Spider-Man 3

Spider-Man 3 is basically the antithesis of your normal big budget comic book adaptation. Sure it cost hundreds of millions of dollars and sure it features plenty of action set everywhere from an under construction sky scraper to the pipes below New York, but this is not the main focus. Fanboys be damned, the majority of this movie is centered around the relationships of the characters. We get characters singing, crying, more crying, and basically facing the problems that occur in everyday, ordinary lives (that is, ordinary if you happen to have been bitten by a radioactive spider).

Spider-Man 3 is essentially a romantic drama punctuated by special effects chases. Even the action scenes are built off of emotion. Revenge, love, guilt all play into the characters lives and lead them toward their actions. I can't remember a summer blockbuster that wears its heart so openly on its sleeve.

Part of the charm of the Spidey movies has always been its inherent goofiness. My favorite scene in Spider-Man 2 was the montage after Peter Parker had given up on trying to to save the world. We follow him as his new life is easy and care free and it's all set to Rain Drops Keep Falling on My Head. Here we get an extended sequence of how it is to be Peter Parker with the added power of the black suit. It's basically Tobey Maguire channeling Tony Manero from Saturday Night Fever. The whole montage (and a few scenes that follow) are corny and out of date and I loved them.

With the inclusion of this film, The Spider-Man saga has set the gold standard for comic book movies. Sure there are better movies within the genre (Batman Begins) but none that match the joy and charisma of this series. Will there be a Spider-Man 4? I'm almost sure of it and it doesn't matter, this film is a great ending for the three film strory arc and the best comic book trilogy in film history.