Production Company: Columbia Pictures
Director: Sam Raimi
Cast: Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, James Franco, Rosemary Harris, J.K. Simmons, Thomas Haden Church, Topher Grace
Rating: Rated PG-13 for violence

By Gregg Tubbs

(UMC.org)—The third, electrifying installment of the phenomenally successful Spider-Man series finds Peter Parker not only still swinging on a web, but also coping with his own, swinging moods. In films one and two, Spidey battled plenty of demons—from the Green Goblin to Doctor Octopus—but the third time around, the most treacherous demons he faces are all internal. Growing up is hard enough for any young man, without the complications of possessing amazing powers and having a secret identity. Throw in adversaries like Sandman and the terrifying Venom, and you’ve got what could be the best visit yet from our friendly neighborhood Spiderman.

Spider-Man 3 unites all the regulars from the first films—Tobey Maguire (Peter Parker/Spider-Man) Kirsten Dunst (Mary Jane) and James Franco as best friend and sometime nemesis, Harry Osborne. Just as important, we have the producer/director Raimi brothers providing the same brawny, pulp-drenched vision that guided the first two films. With the Raimi at the helm, you can always expect an adrenalin rush and eye-popping action—even in a film that tackles a boatload of moral dilemmas.

Donning his black costume and filled with rage and grief, Peter (Tobey Macguire) hurtles into a confrontation with Cain (Thomas Haden Church) and his own desire for revenge. Copyright © 2007 Columbia Pictures.

This continuity—both in front and behind the camera—is important, because all three films represent not only an ongoing, typical coming-of-age saga, overlaid with learning to cope with extraordinary and unsettling powers. We see Peter Parker’s rocky road to maturation as both man and hero. Each film deals with the challenges of assuming of great power: accepting the responsibility of power, accepting the sacrifice that comes with power, and finally resisting the temptation to abuse that power. It’s this last stage that dominates Spider-Man 3—how to resist the urge to let the power intoxicate you, consume you, corrupt you and turn you into the very thing your power is meant to oppose.

At the beginning of the film, life is going well for Peter Parker—perhaps too well. College is great, Spider-Man is being hailed as the hero of New York, and he is about to propose to Mary Jane. Unfortunately, all of the success and accolades go to Peter’s head, and he begins to buy in to his own hype. Like the tragic heroes of myth, pride and hubris overtake him. He begins to feel entitled to the public praise, and to believe that he is not just indestructible, but infallible as well. As a result, he becomes arrogant, insensitive and reckless. He doesn’t realize that both his spider-powers and his human character will soon be tested. To make matters worse, his costume becomes possessed by a symbiotic alien force that turns it jet-black, amplifying his powers but also amping up his dark side.

For Peter, the real moral crisis comes when he learns that the mysterious Sandman, an unstoppable being of compressed sand, might have once been Flint Cain (Thomas Hayden Church), the man believed to be his Uncle Ben’s true killer. Donning his black costume and filled with rage and grief, Peter hurtles into a confrontation with Cain and his own desire for revenge. Here, Spider-Man 3 achieves wrenching levels of emotion as Peter’s struggle with his dark side reaches Darth Vader proportions. He confronts again the ongoing issues of the proper use of power, the difference between justice and revenge, and the wisdom of knowing when fight and when to forgive. In fact, forgiveness is an unexpectedly potent theme in the film, providing some of its most stirring moments.

In the end, Peter (Tobey Macguire) sums up the power to choose between good and evil: "We can always choose to do what’s right, no matter what battles rage inside of us. We always have a choice." Copyright © 2007 Columbia Pictures.

Perhaps the film's most dominant message tackles the subject of freedom of choice. Peter must choose whether to don the dark costume or his light costume. The symbiot (that’s Sci-Fi talk for a symbiotic life form) that inhabits the dark costume doesn’t force him to do anything; it simply amplifies the urges already inside him. At the end of the film, Peter struggles with the symbiot (not coincidentally in a church) and wins, while envious photographer Eddie Brock (Topher Grace) takes on the symbiot, surrendering totally to it's power and becoming utterly transformed into the hateful, deadly Venom.

In the end, Peter sums up the , "We can always choose to do what’s right, no matter what battles rage inside of us. We always have a choice." Spider-Man’s struggles are just amplified versions of our own. We all have to choose how to use the abilities, riches and gifts God gives us. Even nations must choose how to use power. The question is always whether we will choose to serve our selfish desires or to use our gifts for the glory of God and the good of others. Spider-Man 3 is one summer blockbuster that will make you think, even as you cheer. It’s a good web to get caught in.

Study Questions

What role does "hero worship" play in Peter’s dilemma? Do you think we create heroes too easily? To what do you attribute the modern tendency to create heroes and "worship" them?
Why do you believe Peter went to the church to take off the dark suit? What did this tell you about him?
Eddie Brock also went to the church. What did his prayer say about him? Do you think God responds to prayers for selfish things?
Why does Peter struggle so much with how to use his power? Is power intoxicating? Have you ever been in a position of power that challenged you morally?
Aunt May is not happy when Peter tells her about his confrontation with Cain. Do you think she should have been? Is it right for Spider-Man to kill?
The film deals with the moral dilemma presented by justice and vengeance. Where does your faith lead you in this?
Peter concludes that we always have a choice. Do you agree? Do you think our free choice can still factor into God’s plan? Does the Bible provide guidance for making the right choices? (See John 14:15.)
Peter was asked to forgive Cain. Do you think he made the right choice? Could you have done what he did?
Who else had to forgive or be forgiven in the film? Is there anyone in your life that needs your forgiveness? What did Jesus say about forgiveness? (See Matt. 18:20-22.)
Can you see Peter Parker as a role model for youth? Why or why not?