Comic-book action meets introspective moral drama in the richest and most thrilling installment of the Spider-Man series. Content in his celebrated superhero status and secret identity as a newspaper photographer, Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) decides to propose to his girlfriend, Mary Jane Watson. Disrupting his plans is his former best friend Harry Osborn, who mistakenly believes that Peter murdered Harry’s father and is determined to exact his revenge. Adding to Peter’s woes are an escaped convict who accidentally strays into a molecule-altering experiment, becoming a shape-shifting sandman (Thomas Hayden Church), and a mysterious black alien goo named Venom that forges a symbiotic connection with every host it attaches itself to. This last antagonist proves to be Peter’s greatest challenge, enhancing his already formidable superpowers while simultaneously breaking down his moral inhibitions and drawing out the darkest elements of his personality. As Peter becomes increasingly cocky, reckless, and violent, he risks his noble reputation as Spider-Man, an opportunity to reconcile with Harry, and irreparable damage to his relationship with Mary Jane. Peter’s struggle to rid himself of Venom unearths a deeper battle within against jealousy and righteous rage that forces him to make life-altering choices between bitterness and love, vengeance and forgiveness. This stark examination of Peter Parker’s all-too-human soul makes this film perhaps the most satisfying superhero drama ever made.