Unfortunately, action blockbusters all too often get a free pass from poorly-written characters and nonsensical plotting by having sterling action sequences. The argument really boils down to whether you ascribe to the 'check your brain at the door' argument or not. If you can't - and we as an audience shouldn't really have to - then well-executed set-pieces just aren't going to hold the same sense of satisfaction for you. But hey, for the rest of you, come on down: there's plenty of bombast to be enjoyed in Spider-Man 3. Because, say what you will about Raimi's work on Spider-Man 3, but the man has never been one to fudge an action scene. For his trilogy ender, he concocted a daring crane-fuelled rescue sequence for Gwen Stacy (itself a nice callback to the first film), two knock-down drag-out fights between Nu-Goblin and Spider-Man, a brutal subway brawl with symbiote-clad Spidey and Sandman, and then the final construction site climax with those three dudes and Venom which is a joy to watch. It's a healthy dollop of action for one film, and it almost makes up for the bad plotting and character development that surrounds it.
Cinephile since 1993, aged 4, when he saw his very first film in the cinema - Jurassic Park - which is also evidence of damn fine parenting. World champion at Six Degrees of Separation. Lender of DVDs to cheap mates. Connoisseur of Marvel Comics and its Cinematic Universe.
