Now thatSpider-Man: No Way Homehas made us nostalgic for the earlier Spider-Man films, it’s worth taking a look back at the movies that built up to themost iconic team-up moment in Spider-Man’s cinematic history. Sam Raimi’sSpider-Manfilms played a big part in the early success of superhero movies taking over the box office landscape. SinceSpider-Man, dozens of superhero movies and television shows have followed, many with huge successes of their own. They showed film studios that these comic-book characters could highly engage with millions of movie-goers all over the world. In turn, fans have become emotionally invested in many of these characters andwill likely continue to do so for a long time.
Tobey Maguire’sSpider-Man 3was not as well-received as his previous two Spidey films. There are some valid reasons why. The film didn’t take itself as seriously as the previous movies, especially with the temporary introduction of an “Emo” Spider-Man, which broke from viewers' expectations. The first two films built Peter’s friend Harry up to become the main villain of the third film, but, instead, Harry was reduced to a smaller role when both Sandman and Venom are introduced.Spider-Man 3also added Gwen Stacy to the Spidey cinematic universe. Most comic book fans know that Gwen Stacy was Peter’s love even before MJ was in the picture. Therefore, adding her here for Peter to try and make MJ jealous (especially at this late stage in the trilogy) seemed like an unnecessary move. Not to mention, MJ, who’d been a bigger part of the first two Spider-Man films, was once again thrown into a damsel in distress role. In short, many fans would probably agree that too much was trying to be accomplished for one film and the overall story suffered because of it.
That being said, there were a lot of good things that came from this film as well. Here are 5 reasons Tobey Maguire’sSpider-Man 3wasn’t that bad.
Related:Everything We Know About Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man 4 & Why It Didn’t Happen
It is a Visually Impressive Film
Out of the threeSpider-Manfilms up to that point, this one overall looked the best. There are outstanding special effects for the time period it was made in, spectacular sets, and well-choreographed fight sequences. By 2007, CGI graphics had improved and this was on full display here. Updates in technology have led to even further advancements in more recent Spider-Man movies. PlusSpider-Man 3took in nearly 900 million dollars at the box office, a very impressive number. It still ranks3rd out of all 9 Spider-Man filmsin worldwide income all-time.
The Film Scored a 63% With Critics, Still a Respectable Number
The first two Spider-Man films were so well-liked, it was inevitable this one wouldn’t live up to those lofty expectations. At the end of the day though, it wasstill liked more than it was disliked. As time has gone on, other Spider-Man films have also had silly dialogue and character development, too. Plus it still was an entertaining movie, even if it didn’t give the payoff many people were ultimately expecting. Let’s also not forget, while people lovedThe Amazing Spider-Manwith Andrew Garfield,The Amazing Spider-Man 2also did not live up to fan or studio expectations. At least this version of the Spider-Man story was given three films to work with. Many fans arecurrently petitioning for anAmazing Spider-Man 3.
Spider-Man 3 Gives More Possibilities For Future Multiverse Appearances
WhileSpiderman: No Way Homehas re-introduced many Spidey characters, there are still even more characters to work with in the future due to this film’s existence. Topher Grace as Venom has yet to make a re-appearance. The same goes for Gwen Stacy (Bryce Dallas Howard’s version fromSpider-Man 3andThe AmazingSpider-Man’sEmma Stone). James Franco’s version of Harry (and Goblin 2) is still available to bring back as well. This could lead to additional future Spidey scenarios and potentially give further redemption to this film in the process.
Spider-Man 3 Was Originally Going to Set up a Spider-Man 4 and Not a Reboot
If you look at this film in the context that it wasn’t initially supposed to be the last one of the Tobey Maguire series, then it would have put less weight on the finality of this movie. Things that didn’t work inSpider-Man 3could have been given better storyline explanation in the 4th film. It wouldn’t have changed people’s reaction toSpider-Man 3necessarily; however, it may have better justified some of the choices that were made in this movie.
Related:Spider-Man: No Way Home Could Become Sony’s Most Profitable Film Ever
If Spider-Man 3 was Outstanding, We Likely Wouldn’t Have Tom Holland’s Spider-Man
Perhaps things ultimately turned out for the best? IfSpider-Man 4had happened, it would have thrown off the timeline of all future Spider-Man films. Does Tom Holland even become Spider-Man then? Does Spider-Man still join The Avengers? No one can say for sure. If only for this reason, the reaction toSpider-Man 3may have been a blessing in disguise in the long run.
