Det ser ju alltid en smula nonchalant ut, men jag tänker klistra in mina engelska intryck och uttalanden efter min Spindelmannen 3-titt tidigare i dag.
Let's just say I have a lot of comic reading time invested in Spider-Man. I subscribed to it for about six years, and even as a kid, the human conflicts, morality and emotional depth was what dragged me in. I'm gay like that.
So, for me, going into the third film after having heard mostly disappointed views on it, I feared that the drama would be a casuality of a studio insisted Venom inclusion and too many villains in the same film, resulting in a fighting orgy the size of X-Men 3.
I was very, very relieved.
Every core emotional thread is carefully followed up in this film, and it really does take its time to include some heartfelt moments like Ursula and aunt May. But also, in doing so it becomes a very selfish plot where - let's call it "the stuff I like" - takes center stage and everything else is "spidey stuff on top". Where 1 and 2 carefully weaved its super hero bits in with the drama, this film barely needed the super hero bits at all in their current form.
I blame Venom. See, I love Venom in the comics, but I never wanted him in the films. He represents stuff far too fantastical to mix well with the earthliness of these movies. Even though the effects are great, he is detached from the "feelings" in this film. He just doesn't click.
There are many reasons why Venom ruins Spider-man 3, but the most obvious way is how he steals screen time enough to make Sandman's plot feel largely irrelevant (apart from teaching Spidey the lesson of gray zones - the fact that it's not all about good/evil) but not enough to make HIMSELF relevant. He also disturbs the balance of the "threats", especially towards the finale, making it the absolutely least satisfying part of the movie where you end up not caring about anybody's resolution.
Except Peter's. As the truth behind Ben's death and the circumstances surrounding the robbery are revealed, Peter learns the power of forgiveness. Moments later, he himself is forgiven. These things work, despite Venom being shoehorned into the story - but man they could've been so much more powerful without him.
If you want a villain plotline that feels absolutely coherent and motivated then you'll be disappointed. This is Batman Begins, but instead of putting all of the stupid badguy plot in the third act, this tries to evenly sprinkle it across the whole film. Even though this helps in keeping the pace up, it rarely complements the drama particularly well. That said, the first 1½ act is pretty tight even in terms of giving the action emotional weight.
So, bottom line is.. this is a third film for those that care about Peter. The "evil Peter" stuff has an 80s musical feel to it (not just the dancing, the entire attitude towards badboyism) and that might not appeal to everyone, but the core story is there, fully intact, and it makes perfect sense as a next step in the maturing super hero's life.
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Jag kan tillägga att även jag tyckte Kirsten Dunst gjorde sin bästa prestation hittills i Spidde-serien i denna filmen. Mary Jane var mer intressant använd här, och det måste känts skönt för Kirsten.
Speciell parentes även runt James Franco, men det mer för att han varit kanonbra i samtliga av filmerna. Ja också naturligtvis hatten av till Tobey Maguire, av självklara skäl.
