Spider-Man 3 B-

In theatres. 140 Minutes. PG-13.

If you like the first two Spider-Man films, you'll probably like this one too, just not as well. Tobey Maguire is back as Peter Parker and his alter ego Spider-Man. Again, he's great as the earnest Parker, and plays Spidey like Peter Parker playing Spider-Man, which, up to now, is either genius or further proof that Maguire is something of a one-trick pony (see Wonder Boys, Seabiscuit, Cider House Rules, and, even earlier, The Ice Storm) . But this time Spider-Man, dressed in a black suit made from some cosmic goo that looks something like thick, living oil, is suppose to be evil. Or at least kinda mean. So, with hair arranged a la Conor Oberst, Maguire plays a dark Spider-Man like Peter Parker playing a dark Spider-Man.

But enough of the complaints. Kirsten Dunst is back as Mary Jane and continues to do an admirable job in a pretty thin role. James Franco reprises his role as ex-best friend/New Goblin then best friend then ex-best friend then best friend/Good Goblin Harry Osborn. Also returning (and in fine form) are Rosemary Harris as Aunt May, Cliff Robertson as Uncle Ben, J. K. Simmons as editor of the Daily Planet, and Elizabeth Banks as his secretary.

The villains in Sam Raimi's Spidey-world are never born evil. Evil is thrust upon them. James Franco's New Goblin is one and Thomas Haden Church as the Sandman is no exception either. A petty thief caught attempting to secure cash for his dying daughters operation, Church continues a renaissance begun with 2004's Sideways. Add to that a third villain, the surprisingly malicious Topher Grace as Venom AND a suddenly Id-ruled Peter Parker, and you've got enough bad guys for even a great director to get bogged down. And Raimi does. There are so many plots and subplots here that any attempt to diagram them is futile. As in the previous films, the special effects are stunning, but the real miracle here is that we're made to care about these characters. Yes, the film is overly-long at 140 minutes and there are way, way too many villains. But binding this mess together are relationships that ring true. When no one is all good and no one is all bad, it's easy to identify with (and root for) multiple characters. In a day when even the Oscar noms have a difficult time putting fully realized characters on the screen, it's refreshing to see a popcorn blockbuster do it. B-

Religious Note: All the church groups which lament the negative view of the church propitiated through film (Jesus Camp, Da Vinci Code, etc...) better line-up behind this Spider-Man franchise. As in the previous film (and possibly more openly), this Spider-Man is about Christianity. The Church is portrayed as a refuge, and issues of sin and redemption permeate. Most interestingly and in contradiction to most Comic Book heroes, Spider-Man is not a Christ-figure. He's human and must come to grips with his own selfishness and hatred. At times the dialogue is so religiously ladden, I wasn't sure whether to slurp my Coke or wave a hanky.