The movie that is considered one of the worst Spider-Man releases ever made has the best Spider-Man villain, and it deserves a second look based solely on this bad guy’s story. Sam Raimi released his first Spider-Man movie in 2002 and finished his trilogy by 2007, followed by Marc Webb’s two movies, and the MCU version after that.
Along the way, movie fans have met the Green Goblin, Doctor Octopus, Venom, Sandman, Lizard, Electro, Vulture, Mysterio, Venom, and more. Several of these Spider-Man villains remain iconic, while others were a letdown, but one of the best came in one of Spider-Man’s least liked films. However, Spider-Man 3 is worth watching to see Sandman’s story alone.
Spider-Man 3 Has The Best Movie Villain In Sandman
Released in 2007, Spider-Man 3 was a massive letdown following the critically-acclaimed first two films in Sam Raimi’s trilogy. In fact, it wasn’t supposed to be a trilogy, but ended up as one when Sam Raimi quit the franchise after that third movie. Raimi was disappointed that Sony nixed the villain he wanted next, the Vulture.
However, there were also still residual feelings of regret based on how Sony forced Raimi into changing his story for the third movie just to shoehorn in Venom. Raimi didn’t want Venom in the movie, as he had a great storyline planned out for the villain he really wanted, Sandman.
That was obvious to anyone who watched the movie because Sandman was the best villain in the story, and remains one of the best in the Spider-Man franchise, regardless of the director. When Spider-Man 3 hit theaters, it was easy to see that Raimi was only interested in Sandman’s story and Venom was almost an afterthought.
Venom was simply an alien attached to an unlikable Eddie Brock, who was nothing like the character from the comics, or even the later movies. While Raimi might have cast Topher Grace to match up with Tobey Maguire’s Peter Parker, it just dragged the film down and Venom was mostly a joke.
However, Sandman was a different story. Played masterfully by Thomas Haden Church, he was a man who got into crime because he wanted to help his daughter, and it cost him his family, his freedom, and eventually, his humanity. Like Doctor Octopus in the previous Spider-Man movie, he was a tragic villain who deserved sympathy.
Sandman was a villain who wanted to be left alone, but realized he had no other option than a life of crime, especially after an accident turned into a supervillain. Despite this, Church played him as a man who wanted to be good, but didn’t see a way out. When he sacrificed himself at the end to save Spider-Man, he finally got his redemption moment.
Spider-Man: No Way Home Proved How Great Sandman Was
When Spider-Man: No Way Home brought back the old Sony villains, it was Sandman and Doctor Octopus who got the best arcs, although Norman Osborn was also a great character. The best part of these villains returning was that Doc Ock got his humanity back and Sandman remained someone on the road to redemption.
Of the villains who returned for that film, Sandman was the man who wanted nothing to do with returning to his life of crime. He wanted to continue to move forward, and his sacrifice remained an important part of his tale. Sandman in the comics was always better as a hero, and this film showed him still trying to be better.
It also helps that Thomas Haden Church just fits this role perfectly. Alfred Molina and Willem Dafoe are always great, but Church held his own in this second time out as Sandman, even if just in a voice role this time around. This character deserves all the love he can get, and he deserves a better reputation than his movie has ever received.
Sandman Remains Underrated Because Of Venom’s Appearance
Spider-Man 3 has a 63% Rotten Tomatoes score, the lowest of Sam Raimi’s trilogy. It also had a nearly rotten 51% audience score, and there are a lot of reasons for that. The biggest complaints came thanks to Venom’s story, the CGI for that villain, and the overly comedic moments, such as Peter Parker’s dance scene.
The Venom CGI and storyline do not deserve respect, but the comedy moments were pure Sam Raimi and might be eye-rolling, but that was the point. However, if one ignores Venom as nothing more than a side villain, and looks at Spider-Man 3 as Sandman’s movie, it raises its profile so much more.
Thomas Haden Church is an actor who deserves a lot more respect than he gets. He delivered a heartbreaking performance of a villain who wants to find a way out of the life he stumbled into. However, everyone, from the police to Spider-Man, ensures he can’t escape this life of crime and will always find himself on the run.
Spider-Man 3 tells the story of a villain who doesn’t want to be a villain, but wants, more than anything, to find redemption and do right by his family. It is similar to Doctor Octopus’s story, but Doc Ock was about a man failing and falling as a result. Sandman is a man trying to fight his way up to something bigger than himself.
Spider-Man 3 will never be a great movie, and that is all thanks to Venom and Sam Raimi not caring about that villain at all. However, thanks to Thomas Haden Church and Sandman, there will always be a reason to watch the movie for his performance alone.
