Review: Spiderman 3

I just saw Spidey 3 and enjoyed it overall (though at 2h15min, it's a bit long). One of the interesting plot points to me was the backstory for Sandman [different in the movie than the Marvel backstory]. Essentially, he was forced into thievery to pay for his daughter's pricey health care. If only modern superheo Susie Flynn had been around, Uncle Ben may have been around to kick some sense into Peter before ... well, I won't spoil the movie. Let's just say I like Mr. Parker best in all his combed-hair, nerdy glory.

A few other general thoughts following the first of the summer popcorn sequels:

- Complexity: The TV renaissance means that viewers are accustomed to handling multiple storylines + characters, but these are often introduced and explored over 12+ hours. While complexity can be beneficial in entertainment (Steven Johnson has great thoughts on this in "Everything Bad is Good For You"), sometimes, less is more - especially when it comes down to quantity vs. quality.

- Intermissions: Faster DVD release dates and web video have changed the way we view movies in the theater; the big screen is still great for big-budget action bonanzas, but I wasn't the only one squirming in my seat two-thirds of the way through the movie. Why don't theaters have intermissions? Most other popular, long-format types of entertainment have breaks (theater, orchestra, set breaks, sports half-times ...). Movie theaters in the French-speaking part of Switzerland used to arbitrarily stop the movie halfway through so everyone could go out and smoke; couldn't theaters and studios work together to introduce thoughtful breaks? In a time-shifted world, why not give people a breather?

- Concessions: Why aren't there healthier options? Most of us really just want something to do with our hands - why not a box of cherrios and a Vitamin water? We should be able to have more choices than solid corn (aka popcorn) or liquid corn (aka soda). Granted, corn is cheap and therefore a high margin item, but movie theaters need to differentiate and perhaps sacrifice some profit at the concession stand if it means more filled seats.