Spider-Man 3

The seemingly invincible Spider-Man goes up against an all-new crop of villains—including the shape-shifting Sandman. While Spider-Man’s superpowers are altered by an alien organism, his alter ego, Peter Parker, deals with nemesis Eddie Brock and also gets caught up in a love triangle.

Spider-Man 3 landed with a thud for many critics who found it bloated — too many villains, too many subplots, and a sluggish pace that undermined what made the first two films work. A vocal minority pushed back hard, finding genuine emotional ambition and blockbuster momentum in the same film others called a mess. The gap between enthusiastic defenders and sharp detractors is wider here than almost any other entry in the franchise.