It’s been 17 years since Spider-Man 3, and it’s a film that’s fondly remembered by most Marvel fans who watched the final adventures of Toby McGuire‘s Peter Parker. However, the first two Sam Raimi films are considered flawless by most critics and fans, but the third feature is notable for being the weakest entry from the bunch.
Spider-Man 3 was brimming with so much potential. The third film was supposed to conclude the rivalry between Spider-Man and Goblin Jr. Plus, it had the bonus of introducing Venom and Sandman to the mix. Unfortunately, Spider-Man 3 was an overstuffed film that wasn’t able to properly develop any of its main stories. It’s far from the worst superhero film you’ll ever see, but Spider-Man 3 would’ve been better if it was a mini-series.
It Would’ve Developed Venom and The Dark Spider-Man Story Better
A darker Spider-Man has all the potential in the world to be great. To see the lovable jokester turn into the antithesis of his character can produce some great moments, and more importantly, it would’ve helped add more dimension to not just Spider-Man, but Venom itself. Instead, Parker’s “evolution” came in the form of being more confident, which in turn, resulted in that goofy dance sequence. This sequence was bad because it didn’t challenge the character’s morals in a meaningful manner.
In Spider-Man 2, Peter gives up the superhero life and he makes the tough decision to walk away from a man behind assaulted. That’s the direction the character should’ve gone. Putting that film into a mini-series format allows for a deeper exploration of the symbiote and a slow transformation of Peter himself. Pushing the boundaries of Peter’s morals would’ve given us a deeper understanding of how dangerous Venom truly is.
Venom was a poorly developed character. While the events to get to Venom were comic book accurate for the most part, the film skipped over vital moments that examine Eddie Brock’s psyche. In the comics, before Brock comes in contact with the alien symbiote, he’s suicidal and grows a slow and irrational hatred for Spider-Man. We NEEDED to see that darkness out of Eddie Brock first. Venom is an excellent villain because he’s essentially a mirror of who Peter Parker is. Having a concept where Spider-Man is fighting someone who is just like him is a great idea, but the lack of character development from Eddie Brock prevented him from being a compelling figure onscreen.
Sandman Could’ve Used More Development Too
Sandman felt shoehorned into the film for “reasons”. There wasn’t much rhyme and reason for his inclusion other than the studio wanted to cram as many villains into one film as possible. His purpose doesn’t have ties to Spider-Man beyond robbing banks. Ideally, Sandman would be cut altogether because he’s just not a necessary tool in the final film. However, the film could’ve worked harder to make him a formidable foe for Spider-Man.
The reason Doc Ock and Green Goblin were memorable characters is because they had personal ties to Peter Parker himself. A mini-series would’ve allowed the creators to explore the personal dynamic between Parker and William Baker. That way, we would’ve had a chance to connect with his sympathetic backstory. Plus, his overall presence would’ve felt organic, instead of a distracting side story that drastically takes away from the Goblin Jr./Peter Parker arc.
Goblin Jr.
Easily the most disappointing arc in the film is the development of Goblin Jr. and Spider-Man. This rivalry has been building for the past two films and to finally see these two clash was exciting. But since Goblin Jr. had to share the screen with other villains that needed to be established, his story with Peter was pushed to the side and not given the proper treatment it deserves.
This should’ve been the main arc and it could’ve been a nice cohesion to the alien symbiote story. Maybe Spider-Man is on the verge of killing Goblin Jr. until he realizes that he’s gone too far. There wasn’t enough time spent on Harry psyche’s to have his story end with him working alongside Spider-Man in the end. Their saga felt forced, especially considering all of the build that led up to the third film. More than anything, a mini-series would’ve properly fleshed out their rivalry to a satisfying conclusion.
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