Considering that the first two Spiderman movies were pretty great, I think many people, myself included, will see this one despite knowing it might suck. Sam Raimi didn't want to put Venom in this movie and the studio made him, which might account for the awkwardness of that plot. Also, Bruce Campbell always makes me laugh and he always has cameos in the Spiderman movies.

I agree. Americans will watch anything with noises that go "Boom!" and don't require mental energy to follow the plot line. Call it escapism...

I haven't seen this one yet, but I am still interested to see it like I see all the movies that I see--on DVD. Why? Well, the people I know who went to see it who like comic book movies didn't hate it. They didn't come home raving, but they didn't hate it either. On the other hand Manhola Dhargis at the NYT hated it... but I literally NEVER agree with any assessment Dhargis makes of a movie, so why should I listen to him (her?) now?

Why don't people listen to reviewers? Because they don't trust them. It all comes down to credibility.

aw this just yesterday and thought it was great! Like the first two, the focus IS on character development not the special effects. Aside from a couple questionable actors (the butler) I think this is a great addition to the legacy of Spiderman. And yes Bruce Campbell cameos are always in good taste. Anyone watch the Fab 4, or the latest Superman... now those were pathetic superhero movies.

Do pretentious film critics not realize that comic-book movies are made to ENTERTAIN... not to enlighten? Make you a deal: I'll avoid your boring film festivals faves and you can stay away from summer blockbuster - because you won't like them.

Fredric Wertham? Dude, I gotta give you props for that one!

For those of you who did not collect comics...

Dr. Fredric Wertham (March 20, 1895 – November 18, 1981) was a German-American psychiatrist and crusading author who protested the purportedly harmful effects of mass media—comic books in particular—on the development of children. His best-known book was Seduction of the Innocent (1954), which led to a U.S. Congressional inquiry into the comic book industry and the creation of the Comics Code Authority.

cite: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fredric_Wertham

FYI - Wertham postulated, among other things, that Dick (Robin) Grayson wasn't the ward of Bruce (Batman) Wayne but rather Batman's gay lover. Boy Wonder, indeed!

I agree, Bruce Campbell is hilarious. And so is Ted Raimi.

Spider-man 3 was a huge disappointment for me because what I loved about the first two was that it wasn't just action sequences and crappy dialogue, like Fab 4 and Hulk. It had some really genuine characters that are dealing with everyday issues like the rest of us. Peter Parker is dealing with his uncle's death, his feelings for Mary Jane, getting through school, paying the rent, etc along with climbing walls, kicking butt, and the responsibilities of being Spider-man. What really disappointed me about the third was they threw all of that out the window and went back to the usual comic-book-turned-movie predictability. I know movies like this are meant to entertain and not meant to over-think them, but this movie simply did not entertain me. Except for the dancing. And "emo" Spidey. Those were very entertaining.

I hated Spiderman comics as a kid because they had complex emotional issues. I'm not much better as an adult because these issues are easily avoided in real life [artificial constructs that don't have to be adopted in ones own life], and they pollute clear decision making. I have a tolerance today because it more closely mirrors real life. And a whole lot of people don't recognize these artificial constructs because they are too close to the problem and feel that they have tangible losses at stake.

I grew up collecting Spiderman comic books. I watched the first 2 movies with zest and enjoyed them as much as a 30 year-old can enjoy a comic book movie. I read the reviews for Spiderman 3, and decided I wasn't going to watch it. Then I figured it out. I said to myself, 'It's a movie based on a comic book, what do the critics expect to see when they decide to watch a movie like this one?" However, criticizing Spiderman 3 does it justice when in this case, it didn't deserve justice. Don't get me wrong, I'll always have a place in my heart for Spidey, but I walked out of this part 3 because it was that bad. Better luck next time Parker.

Nice post! You have said it very well. Keep going.

Early radio and TV shows used short stories and short story writers (Rod Serling) for great TV. Later, they used people who had grown up with TV to write more TV. Now we are using people who only know comic books as their only source of literature to come up with new and exciting movies such as Fantastic 4 and Batman, etc. This supply is getting exhausted, so we're now turning to people who can write a film around a video game or amusement park ride...matey!

Have you made a movie lately?
I didn't think so.
Keep on being creative, Cam.