Ìý Spidey fans weren't disappointed by the third instalment of Sam Raimi's "" comicbook franchise, introducing Thomas Haden Church as Sandman. Even whilst Tobey Maguire and co. were still promoting the film there was talk of a possible Spider-Man 4. Raimi was initially against the idea, but the suits at Sony did finally persuade him to return to the director's chair. Kerching.
The Amazing…
Without a doubt the most impressive bit of digital effects work in the film is the spectacle of Sandman. The first of a generous batch of 'making of' featurettes sees how the design team began this daunting project by observing the motion of sand (a great excuse to visit the beach). Haden Church talks about bringing humanity to the villain and, in a look at Re-imagining The Goblin, Raimi and James Franco talk about the evolving relationship between Peter Parker and Harry Osborn. That's in addition to a brief look at costume design.
That Maguire relished the chance to don the black body stocking is revealed in Covered In Black. Raimi compares the effects of the suit to "alcoholism or drug addiction", but adds that he didn't want to get too deep into the origin story of the alien sludge. There was just too much else to pack into the third (supposedly final) instalment, most notably the love triangles. The cast dissect the romantic subplots in Tangled Web and there's a special focus on Gwen Stacey (Bryce Dallas Howard), a character lifted straight out of the Spider-Man comics.
Creepy Crawling
Howard had a lot to contend with besides the affections of Peter and Eddie Brock (aka Venom/). We see her dangling from wires on a hydraulic mounted floor in a detailed backstage look at the scene where she clings to the side of a ruined office block. Other major stunts taken from planning to execution are the Wall of Water (that turns the Sandman to mud) and the pile up of cars on Euclid Avenue where Sandman runs riot. A busy main road in Cleveland was shut down for the latter scene, but another featurette reveals that most of the outdoor action was filmed on the streets of New York. Raimi wrangles with crowds of extras and spectators to get his shots in the can, whilst the second unit suspend cameras on aerial tracks high up between the skyscrapers for Spidey's 'flying' scenes.
Peter Parker's street fight with Harry Osborn comes under the spotlight in The Stunts Of Spider-Man. Maguire talks about wanting to "connect" with the audience by filming this scene without a mask. The idea of heightening that emotion carries through into featurettes on editing, music and sound design. Key members of the crew talk more about their contribution in a commentary to accompany the film. Raimi is joined by the actors in a separate track revealing their input in the development of their characters; Franco was especially keen to explore the conflict of Osborn's friendship and rivalry with Peter Parker/Spider-Man.
A couple of Easter eggs are hidden in the special features menus for more light-hearted peeks at score and sound design. Finally, a blooper reel indicates that the special effects team had a little too much time on their hands and that Maguire tends to giggle like a schoolgirl. Altogether, this two-disc edition DVD will keep you glued to your sofa like a spider on Velcro.
EXTRA FEATURES
Spider-Man 3 (2 Disc) DVD is released on Monday 15th October 2007.
