'Spider-Man 3' delivers in patches

'Spider-Man 3' delivers in patches
'Spider-Man 3' is a continuation of the hit series and tries very hard to live up to the expectations, but somewhere down the line; it loses steam and becomes a conservative movie rather than the daring one the audience has come to love.

Director Sam Raimi has lined up three villains for Peter Parker to combat. The old, but solid enemy Harry Osborn (James Franco), Flint Marko (Thomas Haden Church) and Eddie Brock (Topher Grace) all play some role in the new version. But despite the plethora of enemies, Spidey fails to convince in his third outing.

In the movie, he falls out with girlfriend Mary Jane (Kirsten Dunst) and appears to be falling for Gwen Stacy (Bryce Dallas Howard). One thing about the storyline is that Raimi has gotten carried away with Spidey's success and it shows in every frame of the new version.

Spider-Man's battles with his enemies, most notably Sandman aka Flint Marko are insipid at best and uninspiring at worst. The interesting point of the film is Peter's friendship with Osborne, which has now turned over entirely. Harry is involved in three big fights with his old rival and acts convincingly.

The "Spider-Man" series will in all probability continue to fascinate viewers, but for the franchise to retain some freshness, Raimi needs to buy a new pen at the very least.