Along with Maguire and Dunst, Spider-Man regulars Julie Harris (as Peter's beloved Aunt May), J.K. Simmons (the Daily Bugle's editor in chief), and his best friend/worst enemy, Harry (James Franco), are all back. Harry, still hell-bent on revenge after mistakenly believing that Peter killed his father, the murderous Green Goblin, is also the "New Goblin," taking over from his dead dad. He is also a rival for the heart of Mary Jane.

The huge cast also includes James Cromwell, in what amounts to a glorified cameo. We also have Thomas Haden Church as escaped convict Flint Marko, who stumbles into a top-secret science experiment and emerges as Sandman, a shape-shifting beast with the body mass of a grain silo.

Director Sam Raimi gives his brother Ivan a writing credit on this production. He still has brother Ted in the story as a newspaper marketing bozo who draws the ire of ever-fuming editor JJ (J.K. Simmons). Spider-Man 3 adds new thought to the franchise, but it the end it is not much more than a big-budget groaner popcorn flick. Kicking off the summer blockbuster season with a sigh of disappointment, Spider-Man 3 is not dull, exactly, but neither is it much fun.