History Film / SpiderMan3

%% * GettingCrapPastThe Radar: Due to overwhelming and persistent misuse, GCPTR is on-page examples only until 01 June 2021. If you are reading this in the future, please check the trope page to make sure your example fits the current definition.

* BettyAndVeronica: Traditionally, Gwen is the Betty and Mary Jane is the Veronica but ''Spider-Man 3'' flips this on its head with Mary Jane as the down-to-earth "Betty" and Gwen as the wealthy, vivacious Veronica.

* BettyAndVeronica: Traditionally Gwen is the Betty and Mary-Jane is the Veronica but ''Spider-Man 3'' flips this on its head and Mary Jane is the down-to-earth "Betty" and Gwen is the rich wealthy vivacious Veronica.

* PoorCommunicationKills: See also [[IdiotPlot/SpiderMan3 Idiot Plot]]. A lot of problems could have been solved if some of the people involved simply ''talked'' to each other. Mary Jane in particular is quite guilty of this.
** Judging by the conversation between Peter and Harry at the beginning of the film, Peter has made almost no effort to actually sit Harry down and tell him everything that happened the night of Norman's death. Granted, it's entirely possible Harry wouldn't have believed him anyway, but Peter could still have put forth more effort[[note]]Though the novelization clarifies he has been trying ever since the end of ''Film/SpiderMan2''[[/note]].

* DarkerAndEdgier: {{Downplayed|Trope}}, but compared to ''[[Film/SpiderMan2 2]]'', the movie is darker and a bit more violent and [[BloodierAndGorier bloody]]. It explores the heroes having a dark side, with [[AllLovingHero Peter]] embracing his, becoming a violent, vengeful BloodKnight [[spoiler:who tries to kill Sandman and even after (briefly) discarding the symbiote suit, and rather proudly tells Aunt May that Spider-Man has killed Uncle Ben's murderer. His next fight against Harry is also very violent, with Peter intentionally beating him up and [[KickTheDog cruelly]] [[IShallTauntYou mocking him]] before disfiguring him, something Peter wouldn't have done in the previous movies. And with [[BigBadDuumvirate two villains]] [[VillainTeamUp ganging up]] and beating the ever loving shit out of him in the climax with the entire city [[ForcedToWatch watching]], the stakes get pretty high. The movie [[BittersweetEnding ends]] with [[CharacterDeath a character we have known for three whole movies dying]], as opposed to one that is introduced in this very movie. The ending doesn't even have Spider-Man triumphantly swinging through [[BigApplesauce New York City]], but Peter and MJ slowly dancing together, [[ShowDontTell wordlessly forgiving each other and (most likely) giving their relationship another chance]]. That being said, it is nowhere as dark as the [[NeverTrustATrailer trailers made you believe it would be]].]]

* DarkerAndEdgier: {{Downplayed|Trope}}, but compared to ''[[Film/SpiderMan2 2]]'', the movie is darker and a bit more violent and [[BloodierAndGorier bloody]]. The movie explores the heroes having a dark side, with [[AllLovingHero Peter]] embracing his, becoming a violent, vengeful BloodKnight [[spoiler:who tries to kill Sandman and even after (briefly) discarding the symbiote suit, rather proudly tells Aunt May that Spider-Man has killed the killer of Uncle Ben. His next fight against Harry is also very violent with Peter intentionally beating him up and [[KickTheDog cruelly]] [[IShallTauntYou mocking him]] before disfiguring him, something Peter wouldn't have done in the previous movies. And with [[BigBadDuumvirate two villains]] [[VillainTeamUp ganging up]] and beating the ever loving shit out of him in the climax with the entire city [[ForcedToWatch watching]], the stakes get pretty high. The movie [[BittersweetEnding ends with]] [[CharacterDeath a character we have known for three whole movies dying]], as opposed to one that is introduced in this very movie. The ending doesn't even have Spider-Man triumphantly swinging through [[BigApplesauce New York City]], but Peter and MJ slowly dancing with each other [[ShowDontTell wordlessly forgiving each other and (most likely) giving their relationship another chance]]. That being said, it is nowhere as dark as the [[NeverTrustATrailer trailers made you believe it would be]].]]

* DarkerAndEdgier: {{Downplayed|Trope}}, but compared to ''[[Film/SpiderMan2 2]]'', the movie is darker and a bit more violent and [[BloodierAndGorier bloody]]. The movie explores the heroes having a dark side, with [[AllLovingHero Peter]] embracing his, becoming a violent, vengeful BloodKnight [[spoiler:who tries to kill Sandman and even after (briefly) discarding the symbiote suit, rather proudly tells Aunt May that Spider-Man has killed the killer of Uncle Ben. His next fight against Harry is also very violent with Peter intentionally beating him up and [[KickTheDog cruelly]] [[IShallTauntYou mocking him]] before disfiguring him, something Peter wouldn't have done in the previous movies. And with [[BigBadDuumvirate two villains]] [[VillainTeamUp ganging up]] and beating the ever loving shit out of him in the climax with the entire city [[ForcedToWatch watching]], the stakes get pretty high. The movie [[BittersweetEnding ends with]] [[CharacterDeath a character we have known for three whole movies dying]], as opposed to one that is introduced in this very movie. The ending doesn't even have Spider-Man triumphantly swinging through [[BigApplesauce New York City]], but Peter and MJ slowly dancing with each other [[ShowDontTell wordlessly forgiving each other and (possibly) giving their relationship another chance]]. That being said, it is nowhere as dark as the [[NeverTrustATrailer trailers made you believe it would be]].]]

*** While first using his symbiote suit, Peter describes his boosted SpiderSense "as if invisible weblines radiated in every direction, and he was at their center.". This is how the power is drawn in the comics.

*** The scene where Spider-Man awakens from a nightmare to find himself hanging upside-down in front of a reflective window while wearing the Black Suit. There was also to be a scene where Peter sees a reflection of himself as Venom while looking in a reflective mirror, similar to a scene in the 1990's animated series, but it was cut out.

*** In the prologue, Peter considers setting Harry up with Gwen Stacy, a nod to their relationship in the comics before she met Peter.

* SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome:
** While he is under the symbiote's influence, Peter is right to point out that Eddie Brock is a sleaze by fabricating a photo, and J. Jonah Jameson fires Brock on the spot because faking a photograph is considered outright reprehensible in the news media.
** Despite having advanced technology for his weapons, Harry has far less experience in combat than Peter. He ultimately gets his ass handed to him every time they fight.

* BerserkButton: We see Jameson at his most furious when Peter reveals Eddie photoshopped an image of Spidey to incriminate him in a bank robbery. Jameson's always an angry {{Jerkass}} most of the time, but when you do something that amounts to deception to him and his paper, he gets ''pissed''.
--> '''Jameson:''' *''slams files on desk whilst looking angrily at Eddie''* Pack your things. [[GetOut Get out of my building]].\\
'''Eddie:''' I was just tryin--\\
'''Jameson:''' You're '''fired'''!

->'''Mary Jane:''' [[ArmorPiercingQuestion Who]] ''[[ArmorPiercingQuestion are]]'' [[ArmorPiercingQuestion you?]]\\
'''Peter:''' ''[[HeelRealization ...I don't know.]]''

* InformedFlaw: Mary Jane's singing. Kirsten Dunst is a good singer and delivers a lovely performance in the movie whenever she sings but her character is critically panned in-universe for her Broadway performance. In part justified because we're sitting in the front row with Peter, who is meant to be oblivious to MJ's professional problems and one of the reviews remarked that "her voice hardly carries past the first row."

* AdaptationInducedPlotHole: Somehow, Brock/Venom knows everything about Sandman despite having ''no'' scenes with him prior to their meeting. Granted, in the comics, the symbiote transfers the thoughts of its host to its next one, but the movie doesn't even bother explaining this ''at all'' so those who didn't read the comics would know. The novelization confirms the thought transfer power, while the tie-in comic ''The Black'' explains he found Flint Marko's police file in the Stacy's house while stalking Gwen.

** The above two issues are clarified in the film's novelization and prequel comic, ''Spider-Man 3: The Black''. As Venom, Eddie gained access to Peter's memories while bonded with the symbiote and learned about Mary Jane after breaking into Peter's apartment. He learned about Sandman's connection to Peter after breaking into Gwen Stacy's house and approached Flint after his sandcastle visit to Penny.

Tobey Maguire and Thomas Haden Church return as Spider-Man and the Sandman in ''Film/SpiderManNoWayHome''.

* RelationshipSalvagingDisaster: Peter and Mary Jane's relationship was falling apart for most of the film..until the climax when Peter has a BigDamnHeroes moment rescuing her from Sandman and Venom.

** [[spoiler:The last scene is perfectly symbolic for the imperfect life a superhero leads. Peter walks into the club Mary Jane is singing at, and Mary Jane then stops singing, ironically at the line "care for no one", the moment she spots Peter, the person she cares about the most. When she stops singing to step down and dance with him, that is her choosing to sacrifice her dream to sing on Broadway in order to be with Peter through his life as a superhero. Mary Jane doesn’t have her career on Broadway but she has Peter. Peter doesn’t get to have a normal life, but he has Mary Jane. The sacrifices they have to make are unfair, but nothing is as miserable as not having the love of their life with them. Peter has lost a lot throughout these films, but this ending where he reconciles with Mary Jane just shows that they're willing to stick it out together forever, just them against the world. The ending still tells us there is not a single force that can tear these two apart, as their story finally ends.]]

* SeriesFinale: During development, the filmmakers weren't sure if there was going to be a ''Spider-Man 4'', so they designed movie 3 to act as a series finale if need be. In retrospect, it seems to have been a wise choice (Sony wanted a movie as quick as possible, but Raimi couldn't give a script that fully satisfied him in time; [[Film/TheAmazingSpiderMan a reboot came instead]])

* InformedFlaw: Mary Jane's singing. Kirsten Dunst is a good singer and delivers a lovely performance in the third movie whenever she sings but her character is critically panned in-universe for her Broadway performance. In part justified because we're sitting in the front row with Peter, who is meant to be oblivious to MJ's professional problems and one of the reviews remarked that "her voice hardly carries past the first row."

*** The scene where Spider-Man awakens from a nightmare to find himself hanging upside-down in front of a reflective window while wearing the Black Suit. There was also to be a scene where Peter sees a reflection of himself as Venom while looking in a reflective mirror, similar to a scene in the 1990's animated series, but it was cut out. The symbiote also arrives on Earth the same way it does in that series.

*** Venom taunts Spider-Man by using MJ's AffectionateNickname for him ("tiger"), much like he did in the series.

* BitingTheHandHumor: Peter's (under Symbiote's influence) telling Eddie "You're trash, Brock." may come from the fact that Venom is mostly in this film thanks to ExecutiveMeddling. (see trivia page for more) [[invoked]]

* InformedFlaw: Mary Jane's singing. Kirsten Dunst is a good singer and delivers a lovely performance in the third movie but her character is critically panned in-universe for her Broadway performance. In part justified because we're sitting in the front row with Peter, who is meant to be oblivious to MJ's professional problems and one of the reviews remarked "her voice hardly carries past the first row."

** Flint Marko just ''happens'' to fall into a scientific experiment that turns him into the Sandman; Harry Osborn just ''happens'' to get amnesia and forget that Peter is Spider-Man (and get it back and decide to go from trying to murder Peter to... breaking up him and Mary-Jane), and the symbiote just ''happens'' to land next to Peter Parker and attach itself to his suit. And all of this happens on exactly the same night.

* MeaningfulBackgroundEvent

** Peter under the influence of the symbiote lashes out at anyone he feels has wronged him in some way or the other. While his actions against Harry and Eddie could be justified, he takes it too far with Mary Jane by showing up at her workplace on a date with Gwen as revenge for her breaking up with him (also taking Harry's word for what happened without getting MJ's side of the story). After this fails and Peter knocks MJ down when she tries to break up a fight he starts, he finally [[JerkassRealization realizes]] [[MyGotWhatHaveIDone what he's become]].

** A lot of the tension between MJ and Peter could have been dealt with if MJ had just told Peter that her part in the play was recast. Whenever Peter brings up the bad review, MJ just smiles awkwardly and doesn't say anything, so one could chalk it up to her being too ashamed to say anything, but she tells Harry ''with absolutely no issue whatsoever''. In her defense, she probably she didn't want to bring down Peter during the key-to-the-city ceremony, and sometimes interrupted by circumstances afterwards.

** The novelization seems to side with the critics, as Peter even wonders if the theater's sound system is making MJ’s voice sound reedy and thin, and isn't convinced by his acoustics explanation for the lukewarm applause she garners. However, it's implied MJ is improving through her singing at the jazz bar, where she starts to get better reviews by the end.

* WithinParameters: The scientists running an experiment involving a particle accelerator and sand notice that the weight of the sand is greater than expected. They write it off as a bird that will fly away once the experiment starts. The "bird" is actually Flint Marko, about to be turned into The Sandman. Exactly what sort of 200-pound bird the scientists were thinking of is anyone's guess.