The Spider-Man 3 Scene Fans Agree Makes No Sense
After the soaring and comic book-y heights of the first two "Spider-Man" films directed by Sam Raimi, the filmmaker arguably bit off more than he could chew when he tackled "Spider-Man 3." The overstuffed, if not sometimes wildly entertaining, movie first tried to fit three villains into the main story, including Venom (Topher Grace), whom Raimi didn't really want in the sequel until the producers insisted (via Collider). The threequel also included bizarre creative decisions like musical numbers, Peter's (Tobey Maguire) descent into darkness being signified by "emo hair," and one infamous dance scene that was deliciously parodied in "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse." It's hard to blame Raimi and Maguire for not returning to make "Spider-Man 4" (via Deadline).
At least the sin of "Spider-Man 3" is that it's more overambitious than anything else. For instance, the Sandman (Thomas Haden Church) is a big highlight of the film, an incredible CGI creation that also exemplifies the superhero movie's themes of forgiveness versus vengeance. The Sandman and Spider-Man fights are also very strong due to Raimi's wild creativity as a director and their emotional charge over Uncle Ben's death.
However, even fans of these fight scenes noticed a serious problem with the logic behind them.
A divisive Reddit post asked fans why Sandman would feel pain
In a post on the r/Spiderman subreddit, user Large-Interaction417 wrote that they love the Spider-Man versus Sandman fights, "but it makes no logical sense. Sandman is an amorphous and immortal being yet hes [sic] getting kicked, punched, and flinching as if it actually hurt him." User ThatChicanoKid concurred, writing "That train [scene] made no sense" because Sandman may not feel real pain.
Many commenters disagreed with the original post. Perhaps the most rational argument was from user kazetoumizu, who asserted that the Sandman's "practical skill has not yet peaked and he's still trying to get a full grasp over his physiological skillset." They also point out that by the end of the movie, he's much stronger and can even make himself the size of a skyscraper. User Wash_zoe_mal had special insight too in that Sandman may simply be reacting to Spider-Man's brutal methods: "People flinch even if [the] punch doesn't hit, and there is a physical reaction to force, regardless of pain."
Regardless, the battles between the Sandman and Spider-Man are probably some of the best in the movie, and Church even returns to the Sandman role years later for "Spider-Man: No Way Home."