Feature:

We take a sneaky look at what will be hitting our cinema screens, TVs, iPods, bookshelves and consoles in just a matter of months. From the hotly anticipated Spider-Man 3 onwards…

…Perhaps a reported budget ranging from $250-$300m, easily the most expensive film in history, has been something of an inducement to be as hospitable as possible to those whose posteriors will be filling the seats on those vital first two weekends (the percentage of audience attendance ‘drop-off’ in the second week effectively deciding a movie’s future) in May next year. Add the astronomical marketing costs and you’re looking at a film that might need to make the Premiership’s yearly wage bill just to break even.

Even with these sorts of financial pressures, you wouldn’t imagine Sony’s spider sense would be tingling too hard about any impending threats to the second sequel’s prospects. The first two films have a combined worldwide box office total of – adopting my best Dr Evil pose – one and a half billion dollars, which doesn’t even include DVD sales and merchandising. You have to wonder whether there’ll be any fast food franchise tie-ins with this one though. ‘Try the tasty new venom burger!’ doesn’t sound too appetizing.

Whatever happens, the movie will certainly be rammed with action. As the trailer shows, there’s a hell of a lot of danger flying around. Most notably there’s some giant sandy fists emanating from muscular Flint Marko (played by Sideways’ Oscar nominated Thomas Haden Church, who worked out for over a year in preparation), a thug who might be the true killer of Peter Parker’s beloved Uncle Ben.

It is Peter’s new thirst for vengeance against Marko, transformed into the Sandman by a scientific accident (aren’t they always?), that taps into his darker emotions, as a vicious subway brawl illustrates – Spidey grinding Sandy’s face into a passing train is not acceptable superhero etiquette. As Aunt May says in the movie, “Revenge is like a poison and before you know it, it can turn you into something ugly.”

by Jason Caro

Find out what else is in store in 2007 in
The Works #A12

Image © Visual Imagination Ltd, Spider-Man image © Sony Pictures Entertainment
Feature © Visual Imagination 2006. Not for reproduction

Taken from

The Works #A12
January 2007
ships from Dec 13 2006
News-stand Price
UK £3.99 / US $5.99

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