Spider-Man: No Way Home is a bloated mess. As a lifelong fan of the webhead, that reality hit hard. The anticipation for the movie ran feverishly high. From the hinted cameos to the ascendance of Peter Parker from high school geek to young adult, one couldn’t help feeling underwhelmed by the narrative. Perhaps it was an overabundance of riches. Too much of a good thing jam-packed into a two hour timeframe. To be fair, there were exceptionally great moments in the movie. Yet the ambitious whole was not equal to the sum of its parts.
How was the story?
The movie picks up where Spider-Man:Far From Home left off. Peter Parker’s identity has been exposed to the world. Consequently everyone in his inner circle must contend with the relentless negative media and societal pressures. Desperate to change the circumstances, Peter looks to his friend, Dr. Strange, to help him magically eradicate the problem. Naturally, things go wrong. The remainder of the movie focuses on cleaning up the mess. Given the success of Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse, the use of a multiverse narrative must have seemed like a surefire winner to the producers of Spider-Man: No Way Home. Yet instead of the poignant, creative tour de force of the animated movie, the live action film relied on predictable fan service sequences far too often. Out of the three movies starring Tom Holland, Spider-man: No Way Home felt the most like a corporate committee driven franchise release. The edge was gone.
How are the special effects?
The CGI artists effectively made use of de-aging for a couple of major characters. The early fight sequence between Dr. Strange and Spider-Man looked recycled in respect to concept. If you’ve seen the movie, Dr. Strange, then you’ll be familiar with what unfolds. Much of the final battle seemed to be too obviously shot on a soundstage. It was reminiscent of the Statue of Liberty scene in the X-Men film from 2000. One exceptionally bothersome sequence was when a certain villain was relentlessly pummeled by Spider-Man yet his face didn’t have a scratch. It reminded me of the interrogation scene from The Dark Knight in which the Joker had his head smashed against a thick glass wall by Batman, but remained remarkably unscathed.
The movie has a PG-13 rating. Can I take my kids?
Yes. Especially if your kids have been exposed to previous Marvel Cinema Universe films. I would suggest the movie would be suitable for kids 11 and up based on the level of violence and tense situations depicted on screen.
Are there any ideal moments for Bathroom Breaks?
I would recommend after Spider-Man’s initial battle with Dr. Strange. The pace slows down dramatically until the third act of the movie begins.
Final Thoughts
You will be entertained. If you are a fan of Tom Holland’s version of Spider-man, then there’s a lot to appreciate in the movie. If you were hoping the film would transcend the previous movies, then expect to be underwhelmed. The hype was exceptionally high. It was billed as an Avengers: Endgame level experience. That’s not the case. What you do get is an action packed, fan service oriented movie, that seeks to check off the usual boxes rather than push the envelope of Spider-Man’s story. Marvel spared no expense to fulfill fans’ wish list of assorted heroes and villains. In a way, at least for this movie, the story took a backseat to the spectacle. It will be interesting to see how Tom Holland’s Spider-Man moves forward. The playing field has been reset.
Overall Grade: B-
Recommended for kids ages 11 and up.
Pros: Marvel and Sony deliver all the action movie comfort food a fan could desire. Two particular villains were outstanding. Tom Holland’s performance was solid overall.
Cons: In delivering comfort food, the story suffered greatly. One villain played by a high profile actor had no purpose in the movie other than presenting a different character look and attitude.
Official Movie Trailer
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