Fridae

Look out, here comes the Spider-Man!

The spinning, swinging superhero in spandex suit is back for the third time. Fans of the much-revered series have been waiting for this moment so impatiently, that pre-sale tickets to Spider-Man 3 have been completely sold out all over the world.

Now that the moment has arrived, was it worth the wait? Well... not really.

The third part of the series � and possibly the last with Tobey Maguire, who doesn't want to do a fourth � is something of a disappointment. Even though the film costs an eye-popping $258 million and has the special effects to prove it, the film is as flabby and unfocused as Tobey Maguire has become.

Tobey plays the nerdy and vulnerable Peter Parker, a struggling photo-journalist who hides his secret identity as Spider-Man. He is still very much in love with his girlfriend Mary-Jane (Kirsten Dunst) and plans to propose to her. But his old friend Harry (James Franco) has taken on the identity of the Goblin, and an escaped convict (Thomas Haden Church) has turned into the powerful villain Sandman after an accidental process of "democularisation".

Meanwhile, a scheming young photo-journalist (Topher Grace) wants to take Peter's place as the newspaper's best photographer of Spidey, while a mysterious black blob from outer-space is threatening to take over Peter's entire body.

With four villains in the picture, you would think that Spider-Man 3 would have even more to offer than Spider-Man and Spider-Man 2. Instead, the crowded arrival of so many new characters has resulted in a long, scattered and convoluted film that tries to do too many things � none of them particularly well.

You might have also thought that the climax would redeem the weak film with Spidey taking on all the four villains in a spectacular smack-down. Instead, it shows us how limited Spidey's powers are, and how hopeless he can be at a time when he needs to be strong.

All in all, Spider-Man 3 spins a web of disappointment.