the Dalaverse

Just got back from "Spiderman 3" with the roomies. Kneejerk reaction: heavy on style and surprisingly, distressingly light on substance. Also, . I don't know, it really was a let-down after the first two movies. The plot was overstuffed, the whole thing riddled with cliches, and much of the dramatic tension felt like ground that had already been trod. The theme of forgiveness and stuff was hammered home way too hard and bluntly. The multiple hindrances to Peter and Mary Jane's happiness felt artificial, and Mary Jane continues to suffer from a lack of real depth -- I would say she's acting out of character at points, but she doesn't really have enough character to act out of. I admit I've always had a problem with Kirsten Dunst as MJ, but it's as much the fault of the writing as the acting, and it is way more noticeable in this one than in the previous two. When you've got a trilogy and there's only one or two believable, likeable moments from a major character per two-and-a-half-hour installment, that is a problem. And Tobey was good, like he always is; but like I said, it didn't feel like he was reaching for anything new or interesting. And I have officially broken my "Tobey cries, I cry" rule.

The whole Bad Peter sequence was...entertaining, because Tobey was clearly having a great time spazzing out on it. But the scene in the jazz bar was fucking ridiculous, lifted straight from "The Mask." Steal from the best, Raimis, not from shitty early Jim Carrey flicks.

A specific plot point that really bugged was the whole climax with, AGAIN, MJ in mortal danger. Just once, could Spiderman pull that shit off not because his girlfriend is in danger, but because it's the RIGHT THING TO DO and sort of his entire MO? And this one had the complimentary trite moment of Harry's butler telling him that Pete didn't kill his father, and him deciding to help Spidey out. I would have much preferred to see the inner turmoil between vengeful Bad Harry and post-head-injury Good Harry, maybe with him rejecting his dead father's guiding voice, and deciding to help because, again, right thing to do, and we're clearly supposed to believe he is basically a good person.

And with that we transition to stuff I did like, top of the list being the sweet, dulcet tones of Harry/Peter slash. Oh yeah. Loved that Harry did work with Spiderman in the end, and then died saving his life. Even Kirsten Dunst couldn't suck the poignancy out of that scene. I thought James Franco was much better in this than in the other two, actually. And he is so pretty, even with the scar -- kudos for that one, make-up people. And special effects people, you get one as well, because the stunts and effects in all the battle scenes were fantastic. It's very possible they won't be quite so exhilirating and impressive on the small screen, but right now I don't care.

Topher Grace was excellent casting (though I didn't care much for Bryce Dallas Howard, despite the fact that I loved her in "The Village" -- maybe it was the wretched blond dye job). He was great as smarmy Eddie and as Venom, in the same way that J.K. Simmons and Willem Dafoe are great -- they know they're in a damned comic book movie and they ham it up to brilliant effect. His fangs did look really stupid when he didn't have Venom-face, though, and they could've modulated his voice a little to make him sound more threatening than Eric Foreman.

But easily the best thing about this movie was Bruce Campbell. Really, when is Bruce Campbell not the best thing about anything he touches? The second Pete walked into the French restaurant, I knew that this was our Bruce Campbell scene, and I was tickled to hear other people in the audience getting excited over it too. He had a lot more screentime than he did in the second one, too. GOD, Bruce Campbell is awesome.

So I'm not sorry I saw it, but I was still disappointed -- it isn't X3-level bad, but it isn't up to the standards of the first two films. Let me put in this way -- there was no equivalent to the train scene in this one. I think I kind of bummed everybody else out by ragging on it immediately upon leaving the theater, but I couldn't help it because I really do love the first two. And I guess I can't help comparing it to "Heroes," which is rocking the same sort of template with a fresher outlook. That's my main impression of "Spiderman 3": stale.