Spider-Man 3 suffers from precisely the sort of problems that the series' first sequel managed to avoid, as director Sam Raimi - along with co-screenwriters Ivan Raimi and Alvin Sargent - devotes the lion's share of the film's screentime to a surfeit of subplots and new characters. It's consequently clear that the movie, while never boring, just isn't as tight or relentlessly engaging as either of its predecessors, although - to be fair - it seems likely that few viewers will walk away from the movie flat-out disappointed.

　　 Spider-Man 3 continues the plotlines established in the first two films, with the bulk of the story revolving around the relationship between Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) and Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst). James Franco's Harry Osborn still holds Peter's iconic alter-ego responsible for his father's death, and has essentially picked up where his departed dad left off by assuming the guise of New Goblin. Also thrown into the mix is escaped convict Flint Marko (Thomas Haden Church), who unwittingly finds himself transformed into a shape-shifting supervillain called The Sandman. Finally, there's an alien symbiote that attaches itself to Peter before bonding with a jealous rival named Eddie Brock (Topher Grace); the end result is Venom, a creature that possesses all of Spider-Man's abilities.

　　 The seamless blend of action and drama within Spider-Man 3 continues to set the series apart from its summer-blockbuster brethren, as Raimi effectively offers up little bits of character development throughout the film's admittedly overlong running time. Unfortunately (and unlike either of its predecessors), there's no getting around the fact that several of the new faces aren't quite as richly drawn as one might've liked - something that's particularly true of Bryce Dallas Howard's Gwen Stacy and Church's Flint Marko. It's not difficult to imagine that the film would've been well served by some judicious pruning, as there's just no denying that several characters and subplots receive short shrift due to the unmistakably overstuffed vibe.

　　 Having said that, the inclusion of several genuinely thrilling action set-pieces - coupled with Maguire's expectedly strong performance - goes a long way towards ensuring that the whole thing remains as entertaining as one might've hoped. Raimi's steady direction remains a highlight, as the filmmaker refuses to succumb to the quick-cuts/fast-editing tricks that seem to form the basis of most contemporary adventure movies. And although Peter's brief union with the alien symbiote results in a midsection that's occasionally just a little too broad for its own good, the filmmaker does a nice job of maintaining a tone that's consistent with the series (this includes, of course, an irrisistible and tremendously entertaining cameo from Bruce Campbell).

　　 While there's ultimately little doubt that Spider-Man 3 would've benefited from a shorter running time and a few less subplots, （英文影评）it's equally apparent that the movie has plenty to offer fans of both the series and the comics (ie Venom has been brought to life in a manner that's surprisingly faithful to his comic-book origins).