In Defense Of: “Spider-Man 3” (2007)

Kirsten Dunst’s Melancholic Turn Shines Through Brightly

A strong Mary Jane is another critical component in helping to weave together the disparate elements at the heart of Raimi’s third instalment. Thankfully, Kirsten Dunst once again steps up to the plate in this regard.

Dunst’s understated portrayal of a fragile star on the edge of failure is paralleled effectively with Maguire’s inverse rise to fame. There’s a surprising air of believability in their ineffectiveness in communicating with one-another; Two contrasting stars going through radically different trajectories within their lives.

On top of this is their character’s chemistry, which has been refined to a sheen over the course of Raimi’s trilogy. Yep, though Tobey Maguire arguably steals the show as the nerdy central superhero, Dunst’s strong nuanced performance and melancholic charm is another clear highlight that complements Maguire’s socially awkward turn perfectly.

That ‘Cool Peter Parker’ Scene Is *Supposed* To Be Cringe-Inducing

So, here we are — one of the biggest bugbears in the whole pic is undoubtedly that ‘Cool Peter Parker’ scene. You know, the one where he struts his stuff down a side-walk as women gawk at him. Yep, it’s silly. Like, really silly. But it’s supposed to be cringe-inducing (it always reminds me of David Brent’s ridiculous dance-off in The Office).

Parker’s recently acquired black symbiotic friend serves to amplify the characteristics of its host, and this in-turn magnifies what Parker thinks is cool. The end result is a deliberately eye-rollingly cheesy and super awkward representation of what his personal version of ‘cool’ is supposed to look like… which winds up looking, well, the complete polar opposite. Sure, it feels a little tonally off, but the scene works better if you’re mindful of how uncool ‘cool’ looks through the eyes of Peter Parker.

Even though it’s one of the weakest moments in Spider-Man 3, it really doesn’t get any worse than that Jazz Club scene. I mean, wow, that scene is seriously something else…