The picture above is taken from a teaser poster that's been around for a few months. But in the actual film, Spider-Man 3, the camera shot is wider to reveal our hero sitting on a steeple with a cross on top. If I can be so bold, Spider-Man 3 is the most Christian movie I've seen this year. No, I don't mean that there's a Billy-Graham-call-to-walk-the-aisle at the end. However, the movie includes a number of explicitly Christian themes such as forgiveness, loyalty, redemption, and responsibility for one's actions.

There was only one good scene in Superman III, well over two decades ago. In that movie, Superman affected by an artificially created Kryptonite turns bad and goes around performing misdeeds instead of good deeds. All of this culminates in the visualized psychological battle between Superman and Clark Kent as the hero wrestles to overcome the evil inside of him. In Spider-Man 3, Peter Parker's dark side emerges after he's affected by an alien presence that represents itself as a black costume. The suit affects Spider-Man's personality, and results in the brooding pose seen above under the shadow of a cross. A conversion of sorts takes places in which the "sinful" self is defeated. In fact, a metaphorical "baptism" scene immediately follows reminiscent of similar imagery effected by the rainstorm that follows the escape from prison in Shawshank Redemption. Meanwhile, this is countered by another character's visit to the same church. He comes seeking help, but with the wrong motives. This results in his "damnation" because his desires are evil.

I haven't read a Spider-Man comic book in almost two decades, but I remember them well. Spidey was the kind of hero that one could relate to. Although he was certainly heroic and had amazing abilities, in his private life, he had trouble getting dates, he got picked on, he was always struggling to make ends meet. I remember the issue where he had the flu but he still had to defeat the Lizard, nevertheless. And on the virtuous side of things, he sometimes made mistakes that had devastating consequences. This is certainly played out in not only the comics but also in the first movie, when through his own selfishness and perhaps indifference, his choice to not stop a criminal leads to his uncle's death. We find out in this movie that we didn't get the full picture about that event after all (whether that was planned from the beginning I have no idea, but I doubt it). In this movie, Peter has a choice to make: he can either hold his bitterness inside and seek revenge for his uncle, or he can choose to put feelings of vengeance aside and forgive his uncle's killer. The end result is quite moving.

And so is the message at the end of the film. The opening night for Spider-Man 3 set box office records, and I'm not surprised. I saw a 9:30 PM showing on Friday night at the Shelbyville movie theater and it was packed, mostly with audience members much younger than myself. There's a voiceover at the end for which I'd love to have the exact words to print here, but I haven't found them yet. But the words spoke of the responsibility that we have for our choices and the call for us to make the right choice when faced with a decision. I couldn't think of a better message to leave with the young audience with whom I shared the movie on Friday night.

If you've seen enough Sam Raimi movies, you begin to note his style. Raimi tells a story by focusing on a character's eyes. This is why Spider-Man never has an emotional scene with his mask fully on. Either he is out of costume as Peter Parker, or the mask is partially torn up or even removed. Raimi also has a quirky sense of humor evidenced in his films such as The Quick and the Dead and Army of Darkness. Raimi's quirkiness is quite over the top in Spider-Man 3, especially as Peter Parker undergoes the transformation to his darker self. Although the reality is serious, it is played out in lighter tones that causes quite a few laughs along the way. I mean, it's hard for the goody-two-shoes to be a bad guy, isn't it?

Raimi has already announced that there will be three more Spider-Man movies, although he has not yet declared if he will remain at the helm. It wouldn't surprise me if he departs along with the other principle actors in the cast. And although we'll continue to have Spider-Man movies, these three from Raimi and staring Toby Maguire and Kirsten Dunst will surely be the classic treatment. Unlike the Batman movies of the nineties, these three Spider-Man movies are interconnected and form a tight arching trilogy. The story is told through all three with elements introduced in the first movie not resolved until the third.

The negative reviews for this movie are predictable: it's too long and too preachy. I say, decide for yourself; I highly recommend this movie. Again, the movie is replete with Christian themes, and would serve as a great springboard for discussion along the lines I mentioned in the first paragraph. It's longer than the previous installments clocking in at two hours and twenty minutes. There's very little language and no sexual situations. However, it's rated PG-13 for its violent content so parents should think twice before taking small children to see it.