Saturday, July 21, 2012

Spider-Man 3 (2007)


[cheesy and overburden with weak plot points]

Spider-Man 3 (2007)
IMDB- 6.3
Rottentomatoes- 63
RJG Rating- 30

Spiderman, now a big celebrity in NewYork, faces threats from new villains - Sandman & Venom.

Starring- Tobey Maguire,Kirsten Dunst,James Franco,Thomas Haden
Director- Sam Raimi

Every trilogy,especially ones that gives us a brilliant first and second part ,faces great anticipation and hype for the final part ,and with this great pressure it falters and disappoints big time.Very few have succeeded (Lord Of the Rings) ,while many of the greats fail (Godfather,X-Men etc).The Spiderman trilogy unfortunately fails to uphold the quality of the first and second part (though i didn like the 2nd part,its considered by many to be one of the best superhero movies).

Tobey once again dons the mask of Spiderman.Even though he still isnt the right choice to play the superhero ,but he does give his best performance as Peter Parker in Spiderman 3.The scenes in which he is affected with Venom ,is the sort of attitude Parker should have had ,a more carefree and smart-ass attitude.But still Tobey is too innocent to play this role.Kirsten has nothing special to do other than get depressed and kidnapped by the villain (as usual).James Franco has been the only good actor among the main cast.In Spiderman 3 he gets a bigger role ,and once again he gets it right.While the actors portraying the villain have been the highlights in the last 2 parts ,Thomas Haden as Sandman is a complete disappointment ,while Venom should have been given more priority.

The story of Spiderman 3 ,is more diverse and bigger than the previous 2.It brings a couple of important characters from the Spiderman Universe ,but then it fails to give a proper story to any of them.The story just rambles on and on and just doesnt stop.The finale is poor and doesnt bother to close all the loose ends.

Sam Raimi who tipped the scales on the cheesiness in Part 2 ,goes overboard on Part 3.The movie is too long and have too many unnecessary subplots.Raimi fails to connect many plot points leaving him too much to handle in the climax.And unlike the previous 2 ,part 3 is more dark in theme.

The visual effects have been more developed and blends in Sandman ,Venom & Spiderman smoothly.But unlike the previous 2 the movie doesnt have any great action sequences.And the finale fight was too corny.

On release ,Spiderman 3 was a raging box office success breaking all kinds of records.It set the opening weekend record (151million) ,among others.Even though it failed to beat the domestic collection of the first 2 parts,it did great business overseas.As of now ,it has earned the most ($890million) in the Spiderman Series (including the 2012 reboot).
But critics were not too happy and agreed that it was a disappointing sequel.Unlike the first 2 parts ,Spiderman 3 failed to get nominated for any awards at the Oscars.

Overall ,Spiderman 3 is just for the fans .The movie will generally be fun for kids ,but boring & cheesy for others.

Acting- 2/5
Story- 2.5/5
Direction- 1/5
Action- 4/5
Drama- 2/5

TDKR DAY 1 Midnight Collections



TDKR opened to sold out crowds today.Unfortunately the shootout at Colorado has made this day a dark day indeed.Atleast 12 died and more than 50 were injured in the horrible shootout.

Still TDKR made the second highest collection from midnight shows on debut with $30.6 million.In comparison ,The Avengers made $18.7 million on its midnight debut.The first place is held securely by Harry Potter 7 Part 2( $43.5million )

With such an opening ,TDKR was expected to reach Avengers opening record ,but due to the Collarado incident it may affect TDKR heavily.

Meanwhile on Rottentomatoes ,TDKR is at 86% (181+/30-) ,with a strong 94% audience rating

Christopher Nolan's statement on the horrific tragedy in Colorado:

"Speaking on behalf of the cast and crew of 'The Dark Knight Rises,' I would like to express our profound sorrow at the senseless tragedy that has befallen the entire Aurora community. I would not presume to know anything about the victims of the shooting but that they were there last night to watch a movie. I believe movies are one of the great American art forms and the shared experience of watching a story unfold on screen is an important and joyful pastime. The movie theater is my home, and the idea that someone would violate that innocent and hopeful place in such an unbearably savage way is devastating to me. Nothing any of us can say could ever adequately express our feelings for the innocent victims of this appalling crime, but our thoughts are with them and their families."

Spiderman 2 (2004)


[Lack of a new story hurts this sequel]

Spider-Man 2 (2004)
IMDB- 7.5
Rottentomatoes- 93
RJG Rating- 40

Spiderman deals with the downsides of being a superhero as a new villain creates havoc.

Starring- Tobey Maguire,Kirsten Dunst,Alfred Molina,James Franco
Director- Sam Raimi

Spiderman 2 is the sequel of the blockbuster 2002 version .The movie unites Sam Raimi and the original cast.

Tobey has definitely improved in Spiderman 2 ,but hes still imperfect as Peter Parker.Kirsten Dunst plays the usual damsel in distress and doesnt bring much on board.James Franco has a larger role and he does his best in such a limited role.Alfred Molina as Doc Ock does a great job.He is able to portray perfectly the split personalities of Doc Ock.

The story for Spiderman 2 is its most weakest point.Watching this felt like deja vu.The story is just a more polished version of the first part.For example:Green Goblin had a split personality,Doc Ock too has dual minds.While Mary Jane is the sole victim in trouble in Part 1 ,Aunt May is the sole victim in the 2nd.Both are rescued and given a swing tour around NewYork by Spidey.While Aunt May is injured by Goblin in Part 1 ,Mary Jane is kidnapped by Doc in Part2.In both these instances ,Parker is the main catalyst.And the list goes on and on.

Another issue with the story is the lack of any development in Peter Parker's personality.Even after 2 years ,hes still the nerdy kid who is still extremely shy.In any other movie,this may be acceptable ,but hes Spiderman in this one !

The story needlessly brings certain issues that is plain silly.Spiderman losing his powers for no apparent reason,Doc Ock creating a 'sun' etc.These could have been good plot points ,but the reasons they give are too vague and are left unexplained.

A superhero uses an alter ego to protect his real life family & friends.Peter Parker doesnt understand this concept.Villains hurt him and his family ,because almost EVERYONE knows that Parker meets with Spiderman and thus in both movies ,Parker is punished for being connected with Spiderman.

As i mentioned in my previous review of Spiderman ,Sam Raimi maintained a very careful balance between fun & cheesiness in the first part ,but he unfortunately tips the scales in part 2.Plenty of scenes are cheesy and forgettable.

The action scenes are very much improved and exciting.The best one is definitely the train fight.The visual effects are utilized better and gives Spider-Man the cool factor that made him a hit in the comics.

On release ,Spiderman 2 was a big hit among the critics but fell short of its record breaking predecessor in terms of box office collection.

Overall ,fans of Spiderman will be pleased but if you are looking for a continuation to where Spiderman let off youll be disappointed.

Acting- 3/5
Story- 1/5
Direction- 2.5/5
Action- 5/5
Romance- 3/5
Drama- 2/5

Oscars
Nominated--2
Best Sound Mixing

Won--1
Best Visual Effects
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