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Spider-Man 3 (2007) | Full Reaction
🕑 Added 2025-08-15 16:00:06 +0000 UTCThis one really surprised me, but not always for the reasons the first two did. The earlier films had this perfect balance of earnestness, heart & soul, and just enough campy vibes to make you smile. This one... It sent it too hard lol. I found myself laugh at it rather than with it many times. There were moments where I genuinely thought, "Did they mean to make this feel like a parody of itself??" And yet, I still couldn't look away and stop myself from getting sucked in.
What did grab me in a huge way was the alien symbiote storyline. I loved it. The way it externalized Peter's inner dark side. It wasn't just 'Spider-Man vs. bad guys'. It was Peter vs. himself. The creeping corruption it had on Peter was both disturbing and intriguing to watch. He was colder, emo-er, more arrogant and self-absorbed. That felt like the true heart of the movie for me. What happens when you need to wrestle your inner demons and the aftermath of how those demons can destroy your life around you.
I got lost in the villain overload, though. It felt like three whole movies jammed into one. Sandman's tragic backstory, Harry's arc, Venom's beginnings. They were all super compelling on their own, but together it became a tangled web of 'wait, what?'. Each deserved room to breathe. And honestly, I could have done without the whole 'Uncle Ben's REAL killer' storyline.
I ended up enjoying this one so much though. Even if it was a bit bumpy and wild. It feels more like a strange guilty-pleasure type of movie haha. I can't get over the origin of the Peter Parker's dancing meme and finger guns 🤣 I don't think I've laughed that hard in awhile! And finally placing where those memes came from made this a super fun ride! Underneath all of the memes and the noise, there was still a true core that I loved. About identity, temptation, and what happens when the hero you look up to starts to lose himself in human mistakes.
Thank you all so much for joining me in Tobey Maguire's Spider-Man films! This is where it all started and I have absolutely LOVED this journey the entire way through. I can't wait to jump into The Amazing Spider-Man with Andrew Garfield next! I first saw him in Hacksaw Ridge so I can't wait to see his adaptation of Spider-Man. Especially now that I know Peter Parker's true, tragic backstory. See you all there!
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Relax and enjoy 🍿🌿
LINK: https://youtu.be/DkE2TspcX7E
I watched this on Disney Plus
Comments
Onno Smits
This movie left such a bad taste in my mouth that it retroactively ruined my memory of the first two movies. 😂 Rewatching those two with you has been a blast. This one... Yikes. I'm jumping into The Amazing Spider-Man's with you this weekend, and looking forward to it a lot! Gwen > MJ, 1000%.
Phil Stubblefield
Kali, I think you already said all that needs to be said in your outro. As a first-time viewer of this movie, I found the plot strangely confused and the storytelling so uneven. Too many villains, too much switching between serious fight scenes and ridiculous filler with no transition whatsoever. Overall, while I loved Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, and Bryce Dallas Howard, it seemed that they were cursed by an inconsistent script and haphazard directing. As you said, too often I found myself laughing at the movie rather than with it. Sample plot holes that even I noticed: * Why did the alien contagion wait for half the movie to contaminate Peter, especially since it had been in his apartment the whole time? * Where did the black suit come from? * Why didn't Bernard (the servant) ever speak up sooner? And, as usual, a few random notes: * I knew even before she said it that MJ was hearing the theater critic's words in her father's voice. 😢 * It's hard for me not to yell, "Forman!" when I see Topher Grace. 😂 * I'm with you, Kali, about Peter's kiss with Gwen Stacey: "What the hell?" 😠😡🤬 * Oh, yeah, I had forgotten that a very young Elizabeth Banks plays Miss Brant, JJJ's admin: "Miss Brant! That's not the position I hired you for!" 🤣 * Really, Kali? "Emo Parker?" 😂 When Peter fought Harry as "Bad Spidey", that's all I could think! * New Yorkers are not allowed to say, "Wicked cool!" That cliche belongs to Bostonians, their mortal enemies! 😂 * Kali cracking up @1:36:04 over dancing Bad Spidey! 🤣 (Or should that be "bad-dancing Spidey?) All else aside, I do love the final thought in the film: We can always choose to do what's right!
Joe
That is some butler to be able to diagnose based on a wound that it was from a glider blade and self-inflicted. Loved the other 2 movies, just did not like this one then and still don't. But I am glad others do and you still had fun with this despite the weaknesses you pointed out. I just don't think really any of the main characters were that likable in this one, except Aunt May. Of course, you have positive feelings from them in previous movies, but their choices in this one are all over the place and often seem counter to what we learned about them previously. And Peter was making really questionable decisions, like the Gwen kiss, before the goo even showed up. Also it was a really poor introduction to Venom, who is a key comic character. I do hope you at least check out the first Venom in your Spider-Man journey.
