"Spider-Man 3" *** (out of four): Comic-adaptation auteur Sam Raimi scores a hat trick with this muddled but thoroughly entertaining addition to the web-slinging series.

While not quite as evenly-crafted as its predecessors, “Spider-man 3” is a fitting addition to Sam Raimi’s unparalleled achievement in comic book adaptation. The Spidey saga now takes its place among such rarified series as the original “Star Wars” trilogy. In fact, the three “Spider-man” films follow a pattern that will sound oddly familiar to any “Star Wars” fan. While 2002's "Spider-man" was a gleefully innocent origin story, the astounding "Spider-man 2", like "Empire Strikes Back", is the crowning jewel of the trilogy, striking that perfect combination of action and character. And now "Spider-man 3", while not containing anything as soul-crushing as the Ewoks, errs a bit too heavily on effects and excessive plot threads. Still, it's a thoroughly entertaining ride which serves as a fine addition to the series.

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