SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME
****
Director: Jon Watts
Screenwriters: Chris McKenna & Erik Sommers, based on the Marvel comic book by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko.
Principal cast:
Tom Holland
Zendaya
Benedict Cumberbatch
Marisa Tomei
Jon Favreau
J.K. Simmons
Country: USA/Iceland
Classification: M
Runtime: 150 mins.
Australian release date: 16 December 2021.
Spider-Man: No Way Home is the third in the Marvel Comic Universe series of Spider-Man films (2017-2021) to be directed by Jon Watts and star Tom Holland. Previously, we’ve had the Sam Raimi-directed trilogy (2002-2007) with Tobey Maguire as Peter Parker, the human spider, and the pair of films (2012-2014) from Marc Webb (not a pun, that’s his name… really) featuring Andrew Garfield in the title role. Now, the boy who was bitten by a genetically modified arachnid is back and he’s brought a bunch of frenemies with him. Trailers have already revealed that Dr. Otto Octavius (Alfred Molina), Electro (Jamie Foxx) and the Green Goblin (Willem Dafoe) are back and they’re not alone. Judging by the roars of approval that greeted the return of these well-known characters at the media preview, that appreciation will likely be echoed in cinemas around the country. This a definite crowd-pleaser for the fans; if, on the other hand, you’re not already familiar with the denizens of the MCU, then maybe Spider-Man: No Way Home is not for you. You would, at least, have to go back and view the penultimate film in this series, Spider-Man: Far from Home because this new movie starts at the very point where the last one left off.
Spider-Man’s true identity was revealed at the end of Far from Home and the new film opens with The Daily Bugle editor J. Jonah Jameson (J. K. Simmons), now a televised shock-jock à la Alex Jones of InfoWars, ranting from giant-sized TV screens about how Spider-Man is a murderer who needs to be brought to justice. As a result of this exposure, Parker approaches Dr. Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) to ask him if he can conjure up a spell to make everyone in the world forget who he is. Well, not quite everyone – he doesn’t want his girlfriend MJ (Zendaya), his best friend Ned (Jacob Batalon) or Aunt May (Marisa Tomei) to forget him. Unfortunately, however, by interrupting the magician with these requests mid-spell, things go terribly awry and cracks in the Multiverse are opened, allowing all sorts of entities, mostly bad but some good (no spoilers!), to enter our universe and, of course, putting the cork back into that particular genie’s bottle is going to test Spidey to the max.
The screenplay of No Way Home is written, once again, by Erik Sommers and Chris McKenna, who wrote Far from Home and had input into Homecoming, the first film in the current MCU series. The script very cleverly incorporates characters and storylines from the earlier films and manages to wrap them all up neatly. It’s not all fighting and effects, monsters and mayhem, though – there are a couple of moments of real pathos contained in the story. On the other hand, it’s not completely successful and some of the jokey banter between Parker and Strange rings a bit hollow. I know these are comic book creations but their dialogue is just a bit too glib; Dr. Strange is a Master of the Mystic Arts, a deeply learned man in both exoteric and esoteric knowledge, not a comedian.
As with most movies in the MCU, don’t leave the cinema when the credits to No Way Home start rolling – there are not one, but two, add-on sequences after the Spider-Man action closes. The film is certainly easier to digest if you are already familiar with Peter Parker, his friends and enemies, but there’s enjoyment to be had even if you’re not. Any movie promoting a message stating, “When you help somebody, you help everybody”, has got to be worth seeing.
Screenwriters: Chris McKenna & Erik Sommers, based on the Marvel comic book by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko.
Principal cast:
Tom Holland
Zendaya
Benedict Cumberbatch
Marisa Tomei
Jon Favreau
J.K. Simmons
Country: USA/Iceland
Classification: M
Runtime: 150 mins.
Australian release date: 16 December 2021.
Spider-Man: No Way Home is the third in the Marvel Comic Universe series of Spider-Man films (2017-2021) to be directed by Jon Watts and star Tom Holland. Previously, we’ve had the Sam Raimi-directed trilogy (2002-2007) with Tobey Maguire as Peter Parker, the human spider, and the pair of films (2012-2014) from Marc Webb (not a pun, that’s his name… really) featuring Andrew Garfield in the title role. Now, the boy who was bitten by a genetically modified arachnid is back and he’s brought a bunch of frenemies with him. Trailers have already revealed that Dr. Otto Octavius (Alfred Molina), Electro (Jamie Foxx) and the Green Goblin (Willem Dafoe) are back and they’re not alone. Judging by the roars of approval that greeted the return of these well-known characters at the media preview, that appreciation will likely be echoed in cinemas around the country. This a definite crowd-pleaser for the fans; if, on the other hand, you’re not already familiar with the denizens of the MCU, then maybe Spider-Man: No Way Home is not for you. You would, at least, have to go back and view the penultimate film in this series, Spider-Man: Far from Home because this new movie starts at the very point where the last one left off.
Spider-Man’s true identity was revealed at the end of Far from Home and the new film opens with The Daily Bugle editor J. Jonah Jameson (J. K. Simmons), now a televised shock-jock à la Alex Jones of InfoWars, ranting from giant-sized TV screens about how Spider-Man is a murderer who needs to be brought to justice. As a result of this exposure, Parker approaches Dr. Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) to ask him if he can conjure up a spell to make everyone in the world forget who he is. Well, not quite everyone – he doesn’t want his girlfriend MJ (Zendaya), his best friend Ned (Jacob Batalon) or Aunt May (Marisa Tomei) to forget him. Unfortunately, however, by interrupting the magician with these requests mid-spell, things go terribly awry and cracks in the Multiverse are opened, allowing all sorts of entities, mostly bad but some good (no spoilers!), to enter our universe and, of course, putting the cork back into that particular genie’s bottle is going to test Spidey to the max.
The screenplay of No Way Home is written, once again, by Erik Sommers and Chris McKenna, who wrote Far from Home and had input into Homecoming, the first film in the current MCU series. The script very cleverly incorporates characters and storylines from the earlier films and manages to wrap them all up neatly. It’s not all fighting and effects, monsters and mayhem, though – there are a couple of moments of real pathos contained in the story. On the other hand, it’s not completely successful and some of the jokey banter between Parker and Strange rings a bit hollow. I know these are comic book creations but their dialogue is just a bit too glib; Dr. Strange is a Master of the Mystic Arts, a deeply learned man in both exoteric and esoteric knowledge, not a comedian.
As with most movies in the MCU, don’t leave the cinema when the credits to No Way Home start rolling – there are not one, but two, add-on sequences after the Spider-Man action closes. The film is certainly easier to digest if you are already familiar with Peter Parker, his friends and enemies, but there’s enjoyment to be had even if you’re not. Any movie promoting a message stating, “When you help somebody, you help everybody”, has got to be worth seeing.