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So Spiderman III has slammed into the video store. Even though I saw it twice in the theater I still had to rent it the day it came out.

With the exception of The Lord of the Rings, the Spiderman saga has become the most well-developed, well-rounded, and the best cross-genre trilogy ever. It hits every tone with a pitch-perfect performance. It deals with morality in a real world way. It displays a stunning cross-section of love, action, didactic lessons, drama, suspense, the battle between good and evil, mystery, and superb acting.

From a plot standpoint (with the exception of Do. Oc. and his less than believable, A.I., tentacle-dictated motivation) the trilogy has always been very grounded in realism. Even the sub-plots have risen to almost Rowling-like complexity. What with the Hobgoblin losing his memory and regaining it, and Flint Marco's involvement with Uncle Ben's death, the story keeps swinging forward. Of course the main plot points have every eight-legged fanatic totally psyched. Even though Eddie Brock's physic is scrawnier than expected, the introduction of the vengeful, symbiotic Venom made me soil my proverbial knickers.

In the first film, Mary Jane's lines were obviously written by a man. But as the franchise has matured, so has MJ's conversations and internal monologue. She's speaking like a woman and, though her femininity can be occasionally cliched, she's much more believable. As always, Peter's lines are right on; especially in III where his character goes through so much flex and turmoil.

One thing that's remained consitent since the genesis of the project is the caliber of acting. Toby McGuire is solid and will always be solid. And we must thank Spiderman for introducing us to James Franco who's acting style has grown dramatically through the series. The same is true for Kirsten who, though she suffered a little from poor-writing-syndrome in the first two movies, is finally getting lines she can work with. Her dumping-Peter-on-the-bridge-bi t was outstanding! And welcome newcomer Topher Grace who was able to distance himself from the 70's and create a wonderfully believable character who did true justice to the character. He was given a big break and he broke it well (muscle-less or not). And of course I couldn't not mention one of my personal favorites . . . Byrce. Miss Howard, daughter of the film icon Ron Howard, is definitely making a name for herself. Bryce's role was played with the grace and passion that ony Bryce Dallas Howard can bring to a scene.

The cinematography, in short, was very well done. It didn't get in the way of the story but did a wonderful job making the plot-points come alive and drive the movie forward.

What can I say about the action? The special effects were phenomenal. The digital artistry and the practical stunts deserve a round of applause, a cacophony of whoops, and random high-fives. It's also cool to see how Spidey's agility and skills have been improving over the three films. Someone thought that one through.

Lastly, the theme is unlike most blockbusters in that it promotes cleanliness and upright living. Its success proves the American people do have a core value system. The franchise fights as strongly for love, redemption, forgiveness, the destruction of bitterness and revenge, hard work, friendship, promises, and good communication as Spiderman did in the epic finally against Venom and the Sandman.

For Spiderman III the Olsen Rating is a solid A:
Plot: 10
Writing: 10
Acting: 9 (hey, not everyone's perfect)
Cinematography: 10
Special Effects: 10
Theme: 10
Total: 59 out of 60 = 98%. With a bonus point for having the spinnerets to write a morality-tale in a post-modern world . . . I give it 105%

Watch it. Buy it. Love it.

Learn more about this author, Kevin Olsen.
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