When I talked to Sam Raimi for Drag Me To Hell at the beginning of the summer he was asked about whether or not he agreed with the criticisms of Spider-Man 3. I imagine that he was asked this question every time he did an interview for the movie, and now that he’s doing press for the DVD/Blu-Ray, he’s getting asked it again and again. I feel bad for Sam Raimi – the guy was pressed to use Venom in his movie, he really did his best to make it work, and I don’t think the movie is all that bad*.

But with Spider-Man 4 looming, the internet – full, as ever, of backlashers, including a strange contingent who insist that Spider-Man 2 isn’t very good – is worried about what comes next. Will the new movie feature a gaggle of villains and fall prey to the same problems that plagued the third? Raimi insists it won’t.

“I think having so many villains detracted from the experience. I would agree with the criticism… I think I’ve learned about the importance of getting to the point
and the importance of having limitations, and I’m hoping to take that
into a production where I’m actually allowed to explore with more of
the tools to pull it off with a little more splendour.

“I hope I don’t lose that edge that I’ve just found. That would be my approach to Spider-Man 4: to get back to the basics.”

I don’t fully understand what that means, but I like the idea that Drag Me to Hell gave him back his edge and that he’s using it for Spidey 4.

via the Coventry Telegraph, via a scoop from Bruce

* and if you’re one of those people who complain about the dance scene, come closer so I can knock you about the head.