BOTTOM LINE: In the words of Homer Simpson, "that was good... but not great..." - after the highwater mark of Spider-Man 2, this new installment in the franchise jumbles too many storylines and in the process ends up having a lot of 'good bits' but doesn't create a satisfying 'whole' film.

THE GOOD: This time around, a lot of the successful elements of the second film are back; great action scenes, some cool effects, the bad guys are effective, and Spiderman/Peter Parker is given the exploration of his dark side as a character arc which works reasonably well. The Sandman is spectacularly envisioned on film - his origin scene where he tries to re-create his body out of sand is strangely moving and flawlessly put on screen. That alone is worth watching. The alien goo, the black Spidey suit and the creation of Venom were a lot of fun to watch. Peter's boss at the Daily Bugle was hilarious again, if too understated, and Bruce Campbell has the best extended cameo playing a maitre'd who thinks he's upper class and very French. There is a very good sense of continuity from the previous films, and the storyline does conclude at the end, but still leaves the door open for more of course. Peter's ongoing tension with his best friend Harry comes to a dramatic face-off as Harry assumes the mantle of the new Goblin, giving their conflict an added depth not usually found in a superhero film. The film is fun and doesn't really drag, packing in a lot of exciting visuals and enthralling action sequences to keep you interested throughout.

THE BAD: I've never really been in to Spider-Man: I didn't really get in to the first film because to me it was basically a re-run of the first Superman film but with certain particulars changed and didn't offer anything new. I am also not a Tobey Maguire fan; he just doesn't have any presence for me as a superhero and still doesn't. Spider-Man 2 defined Spiderman for me in contrast to the other superheroes; it had a solid story, an interesting direction for the main character doubting his role as the hero, and a very strong villian, and was highly entertaining despite Tobey's stilted acting. Since Part 2 was great, I looked forward to this installmant but found it lacking. This time around, it's overkill. They have too many villians, too many storylines, too many characters, and as a result, each storyline is glossed over rather than being given time to develop. Each story on its own would have been great if focused on properly, but just when one storyline gets started, the film cuts to another story, and then another, and then another. In short, they needed one less villain, and in my opinion, the Sandman, although spectacularly realised on film, should have been cut altogether as his storyline and the way his character ties in to Peter Parker's past seemed very arbitrary and unnatural. Venom was cool and was integrated in to the story a lot better but he actually doesn't show up until the last third of the film and even when he does, they don't leave him with his Venom face, it always crawls back to the actor's face! And Kirsten had nothing to do but sulk in this film - not good. And don't get me started on Peter Parker as the bad boy firing his gun-fingers at cute girls walking past. Again, not good.