Posted on 05/02/2007 9:44:55 AM PDT by SirLinksalot
Spider-Man 3" begins with Spider-Man, a.k.a. Peter Parker, surveying the crime-free paradise he has created in the big city. Not only do criminals fear him, but the public finally sees him as the hero he wants to be. To top it all off, Peter is about to propose to the girl of his dreams, Mary Jane Watson, aka M.J.
There's trouble in paradise, however. Peter is getting a big head from all the public adulation, and he is not able to properly comfort M.J. when she gets a bad review after her opening night on Broadway. Meanwhile, a new, cocky photographer, Eddie Brock, challenges Peter for a full-time job with the Daily Bugle. The cost of getting the job is to give crusty editor J. Jonah Jameson a negative photo of Spider-Man doing something bad!
Then, when Peter's relationship with M.J. starts to turn more and more sour, a new villain shows up, an escaped criminal named Flint Marko who gets caught in a particle physics experiment gone wrong to become the Sandman. The Sandman is a really cool-looking character who can change his shape into a battering ram or shifting sand particles, or float away as a sand storm.
As if Peter Parker and Spider-Man didn't have enough problems, Peter's old friend Harry takes up the Green Goblin mantle to get revenge for the death of his father, the first Green Goblin, who was killed during a fight with Spider-Man. And a meteor from outer space unleashes an intelligent alien monster of malevolent, black sticky goo that attaches itself to one of Peter's Spider-Man outfits. When Peter learns that the Sandman, Flint Marko, is really the one who killed Peter's beloved Uncle Ben in the first movie, the new black suit unleashes all of Peter's anger and hate. Thus, the greatest villain of all turns out to be Peter's, and our, own dark, sinful hearts.
The story builds from here into a thrilling finale where Peter learns the true meaning of love and the power of forgiveness. In the end, he finds a way to make things right again, but with a newfound level of maturity.
It's hard to juggle more than one major villain in a story, and this may be where "Spider-Man 3" suffers most. It gives the movie one or two too many sub-plots to handle. That said, of all the action movies with more than one major villain (see "Batman 2" and "3," for example), "Spider-Man 3" does the best, because it knows where it's headed and what it wants to say.
Thus, the final third of "Spider-Man 3" contains overt Christian references to Jesus Christ on the Cross, a Christian church and answered prayers. These combine to reinforce the movie's Christian themes of love, sacrifice, forgiveness, hope, compassion and faith. Consequently, despite a couple scary villains that are a little too much for younger children, "Spider-Man 3" has a very strong Christian worldview with very strong moral, biblical values. If Christians and families see only one action movie this year, "Spider-Man 3" is the one action movie they and other moviegoers may not want to miss.
Best of all, not only does "Spider-Man 3" extol Christian values like sacrifice, forgiveness and love in a setting that resonates with overt Christian metaphors and symbols, it also is a cinematic embodiment of Jesus Christ's statement in John 15:13, "Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." This is a lesson that both Peter and M.J. learn in "Spider-Man 3." It is also what Jesus does for us on the Cross, so that His death may wash us free of sin and bring us closer to Him and His precious love and joy in the Kingdom of God and Heaven.
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Thomas Hayden Church is the most underrated actor in Hollywood after Gary Oldman.
Thanks so much, JohnnyZ
I find the the ‘tribulations’ of Spiderman and his alter ego Peter Parker annoying.
To date the hot looking chick, or to not date the hot looking chick....sorry, that isn’t ‘the question’ thats stupidity writ large....(chuckle)
When are they going to come out with a Green Lantern movie?
Wow. No wonder they opened Spider-Man 3 in Tokyo. Fewer Christian-bashers there among the reviewers.
He was good as the doomed music lover who wanted to hear ‘My Dog Trey’ . . .
Marvel comics have often borrowed slightly biblical inspirations.
No surprise.
I noticed this with Spiderman II.
Black Goo from outer space that embodies the evil in all of us?
That was a plot for a Star Trek: The Next Generation shows, the one where Tasha Yar was killed.
In a world where moral relativism is extoled its nice to see a hero who embodies
"truth, justice and the American Way!".
"With great power comes great responsibility"
is lifted directly from Jesus Christ's words:
"For unto whomsoever much is given, of him much is expected."
Luke 12:48
I’m annoyed but understand the reason to completely simplify Venom’s origin. That being said, Marvels’ Secret Wars should have been made into a movie or CGI cartoon before now. That’s one of the best story lines of comics I have ever read. That’s the one series I was waiting eagerly month to month for.
Am I the Only One who is sick and tired of "I'd Hit It"? |
It's the easiest way to launch into a "shadow" story, wherein the traits that we've held down all our lives turn into something evil. If we can integrate the things we're afraid of in ourselves, we can redeem them and they make us stronger and better.
"If you bring forth that which is within you, what you bring forth will save you. If you do not bring forth that which is within you, what you do not bring forth will destroy you."
Problem with trying to do the Secret Wars as a movie is all the intros. You can’t really make a movie that’s just for people who remember the original comic series, so all those heroes and villains (over 50 in all as I remember) would have to be introduced, that could take well over half the movie. Either that or they’d have to chop out most of the characters. While Secret Wars was a great set of comics (we’ll ignore Secret Wars II cause that sucked) I just don’t think it’s filmable.
Isn’t the green lantern heavily involved with gay issues? There is even a green lantern gay club.
I liked better the way the original Star Trek provided for that, when they split Kirk in two with the transporter.
ST-TNG did a poor imitation of that excellent show by splitting Will (Number One), showing how the same person would develop different personalities based solely on environment.
these are banning words on some sites.
Great tagline - it pretty much sums up the rise and fall of western civ.
It would have to be at minimum, a trilogy. A good chunk of the heroes were well known, but I agree the villains would need more intro.
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