Before Andrew Garfield took the reigns on Peter Parker, and long before the web-slinger was inducted into the MCU, director Sam Raimi created the billion-dollar grossing trilogy. Spider-Man ended up becoming the first movie to top $100 million in the opening weekend (Spider-Man 2 is considered one of the greatest superhero movies ever made. However, Spider-Man 3 doesn't have the same legacy, and it has even tainted the trilogy for many.
Spider-Man fans thought that there were too many villains in the movie and that it's embarrassingly cheesy. However, there's more going on beneath the surface, and the movie doesn't get the credit it deserves due to its few shortcomings. Between the birth of Sandman, Venom's design, and the movie's playfulness, the third film is severely underrated to fans on Reddit.
It Was Emotional
Spider-Man 3 continued the trend of the first two movies, as Reddit Punyae3671 mentions that the movie "hit emotionally." There are so many scenes that carry just as much emotional weight as Spider-Man 2.
Although the whole idea of Harry's big plan to separate MJ and Peter might seem petty, the scenes are still emotionally resonant. All of the scenes with MJ struggling with Peter's success while she was fired from the play hits hard, and the serious conversations that follow are actually realistic.
New Goblin's Design
Many fans, including a deleted Reddit notes, took the time to praise costume designers, James Acheson and Katina Le Kerr, for their work on the costumes, stating how they thought New Goblin's black suit was "badass."
New Goblin's costume makes him look a lot like a ninja, and it's much better than the Green Goblin outfit that Norman couldn't even move in. Raimi had even made the villain even more dangerous as he provided him with a new glider and new gadgets too. How he got all of these new gadgets is a mystery, but it made for some great-looking action sequences nonetheless.
Peter's Confidence Is Playful
The most iconic part of the movie has become iconic for bad reasons. The scene of Peter walking down the street as he dances as flips up his collar with a bad haircut is largely seen as embarrassing for everyone involved.
But Reddit u/PopeOwned makes a great point that it isn't the writers or Raimi's perception of what's cool, but Peter's - except he "has no idea how to be confident." Peter Parker is a nerdy character and is the type to think that's how a cool guy acts (the dancing, the exaggerated walk). It's also not meant to be taken seriously either, it just serves to emphasize the effects the symbiote has on an individual when they are bonded for too long.
The Birth Of Sandman
The birth of Sandman is one of the best moments in Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy. Although Spider-Man 3 is underrated, everyone agrees that the scene where Flint is transformed into the shapeshifter is spectacular. And that's thanks to the ahead-of-its-time CGI and the heartbreak of him losing his human form.
Reddit u/Spidey10 puts it best by saying that the character had "the best story in the film," but nothing beats the hair-raising moment when Flint falls into the particle accelerator. It was helped that the character is portrayed by Thomas Hayden Church, as coming from a background of drama movies, he gives such a raw performance.
Venom Is Great
Raimi didn't want Venom in Spider-Man 3, and it was mostly because the character has a "lack of humanity." But as Venom had been a fan favorite ever since its inception, the studio forced Raimi to wedge the character in there.
Although the studio meddling could by why the film is the way it is, everybody loved Venom in the movie. A deleted Reddit makes the most sense, as they say that the "Venom symbiote stuff was more cohesive than the other storylines." Not only did the storyline make sense, but visually, Venom looked great as he slithered around too.
The Portrayal Of Eddie Brock Isn't As Bad As People Say
Although it's unanimous that Venom in the movie is the most exciting thing about it, very few enjoyed his alter ego. Eddie Brock in Spider-Man 3 is bitter and always winging. But a deleted Reddit mentions that they enjoyed that Eddie Brock was depicted as "someone who has always been one-upped by Peter Parker."
That's true, as Eddie's narcissism at the Daily Bugle played off Peter's modesty perfectly. And though Eddie Brock is supposed to be a brooding, fearful character in the comic books, like the character in 2018's Venom, Topher Grace's portrayal cleverly subverted expectations.
The Reasoning Behind The Cheesiness
People are quick to point out that the jazz club scene in Spider-Man 3 as being embarrassing. But as Reddit u/inFINN1te points out, it isn't too different from the "Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head" scene in Spider-Man 2, which is true. However, the Redditor goes into much more detail about the reason behind the cheesiness.
The reasoning makes sense and was clearly mentioned in the movie, but went over a lot of viewers' heads. When Dr. Connors is inspecting the symbiote, he explains to Peter that it amplifies "the negative parts of a person's personality." That doesn't just mean that people will turn evil, but that it'll enhance their ego, just as it did Peter's.
Sandman's Redemption
Some fans of the series think that retconning Uncle Ben's death by having him get murdered by Sandman instead of a petty thief was a bad idea. But a deleted Reddit argues that it was one of the best things about the movie.
As everything was coming full circle from the first movie in the series, such as Harry avenging his father's death, and Peter and MJ's relationship, it only made sense to include Uncle Ben's death. The final scene between Flint and Peter when he apologizes is one of the most emotive scenes in the series. As the deleted said, "it gave the movie strength." But even though the character was redeemed at the end of the movie, Sandman should return for No Way Home.
