After wasting two and a half hours of my life on Sam Raimi’s third installment to the Spider-Man franchise, I have come to the conclusion that it is a very shoddy sequel loaded with tired cliches, bad acting and lousy subplots. Inevitably, it resorts to being nothing more than a third-rate soap opera. This is a major disappointment compared to the first two films. Previously, we’ve witnessed the creation of Spider-Man, with the struggle between his Superhero/Peter Parker identities, the conflict between wooing his true love, Mary Jane Watson, and saving New York from crime, all while keeping his day job as a newspaper photographer and watching over Aunt May. That’s great stuff, considering that Peter Parker is a geek trying to overcome his fears and develop the self-confidence necessary to be Spider- Man.

It’s also amazing when you realize that most Superheroes are either immortal or have unbelievable superpowers, have an unlimited cash supply and can get any woman they want.

In the opening, Peter Parker and Mary Jane are in love and he is planning on popping the big question. A mental patient, Flint Marko, escapes from Bellview to prove his innocence in the murder of Peter Parker’s Uncle Ben. However, he accidentally stumbles into a scientific experiment which transforms him into a giant Sandman. Without any explanation of what the experiment was about or what repercussions it has later, Marko proceeds to wander about the city as simply another stock supervillain. It’s as if the producers were afraid that Harry Osborn as the New Goblin wouldn’t be enough conflict to keep the film going. Harry Osborn takes a blow to the head and gets amnesia, conveniently forgetting that Peter Parker is Spider-Man and killed his father, the original Goblin. Didn’t every major soap opera already use that idea in the 1980s? And what about that strange black alien substance that leeches onto Peter Parker and forms a black Spider-Man suit which turns him into an evil Spider-Man? There’s another cliche for you. Superman already did that in his own third installment. Then there’s Eddie Brock, the rival photographer at the Daily Bugle who steals Parker’s job by getting his own Spider-Man shots. When he is caught faking his photos and is fired, he dons the black alien suit in revenge and turns evil, siding with Sandman to fight against Spider-Man. There is even a female rival to Mary Jane, Gwen Stacy, who vies for Parker’s attention. After a hilarious breakup scene between Peter and Mary Jane which made me laugh, Parker dates Gwen. Then he breaks out into a super dance routine to upstage Mary Jane’s debut as a singing waitress. That was funny, but it wasn’t enough to save the film. It just wanders aimlessly, trying to decide which way to go. In my opinion, save your money and stay away from this one. You’ll find more entertainment in a bottle of whiskey.