Back In Black

(Spoiler alert! Do not read this before watching the movie!)


Spiderman 3 was a disappointment.

As a self professed writer (and nerd *stares at Vivian*) my spider sense was tingling throughout the entire movie. And I can only blame one person.

No, not Tay

Venom.

Yeah, Venom was cool, the whole Spiderman in black thing was cool, but it was the one plot element that destroyed the film's possible claim to greatness.

Why? We'll get to that in a minute.

What Rocked

Sandman was a great character - I loved the scene between him and his daughter, and the connection he had with Parker and with the audience was nothing short of brilliant. He grew on me, and by the end of the film I found myself understanding and liking Flint Marko. I'd say he was a worthy villian on his own - he was on par with Doc Ock and the Goblin - both had a relationship with Parker, and both were embittered, torn souls that had to fight against him.

The friendship between Peter and Harry was another highlight. Green Goblin junior losing his memory and starting anew was nice to see on the screen, as was him regaining it and plotting revenge. If the film had left just Sandman and Harry as villians it would've been rock solid, as well as allowing the more hyperactive of us to get out of the cinema and into the toilet.

But of course the studios had to bring Venom in.

What Didn't

I've always regarded Venom with a kind of respect. Pit Venom against Spidey and it'll be a nail-biting experience to watch - Venom is really Spidey x 2, plus a really cool look to boot. And add in Carnage and you've got a movie to beat all movies.

But it was ultimately unwise to add in the symbiote factor. There wasn't enough exposition on the black goo and there wasn't a significant emotional connection between Brock and Parker. So what if the two of them were rival photographers? Do you expect me to care? Do you really expect me to believe a meteor hit a park where Parker and MJ just happened to be smooching? I didn't give a bliddy damn about Brock, nor his conscience (which develops later on in the comics, but never the film) nor his hate for Spiderman.

Oh, and by the way, Venom only appears 3/4 into the movie. To encapsulate it in a word: lame.

Another thing that irked the storyteller in me (hey, we all have one, don't we?) was the frequent taking off of the mask. In the first movie this was almost never done - Peter Parker was this dork, this nerd who was only liberated when he put a facade and turned into this confident persona called Spiderman. The third movie tries to merge Spidey and Parker as one, but it doesn't quite pull it off. Instead it serves to lose whatever charm Parker's insecurities as himself gave in the first two movies.

Spiderman 3 has its great moments, that I'd admit. But like a book riddled with silverfish a movie having some great moments just isn't enough. Take away Gwen, Venom and dark Peter and we'd have ourselves an epic - a conclusion to an amazing series. Throw them in and we have ourselves another Xmen 3: overblown commercial fare with stilted emotional impact.

Black isn't always the new black. Green should be brought into the fray once in awhile, to throw everything into a life less orderly.

Hrmmph. Now that you've mentioned it I fear bodily for Shrek 3.

Let's begin praying.

Postscript

Black in black has another meaning: I'm now with a spanking new buzzcut. Gone with the green hair! In with prisonbreak the soldier!


*mumbles* Boy I can't wait for it to grow back. *mumbles*