"Spider-Man 3" reviews thread.
05-13-07 | 09:19 PM
#451
DVD Talk Godfather
Originally Posted by B5Erik
Here's part of my problem with the way some people are bashing this movie - they're treating it as black or white. It had to be really good (if not great) or it was bad. They're grading it on a scale of an "A" or an "F" with no grades in between.
Spider Man 3 isn't as good as Spider Man 2 (or Batman Begins, or X-Men or X-Men 2....), but it's better than a hell of a lot of movies in the genre. So by that standard it really should get a "B" - a "C+" at worst.
"D's" and "F's" should be reserved for movies like Batman and Robin, Superman IV, Supergirl, Catwoman, etc. TRULY bad movies, not just flawed, disappointing movies.
There is an "in between" between Great and Bad, and there are differing levels of "Good," ("Good," "Really Good," "Really, REALLY Good - Near Great") and there's even "OK," which I could see some people attributing to this movie, but "Bad?" I don't get that - I've seen bad movies (NOTHING is as bad as Never Too Young to Die), and this wasn't bad. Not even close.
To me the "A" grade Comic Book Superhero Movies are films like Spider Man 2, X-Men 2, and Batman Begins.
I'd give "B's" to Spider Man 1, Spider Man 3 (B- maybe), Superman 1, Superman 2, X-Men, X-Men 3 (B- maybe), etc.
I'd give "C's" to Batman, Batman Returns, Batman Forever (C-), Fantastic Four (C+), Superman Returns (C+), etc.
"D's" would go to Batman and Robin, Hulk (D+), Spawn (D+), etc.
and I reserve "F" grades for complete disasters like Superman IV, Supergirl, and Catwoman.
There are such varying degrees of "good" or "bad" that to pigeonhole Spider Man 3 as "bad" just doesn't make sense to me since there are so many worse movies, and Spider Man 3 does several things right - and is just damned entertaining. I don't know why anyone would equate Spider Man 3 with Batman and Robin or Superman IV. I just don't get it.
Spider Man 3 isn't as good as Spider Man 2 (or Batman Begins, or X-Men or X-Men 2....), but it's better than a hell of a lot of movies in the genre. So by that standard it really should get a "B" - a "C+" at worst.
"D's" and "F's" should be reserved for movies like Batman and Robin, Superman IV, Supergirl, Catwoman, etc. TRULY bad movies, not just flawed, disappointing movies.
There is an "in between" between Great and Bad, and there are differing levels of "Good," ("Good," "Really Good," "Really, REALLY Good - Near Great") and there's even "OK," which I could see some people attributing to this movie, but "Bad?" I don't get that - I've seen bad movies (NOTHING is as bad as Never Too Young to Die), and this wasn't bad. Not even close.
To me the "A" grade Comic Book Superhero Movies are films like Spider Man 2, X-Men 2, and Batman Begins.
I'd give "B's" to Spider Man 1, Spider Man 3 (B- maybe), Superman 1, Superman 2, X-Men, X-Men 3 (B- maybe), etc.
I'd give "C's" to Batman, Batman Returns, Batman Forever (C-), Fantastic Four (C+), Superman Returns (C+), etc.
"D's" would go to Batman and Robin, Hulk (D+), Spawn (D+), etc.
and I reserve "F" grades for complete disasters like Superman IV, Supergirl, and Catwoman.
There are such varying degrees of "good" or "bad" that to pigeonhole Spider Man 3 as "bad" just doesn't make sense to me since there are so many worse movies, and Spider Man 3 does several things right - and is just damned entertaining. I don't know why anyone would equate Spider Man 3 with Batman and Robin or Superman IV. I just don't get it.
I can see where people would be disappointed by Spider-man 3. I love X-Men. I loved X2. I thought it was fantastic and still one of the best superhero movies ever made. X-Men 3... terrible, compared to X2. And Spider-man 2 was pretty good. With Spider-man 3 being the worst in the series (to some, not to me), we went from the peak to the valley in one movie. That's a rough ride.
05-13-07 | 09:21 PM
#452
DVD Talk Legend
Originally Posted by B5Erik
I just don't get it.
You are just taking people's opinions to personally. I can see reasons why some love this movie and some hate it. I personally graded it a C-, so I am in between.
Just remember...you state that Superman IV, Supergirl, and Catwoman get F grades...but I promise you...there are people out there who consider these movies great and loved them.
Do you have Netflix? Ever read peoples reviews on it? You can look up the shittiest movie in the world and some person out there has rated it 4 or 5 stars and writes a serious glowing review. (and if you do have Netflix, I would like to add you to my friends list. I love different opinions.)
05-13-07 | 09:57 PM
#453
DVD Talk Legend
I LOVED it. And the opening credits are the BEST of ANY movie I've EVER seen. They were awesome.
Is the Spider-Man comic strip in book form? I'd love to get into the comics. What author should I look for, or how is it titled exactly? I've searched around but haven't found the comics in book form. Thanks
Is the Spider-Man comic strip in book form? I'd love to get into the comics. What author should I look for, or how is it titled exactly? I've searched around but haven't found the comics in book form. Thanks
05-13-07 | 10:04 PM
#454
Retired
Originally Posted by brianluvdvd
Obviously. I thought Josh and I explained it well but here is the most simple explanation possible: One man's trash is another man's treasure.
You are just taking people's opinions to personally. I can see reasons why some love this movie and some hate it. I personally graded it a C-, so I am in between.
You are just taking people's opinions to personally. I can see reasons why some love this movie and some hate it. I personally graded it a C-, so I am in between.
EXACTLY.
05-13-07 | 10:14 PM
#455
DVD Talk Legend
Originally Posted by The Bus
I don't know if this is consensus, but I agree with most of your list. I'd probably rate the Burton Batmans a bit higher (but not highest) and maybe move up the Hulk a notch, but it's pretty spot-on.
I can also see giving Spider Man 3 a C or even a C- if some of the stuff in there bothered anyone that much, but grading it lower than that just doesn't make sense to me considering the genre.
05-13-07 | 10:19 PM
#456
DVD Talk Platinum Edition
Originally Posted by GatorDeb
I LOVED it. And the opening credits are the BEST of ANY movie I've EVER seen. They were awesome.
Is the Spider-Man comic strip in book form? I'd love to get into the comics. What author should I look for, or how is it titled exactly? I've searched around but haven't found the comics in book form. Thanks
Is the Spider-Man comic strip in book form? I'd love to get into the comics. What author should I look for, or how is it titled exactly? I've searched around but haven't found the comics in book form. Thanks
your talking about the spiderman 3 credits? I thought they were cheap looking espcially compared to the awesome opening that was Spiderman 2, the artwork there was fantastic, here just using clips of the other movies was lame.
05-13-07 | 10:20 PM
#457
DVD Talk Special Edition
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From: Up State NY
Originally Posted by brianluvdvd
Man, you nailed it! It's just like when the majority of people praised E.T. but panned Mac & Me, that was so obvious pack mentality. Bastards!
"This is the guy who did Jaws"
"All Spieldberg wants to do is sell toys"
"Whats the crap with that annoying kid screaming all the time."
"Its just an advertisment for candy anyway."
Message boards bring out negativity. Thats why there are 10X as many posts about hating something than liking it.
05-13-07 | 10:33 PM
#459
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From: Washington DC
Originally Posted by maingon
your talking about the spiderman 3 credits? I thought they were cheap looking espcially compared to the awesome opening that was Spiderman 2, the artwork there was fantastic, here just using clips of the other movies was lame.
05-14-07 | 02:53 AM
#461
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From: So Cal
Final review:
In Spider-man 1 and 2, there was a single scene that made me realize just how well the ideas of the comic translated to the big screen. They were the most human moments too, of course, considering the appeal of the character.
In Spider-man 1, it was the talk Uncle Ben and Peter had in the car. Great scene with great acting. Channeling Donner's Superman was also a nice touch there.
In Spider-man 2, it was when Peter sits down and has lunch with Otto Octavius. Great scene with another A+ actor. It really makes you sympathize with the villain.
In Spider-man 3 I had to search long and hard to find this moment. It was filled with overly sugar-coated moments wherein there was too much meandering dialog and actors with blank facial expressions. So the best scene in this movie? couldn't find it. However, I did like this movie a lot. The beginning is a little clumsy but the movie flows with a better pace as it goes on, instead of dragging like most movies do. Some scenes that really made some people gag made me giggle in a weird way, the same way i would laugh if someone told a bad joke knowing it was bad.
By far, the biggest challenge this movie has is that it blends both silver-age and modern-age themes of the comics, which is why it can feel very incongruous at times. Venom is a very modern-age villain; he's an anti-hero, he's unsympathetic, he gets what he deserves in the end, and his motivations are totally skewed. I'm glad that this movie focused more on Peter and Harry's relationship.
In Spider-man 1 and 2, there was a single scene that made me realize just how well the ideas of the comic translated to the big screen. They were the most human moments too, of course, considering the appeal of the character.
In Spider-man 1, it was the talk Uncle Ben and Peter had in the car. Great scene with great acting. Channeling Donner's Superman was also a nice touch there.
In Spider-man 2, it was when Peter sits down and has lunch with Otto Octavius. Great scene with another A+ actor. It really makes you sympathize with the villain.
In Spider-man 3 I had to search long and hard to find this moment. It was filled with overly sugar-coated moments wherein there was too much meandering dialog and actors with blank facial expressions. So the best scene in this movie? couldn't find it. However, I did like this movie a lot. The beginning is a little clumsy but the movie flows with a better pace as it goes on, instead of dragging like most movies do. Some scenes that really made some people gag made me giggle in a weird way, the same way i would laugh if someone told a bad joke knowing it was bad.
By far, the biggest challenge this movie has is that it blends both silver-age and modern-age themes of the comics, which is why it can feel very incongruous at times. Venom is a very modern-age villain; he's an anti-hero, he's unsympathetic, he gets what he deserves in the end, and his motivations are totally skewed. I'm glad that this movie focused more on Peter and Harry's relationship.
05-14-07 | 06:56 AM
#462
DVD Talk Legend
Originally Posted by Superboy
In Spider-man 3 I had to search long and hard to find this moment
Spoiler:
05-14-07 | 07:44 AM
#463
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From: So Cal
Originally Posted by Shannon Nutt
It was obvious to me:
Spoiler:
05-14-07 | 07:56 AM
#464
DVD Talk Gold Edition
Originally Posted by Superboy
That scene really felt forced to me. Thomas Haden Church looks totally out of place i the whole movie, and doesn't seem like he's able to play someone who's trying NOT to be a villain.
05-14-07 | 09:24 AM
#467
DVD Talk Legend
Originally Posted by GatorDeb
I LOVED it. And the opening credits are the BEST of ANY movie I've EVER seen. They were awesome.
Is the Spider-Man comic strip in book form? I'd love to get into the comics. What author should I look for, or how is it titled exactly? I've searched around but haven't found the comics in book form. Thanks
Is the Spider-Man comic strip in book form? I'd love to get into the comics. What author should I look for, or how is it titled exactly? I've searched around but haven't found the comics in book form. Thanks
Best price: http://talesofwonder.com/product-exe.../34/sc/1,21,34
Heaviest but very satisfying book form (but no black costume...not for many years): The Spider-man Omnibus :
good price (don't know if it is the best): http://www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/0785124...pf_rd_i=507846
Or go by your local Barnes & Noble and see if they have anymore of their paperback volumes of the Spider-man Marvel Masterworks that only they were printing (you can find the hardcover versions anywhere but they are much more expensive). You can find them usually for $5 to $10 each but they only printed 4 paperback volumes taking you from Spider-man's first appearance to issue #40.
05-14-07 | 09:58 AM
#468
Originally Posted by cactusoly
Its interesting how everytime someone make a positive comment someone quotes it and fires back with a negative one. This is Star Wars all over again.
05-14-07 | 10:08 AM
#469
DVD Talk Hero
Originally Posted by Shannon Nutt
It was obvious to me:
Spoiler:
I hate to sound like a pretentious jackass, but ah well here goes, the movie didn't earn that sequence. And it had no gravity to it.
05-14-07 | 10:31 AM
#470
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From: Gateway Cities/Harbor Region
Originally Posted by Cartload
That scene would have been fine if Sandman hadn't been punching the hell out of Peter on that steel beam not even 5 minutes earlier. That and the Sandman wasn't well developed.
Please please please explain this to me. What more did we need to know about him? I'm in the "SM3 let me down big time but it's not totally bad camp" and I feel like Sandman was well done on many levels in this film.
Last edited by Giantrobo; 05-14-07 at 10:34 AM.
05-14-07 | 11:03 AM
#471
DVD Talk Legend
Originally Posted by RichC2
I hate to sound like a pretentious jackass, but ah well here goes, the movie didn't earn that sequence. And it had no gravity to it.
05-14-07 | 11:48 AM
#472
Originally Posted by B5Erik
Just like Spider Man 3 isn't nearly as bad as some people think it is. .
I asked someone in another thread to explain a statement like this and got no response, I really don't get what people are trying to say here. First off I thought the movie was OK I would give it a C+, but using your quote it should be better than I thought it was?? Because I am not able to make my OWN opinion about the movie?
To me it wasn't great but it did suck either... Average is a good way to put it. But if they make more they better make them better than average or the average joe (like me) will stop going as well.
05-14-07 | 02:54 PM
#473
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From: New York
Originally Posted by Giantrobo
Please please please explain this to me. What more did we need to know about him? I'm in the "SM3 let me down big time but it's not totally bad camp" and I feel like Sandman was well done on many levels in this film.
- regret/guilt for killing Uncle Ben
- regret/guilt for stealing to save his daughter
Throughout the movie, he was either stealing or trying to kill Spider-man. There was no realization of his wrong ways shown anywhere - at the end: one moment, Sandman gets blown into pieces from missiles, and next we see him, he's talking about how bad he feels about everything, and is forgiven.
Hence, I agree with Superboy and Cartload about how forced the final Sandman/apology scene was. I think THAT's what people mean when they say the Sandman character wasn't fleshed out, because he never actually earned forgiveness in any of his actions during the movie (maybe it's a deleted scene?).
05-14-07 | 03:08 PM
#474
DVD Talk Legend
Originally Posted by greydt
The problem I found with the Sandman storyline is that all of the guilt, remorse and regret they tried to build into the character was based on all talk.
05-14-07 | 03:38 PM
#475
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From: New York
Originally Posted by Shannon Nutt
I take it you're not a big fan of Kevin Smith or Woody Allen?
If you're taking what I said to the extreme level of just "talking in general", then I don't really want to get into an internet pissing match where every comment is taken to an extreme. My comments are about Spider-Man 3, is my own opinion, and not phrased to reflect badly on others who disagree, and that's it. Hey, you loved the scene and mentioned why. For me, it felt hollow, and I mentioned why. I did not mock you, make judgements about you, nor say your opinion was incorrect. I probably would have preferred if you fleshed out the idea of why you liked the scene in response to what I said, but I guess questioning whether I like "talking in movies" was enough.
Finally, in response to your question: you're comparing a big budget summer comic book movie to directors who make smaller, indie, character driven movies? I'll let you have first crack at comparing Spider-Man 3 to Annie Hall!
