I've been a big as fan as any of the Spider-Man movie thus far. I don't think there's been a truer adaptation of any comic to the big screen than Spider-Man 2. That movie perfectly captures the struggles of Peter Parker balancing the responsiblities of both becoming a man as well as recognizing his true potential as a hero.
This movie is an absolute mess. I enjoyed moments and some moments were absolutely ridiculous and some just plain silly. I understood the need for both the Sandman and Venom yet I think there were two too many villains. On top of that, Raimi seemed to just throw narrative continuity out the window in favor of convenience (for instance: even though Eddie Brock's name was mentioned in the first film Raimi still introduced him as the "new guy.")
It just feels very thrown together like Raimi couldn't really settled on one single thread and so he just shoved a bunch of plot points together and prayed that the action sequences would hold it together. Y'know, the way Michael Bay or Renny would Harlin do it.
I think there's a better way to have constructed this movie and I really don't want to get into it right now.
I kinda feel like because Raimi and co. hadn't committed to a third movie when making Spidey 2 they tried to cram stuff into Spidey 3 that should have been established in the second movie causing it to feel overstuffed.
Also, it feels way too late to be introducing Gwen Stacy now. Peter/Spidey's spent the course of the previous two movies struggling with this emotions for MJ and NOW they choose to bring in arguably the most influential character (storyline) from the comic?
The good news is if this is the last in the series enough plot threds were tied up where it could be the end. The bad news is, if this is the last in the series it would be going out with a bit of a whimper.
Maybe the franchise needs new blood. Wouldn't it be nice to see what a Guillermo Del Toro could do with Spidey? How about JJ Abrams? Joss Whedon maybe? I don't know, it's just a very disappointing effort all around and I'd like to see this franchise go out with a bang. Nahmean?