneto, you actually quite of like Magneto...in a twisted "I will take over the world by brute force. haha, stupid humans" sort of way. X-Men wise you could stretch that to Mystique who when she loses her powers you just kinda wilt for her or Phoenix, because you know really that's Jean and you just wanna cry because you love Jean, or you should. Fantastic Four you like Von Doom in a demented sort of way, and you feel bad because it's really not his fault that he ended up with those powers...so you know. Spidey, same problem. You don't hate Norman, you don't hate Octavius, and you don't hate Flint. They're all villians with hero flaws...go figure. But, because of the opening scene, when he becomes the Sandman, his actions don't seem justified to me. When he explains what really happened to Peter in the end, and Peter lets go of his revenge, that's cool, but...him turning into this huge monster I...no, I have a really hard time with that.

Eddie/Venom: Okay, now I'm talking about a villain I come so close to hating. Sadly, Topher Grace is too cute to hate. It's that simple. He's a complete jerk, he obviously has no hold on Gwen at all so he lies about wanting to marry this girl, and...he's a creep! I mean, you go to pray and ask God to kill Peter for humiliating him? That's a bit intense, and incredibly emo. Yeah, I come very close to hating Eddie, but I would've liked more focus on him as Venom. There just wasn't enough to make me feel like Eddie's demise was worth it, does that make sense?

Gwen: The teaser made me think I was going to hate Gwen. No, I actually almost like Gwen. I think she's a little too touchy feely with Peter, but some girls are just like that, she comes off as one of those. She otherwise was genuine, and the scene in the jazz club when she walks out on Peter after what he did is what sealed it. I definitely liked her at that point. Yeah.

Jameson: It was worth his bit in the final battle scene and the fight with the little girl. Hilarious.

Captain Stacy: Eh, I love James Cromwell. He makes me smile. *yes, loves him in Star Trek: First Contact, but swears she's not a trekky*

Bruce Campbell: Oh, Bruce...your scene was amazing! I...laughed as soon as he came up on the screen and it was just completely and totally worth it. I loved his Spidey 2 cameo, but this one...hilarious! Bruce, you made me miss Lois & Clark...and the what 2 episodes you're in? Anyway.

Story: I think they've beaten the flashbacks to Uncle Ben's death...to death. If they are going to make 4,5, and 6, which I hope not, I really hope that they can move on and deal with the current problems. The revenge against Uncle Ben has been rectified, Peter no longer feels it, he got over his guilt in 2, now let's move on. The plot is sound, however, I just wish that Peter had wrapped things up with Aunt May. He really didn't after the revenge talk. The end is perfect with the parallel to 1 and then going to rectify things with MJ. It's a great, open-ended ending, but you know it's going to turn out happy.

Complaints: Too many villains. Peter's his own villain, and Goblin, and Sandman, and Venom...it's a bit much. Yes, Harry sees the truth in the end, but...you know. I almost think it would have been more powerful to focus Peter's revenge on one character, than on three. Even two would have been better.

Favorite moment: Dark!Peter trying to seduce women. Yep. Definitely =)

So, most everyone else is calling it their favorite Spidey flick...it still falls short of Spidey 2 for me. But I like Superhero-no-more realizations. Spidey 2 is in so many ways an updated Superman II and yeah...sentimental attachment to type of story, I suppose.

There you have it, my full-blown review...just in pieces. =)

Comments

[htbthomas.livejournal.com]

Dark!Peter walking around New York trying to seduce women is one of the funniest things I've seen on scene. -- My favorite parts of the movie by far!

MJ has a personality. -- Yes! There have been complaints about her behavior in the film, can you believe it! :P Thank God she has one.

from butler-who-I'm-sure-has-a-name-I-just-can't-remember - Bernard. :D (I used him in my fics)

Amnesia!Harry is...a little too juvenile for me. I don't know, I found him too playful, and the painting bit...was just weird. -- I think he was suffering from a form of PTSD, where he blocked out everything bad, and so he went to more of a childlike state. He was not the same person he had been, even in high school, when things were tough with his father.

You know a cute little talk where she tells Peter she knows he's Spider-Man. -- I don't know why that hasn't happened yet... sheesh. Read my "It Has Always Been You" if you want that!

I want to hate Marvel villains, but they always do something to make it so you can't. -- That's what I love about Marvel. No one is ever just good or bad. And Marko is explained SO much better in the novelization. I'm sad they left so much of that out in the film.

She otherwise was genuine, and the scene in the jazz club when she walks out on Peter after what he did is what sealed it. I definitely liked her at that point. Yeah. -- That's when I decided I liked her, too!

Anyway, I have a long review on my LJ - check it out if you feel like it!