Spiderman 3

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Year:	2007
Country of origin:	USA
Director:	Sam Raimi
Genre:	Superhero action
Starring:	Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, James Franco, Thomas Haden Church, Topher Grace
Rating:	4/5
IMDB link:	http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0413300/
Tagline:	Next summer, the greatest battle lies... within.
Favourite line:	"Look at little Goblin Junior. Gonna cry?"

The blockbusting, web-swinging franchise returns for a third installment, and all of the key individuals are still on board.
Tobey Maguire as the man mutant himself, Kirsten Dunst as his adoring yet strangely high maintenance girlfriend and, most importantly, Sam Raimi behind the lens.
With a running time clocking in at an arse-cheek numbing two hours twenty, this is far from your average multiplex pleasing fodder, and is essentially a movie in three, erm, halves?
The first: Parker beginning to feel at ease with his alter-ego identity, and even revelling in the almost vicarious fame it brings. No-one else may realise he is Spidey, but he does.
The second: The darker side of superhero life coming to the fore, as Peter transforms into a dubious character reminiscent of the worst kind of advertising executive you can imagine. Think sharp suited, cocaine snorting pretty boys who think they rule the world, and you are not a million miles away. Suddenly, nothing matters anymore, and others emotions are not his concern. He's Spiderman. He can do what he wants.
And lastly, of course, the ultimate showdown as Our Hero has to face off against not one, but two supervillains in the form of Venom and The Sandman, a mind-boggling CGI-fest that all but defies description. It is simply stunning to behold. This is a big budget Hollywood extravaganza that really delivers.
Unlike much Hollywood action output, here the writers attempt to bring to the screen characters with some depth, some gravity and, by and large they are successful. True, the Parker/MJ tug of love begins to become a little wearying by the conclusion, but still kudos for attempting to portray a hero with real feelings, real emotions and, importantly, real flaws.
Of course, this is the one where Spiderman is meant to turn 'bad', and this section is really the movies' only let down. His dark, brooding metamorphosing personality is, for the most part, played for laughs as Parker struts his stuff like Travolta in 'Night Fever' and this feels like an odd position to take. There's no intensity involved here, as you would probably expect and hope for and the movie begins to get a little lost for a quarter of an hour or so.
That minor quibble notwithstanding, this is a polished, intelligent megahit with a heart.
Spidey 4 is due 2011 apparently folks.