As the film opens, Parker is finally striking a balance between his role as Spider-Man and his love for his girlfriend Mary Jane (Kirsten Dunst). Spider-Man is adored by the public but Parker’s former best friend Harry (James Franco), who believes the hero killed is father, is after revenge.

Escaped convict Flint Marko (Thomas Haden Church), racing to find a cure for his sick daughter, finds himself in the middle of a science experiment that turns him into the villain Sandman. Spider-Man begins to take his pursuit personally when he learns that Marko may have killed his uncle.

At the same time, a creature from space that feeds off negative energy secretly attaches to Spider-Man in his moment of weakness, changes his suit to black, and greatly increases his powers along with his anger and desire for revenge. Spider-Man and Peter Parker simultaneously become overconfident and begin to alienate those close to them.

Now too comfortable in his role, viewers of “Spider-Man 3” see the hero dealing with his own personal anger, pride and out of control desire for revenge.

At the height of his egotistical streak, Parker tells another character, “If you want forgiveness, get religion.”

Soon after that scene, the lead character realizes he needs help and must rid himself of alien life form fanning the flames of his hatred and pride. In an ironic twist, Spider-Man seeks refuge in a church bell tower in attempts to find redemption.

As he tears the black suit/alien substance off his body in a scene that is visually stunning, the black goo finds a new host in Eddie Brock (Topher Grace) who is also out to get Parker for ruining his career. Brock turns into the villain Venom and teams up with Sandman to destroy Spider-Man.

As in the earlier installments of the trilogy, “Spider-Man 3” often suffers from less than stellar acting by a short list of young Hollywood superstars. And Venom, with his razor-sharp teeth and creepy movements, might be too frightening for young fans.

But these issues aside, “Spider-Man 3” does an effective job of tying up many loose ends and story threads. Forgiveness and self-sacrifice are central to the film’s resolution, which won’t disappoint die-hard superfans or those new to the comic book world.