I don't know how a film could be any more blatantly Christian without mentioning the name of Christ than the new Spiderman. At the climax, Spiderman (aka Peter Parker) says to Sandman, the man who killed his uncle, "It's the choices that make us who we are, and we can always choose to do what's right." Then, after Sandman talks about what happened the night he shot Peter's uncle, Peter says, "I forgive you." At that moment, you can see a burden lift off the shoulders of Peter that he had been carrying for a long time.

The decision to forgive Sandman didn't come easy for Peter. He first contemplated the sin in his life - which had taken the form of revenge - on the tower of a church, and then struggled with his sin - represented by a black goo from outer space - in the bell tower. When he manages to become free of the goo, it is taken up by Eddie Brock, who has just prayed to God to kill Peter - at which point he becomes Venom. Now he becomes the slave of sin, which at first feels good, but leads to misery and destruction. It's a good metaphor.

This is the best written of the Spiderman films, with the best acting and the best special effects. Its multilayered, textured story makes the film accessible to all ages. It may slow down too much at times for the average adolescent, but that is what happens when you have a good adult-level story. It also has a great love triangle between Peter, Mary Jane and Harry. As far as special effects, all the Sandman sequences are incredible. I especially liked the scene where Sandman first discovers he's made of sand.

Peter's struggle with his dual personality, represented by his two Spiderman suits - one red and one black - remind me of Jerry Lewis' film The Nutty Professor, especially in the jazz club scene. Peter is as obnoxious in that scene as Buddy Love is in his, which is a great example of how sin deludes us into thinking we're something we're not, and hurts everyone we come into contact with, especially those we love.

I like the way the Raimi brothers, through their script, have lifted a comic book hero to a level equal to great literature, and director Sam Raimi has turned in an action film that is as exciting as any thrill ride. The sequence with the out-of-control crane, in which a steel beam is literally taking a building apart floor by floor, so that the people inside have to scramble for their lives, is as good as any ride, and made me wish I had chosen to see it on IMAX. Other scenes are equally fun.

Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst and James Franco are as solid as rocks in the principal roles, and Thomas Haden Church (Sideways, Charlotte's Web) is terrific as Sandman, Toper Grace does well as Venom, and Bryce Dallas Howard is both gorgeous and wonderful as Gwen Stacy. I always like Bruce Campbell's cameo roles in these films - he plays the maitre d' in the restaurant this time around. In the first film he was the announcer in the wrestling ring, and in the second he was the doorman at Mary Jane's theatre. He is a funny, funny guy. There is also a brief cameo by Stan Lee, the founder of Marvel Comics and inventor of Spiderman.

There are several things that could have been done to make it better and shorter (it runs 140 minutes). The scene between Harry and Mary Jane at Harry's was unnecessary. There were a couple others like that. And I couldn't understand why Mary Jane would allow Harry to use her to get at Peter. That was unexplained. Other than that, it's a terrific film, and ranks right up there with Batman Begins and Spiderman 1 as the top three super hero films of all time. Besides the themes of responsibility, repentance and forgiveness, there are also strong themes of friendship, self-sacrifice and marriage. This is one franchise I will be sorry to see end.

The DVD set is loaded with extra features that will answer virtually every question you could possibly have on how the film was made. It is well worth the extra $5.

Rated PG-13



Waitsel Smith, May 31, 2007

Text © 2007 Waitsel Smith. Photos © 2006 Sony Pictures. All Rights Reserved.