Spiderman 2 will arguably go down as the greatest comic book movie ever made. That said, how could Spiderman 3 possibly live up to or be on par with the bar that was set? With all the mixed reactions from reviewers and colleagues alike, and what seemed like way too many characters and sub plots, I didn’t go into the movie nearly as pumped as I was a few days ago. However, I came out of the theater just as excited as when I saw the sequel.

Without ruining much, Spiderman 3 begins with Peter Parker much more jolly than he has ever been in his life. Not only is he now in a relationship with the girl of his dreams, but he has also come to accept being Spiderman. In fact, being Spiderman has actually started to go to his head a little. Mary Jane on the other hand, can’t quite seem to deal with Peter’s new found confidence, and also has a set of her own problems.

If you read our Ninja Turtle feature from a few days ago, you’ll know that I’m a big fan of the Turtles and was pumped up to see TMNT no matter how it turned out. I managed to squeeze in a viewing during what was a rather busy day, and the good news is that TMNT is the follow up to the original movie that we have all been waiting for over the last 17 years.

Similar to how Bryan Singer handled Superman Returns as not only a follow up to the original Superman movies but also a reboot of the franchise, TMNT follows the same path. The events from the first three movies have all taken place (you can spot some evidence of all three movies with a keen eye) making this the fourth film in the saga. The movie begins with a quick history of the Turtles and who they are and how they have defeated the Shredder. Fast forward to present day, and we come to find out the things aren’t going so well for the brothers four. Leonardo has been sent away by Splinter, but has taken longer than expect to return home. Michelangelo has gone the route of the Ghostbusters after they were put “out of business,” Donatello’s genius has been reduced to being tech support for computer users, and Raphael has decided to take up the cape and cowl. That said, the premise of the entire movie is to reunite the Turtles as a team, and as a family.

[ UPDATE: Steve fixed the YouTube embeded video. Thanks Steve!]

Anyone who hasn’t seen The Iron Giant should stop what they’re doing right now and go see it. Its easily one of my all time favorite animated films, and for a good reason. The direction, animation, and storytelling are top notch. It doesn’t have your typical whacky side characters and talking animals, and it also doesn’t shove a bunch of reject Broadway tunes down your throat. Instead, it offers a highly enjoyable cast of characters and a more adult orientated story that can easily be understood and appreciated by any age group.

In a surprise move, I managed to worm my way out of seeing Ghost Rider tonight. Instead, we opted to see Bridge to Terabithia, which has now come up in three out of the four posts from today.

My post about Disney not marketing this movie correctly was completely on target. This movie is absolutely nothing like the commercials lead you to believe. This is not a Harry Potter or Narnia knock. It’s not a cheap cash in at a fantasy movie. Instead, what they have here is a refreshing breath of fresh air, a children’s movie that takes it audience seriously, and deals with real issues.