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Starring: Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, Thomas Haden Church, Topher Grace, James Franco, Bryce Dallas Howard, J.K. Simmons
Director: Sam Raimi
Rating: PG-13
Category: Action/Adventure

History has proven that movie sequels rarely exceed their original, but as we already know, “Spider-Man 2” holds its place in time as one of the very few to ever do so. The 2004 follow-up to Peter Parker’s origin story offered better drama, action and special effects, not to mention the most engaging character study of any superhero to ever grace the big screen. It’s an even rarer feat, however, for the third installment of a trilogy to live up to its predecessors, but “Spider-Man 3” pulls it off almost effortlessly, thanks in part to the return of the same creative team from the first two films. Offering better action, unrivaled special effects and yet another inner struggle for our main protagonist, “Spider-Man 3” is most certainly the must-see event of the summer.

Unless you’re one of seven people that haven’t seen the first two films, number three starts out by integrating a highlight show into the main credit sequence. From there, the story picks up right where the last one left off. Oozing with confidence now that Spider-Man has become a national icon, Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) finally musters up the courage to ask Mary Jane (Kirsten Dunst) to marry him, but while Peter’s confidence is at an all-time high, Mary Jane’s has hit rock bottom. She’s just been fired from her first Broadway play, and she doesn’t find much solace in Peter’s cocky behavior. The arrival of a new romantic foil – Gwen Stacey (Bryce Dallas Howard), the daughter of the city’s police chief (James Cromwell) and Peter’s suspiciously unmentioned lab partner – only adds to her jealousy.

Meanwhile, Harry’s (James Franco) personal vendetta against Peter is put into motion when he reveals himself as the new Goblin; small-time crook Flint Marko (Thomas Haden Church) – Uncle Ben’s real murderer – becomes the web-slinger’s latest arch-nemesis when he is transformed into the shape-shifting sand creature, Sandman; rival photographer Eddie Brock Jr. (Topher Grace) battles Peter for the open staff position at The Daily Bugle; and an alien symbiote that feeds off negative energy attaches itself to Spider-Man, creating an evil (black) version of the web-slinger.

If that sounds like a lot of information, it’s because it is, and though the movie is noticeably longer than the first two, there’s still not enough time to properly develop every subplot. It’s not the new players that suffer, however, but rather supporting characters like Aunt May (Rosemary Harris) and J. Jonah Jameson (J.K. Simmons) that get the shaft. Other familiar faces, like Dylan Baker as Dr. Curt Conners and Bruce Campbell (this time in a hilarious cameo as a French maitre d’), get remarkably more screen time than in previous installments, but they’re still shortchanged in favor of the film’s visually appetizing villains.

The decision to introduce three new villains was a brave one, but director Sam Raimi pulls it off with flying colors. Thomas Hayden Church is effective as Sandman – the most prominent of the group – and is even given a motive similar to that of Doc Ock’s from the second film, while James Franco does his best work of the trilogy while under the guise of the Goblin. Unfortunately, neither actor is quite as memorable as that of either Willem Dafoe (“Spider-Man”) or Alfred Molina (“Spider-Man 2”), so it’s Topher Grace’s limited appearance as fan favorite Venom that ultimately steals the show. Of course, a character of his stature would have better served as the primary villain of a future installment, so here’s hoping the writers find a way to reintroduce him in the next trilogy.

As far as the film’s two stars are concerned, not much has changed since the first movie premiered in 2002. Maguire and Dunst remain the perfect choices for their respective roles, despite the fact that neither is a remarkably talented actor outside of the franchise, and we can only hope that they’ll agree to reprise these characters for as long as Sony continues to make “Spider-Man” movies. Raimi has certainly shown signs of growth, though, and while he’s always inserted his trademark humor into every installment of the series, it’s more prominent than ever.