Right ladies and gents, I literally just got back from the film.
Firstly, the atmosphere was great, and the press seemed reeeeal excited for the film. When the sony logo came up, the crowd went wild. The hour before hand, we were all discussing the comics and films etc.
We got a free handbook detailing the film, actors and producers etc.
And now onto the movie itself.
It may very well rank up there as one of my favorite movies of all time....Note that I'm not saying best..Just favorite.
The beginning credits are similar to the webs of the first film, but you see the symbiote dripping onto them and slowly becoming black. Within the gaps of the webs there is footage from the previous films as a summary of whats gone on previously.
I think Raimi got the balance of pete and Spidey right this time. You really feel for him this time round, and I think his iconic status as the everyman is cemented in this film. He makes the EXACT decisions we would and makes the same mistakes.
The MJ stuff isnt as mushy this time round, as theres constantly conflict and not too much lovey dovey stuff. Gwens role in the film is large enough, establishing her and throwing a spanner in the works.
Thomas Haden Church was fabulous as sandman. When he first gets his powers, you really want him to be able to use them, as it seems painful at first. His character arc is pretty basic and I'm glad Sam used him in the way that he did. His fight scenes were inventive but always left you gagging for more. Not at one point did I think; "damn when is this going to end"
Topher should answer all of you're problems. He comes across as a right jackass and only at one point is he likeable and you feel sorry for him. He really nailed his character well and his performance as the crazed venom was sensational. He comes a cross as the psycho who feels he's merely giving back what was given to him.
Franco's performance won it for me. I wont go into it too much but he was sensational. His fight scenes are amazing and trust me... the 7 minute clip is longer than you think !
Bruce Campbell is hilarious in his role and is once again the foil to peter at key moments.
Now onto the fight scenes...
Without spoiling the outcomes, my favorite fight would have to be the battle royal. Imagine everything you would ever want to see in a spidey film...and it will be in there. Venom is a nut-job who truly wanted to mutilate spidey, and sandman seems to just want to pummel him to get the job done. Imagine every spidey/venom/sandman battle from the comics and throw in a couple of issues of marvel team-up and your kind of there.
As i said earlier, the sandman fights are short to medium lengths but each one is exciting and you dont know what will happen next.
The CGI was incredible and if they dont get an oscar, I dont know what will. The symbiote is creepy and looks cold and callous ( if a go can look like that) It forms the hand tendril thingies to get around and it just looks unbelievably real and tangible.
The sandman effects are out of this world and are pretty damn seemless with the surroundings. Dont want to spoil what forms he takes etc.
Some have pointed out that spidey can look rubbery, but he was far from it. Of course, you KNOW its cgi due to the usual tell tale signs, but once immersed , you truly wouldnt even notice its THAT good.
Venom has the mcfarlane smile when plotting and talking and when he goes a bit nuts... Well lets say its a sight for sore eyes. He was more than big enough and you could believe he would have killed spidey in different surroundings.
Now onto the criticisms.
Black Spidey - not enough of him in the suit. Yeah we see his enhanced powers and his fight against sandman, but we wanted to see him being harsh with crooks etc. Lifting cars with ease and the like. You do see his reactions to petty crime, but not in motion.
The score - I'll be honest, I thought the attempt was pretty rubbish. Elfmans score in places was great, as were the main themes. Sandmans was a mixture of ocks and new stuff. Venoms I wasnt reallty listening out for as I was so engaged. Black spideys theme is too heroic and should have been much more sombre or menacing. The best part of the score was the goblins heroic theme. Its a new take on the typical goblin theme and was brilliant.
Sandmans placement - I cant put my finger on this point as such and I think this may divide opinion alot. He didnt feel underused, but not used enough. I wanted to see more of his daughter, and wanted to see him batter around spidey a bit more in the red and blues. He was portrayed briliantly though, and I really cant explain myself any better.
All in all, I can say it is easily the best of the three, and flows perfectly. Raimi and co have done it again...Its relentless and you feel pumped whilest watching it. I need a spidey 4...It was just that damn good.
Oh and mods, what am i supposed to do about spoilers etc that people want to ask me about?
