Spider-Man: No Way Home: A Spoiler-Free Review (and then clearly marked spoilers afterward)

 

Gillipedia Official Rating: Fan service, but like, actually good

          Let’s lay the ground rules. Everyone already knows that Alfred Molina, Willem Dafoe, and Jamie Foxx are reprising their respective roles as Doc Ock, Green Goblin, and Electro across the previous 2 franchises. This of course marks the seemingly unlikely pairing between Marvel and Sony, and it also raised countless questions as to who else could possibly show up. I won’t even hint at anything in this first portion of the review of what else to possibly expect, so read on worry-free. But if you are worried about spoilers, you should also probably avoid lots of social media since memes and companies are always trying to be the first to grab attention with these sorts of things.

          I’d like to start this off just with some gratefulness. I have always been a huge Spider-Man fan, particularly from the 90s cartoon that to this day still has the best iteration of how Spider-Man behaves. We started this trilogy with Homecoming with Iron Man playing a large role in one of my favorite MCU films, and we followed it up with not quite as good but still fun Far From Home with an excellent performance from Jake Gylenhaal as Mysterio. We’re spoiled in how much Benedict Cumberbatch plays a role in this latest film as Dr. Strange, and that’s not at all the big news anybody is talking about. The crossovers are commonplace now and have shown how they usually work pretty well even when stuffing films full of characters like the Avengers films. I believe it’s been a well-crafted plan from MCU, and those executives deserve a bunch of credit because everything has fallen into place so well. When you have a large quantity of films dedicated to your heroes, that allows them to also set up the later films where they team up because now you don’t have to lay as much groundwork on who these characters are. I’m someone that enjoys Spider-Man 3 more than the average person, but I can still recognize how it was overly ambitious in needing to dedicate so much time to exposition for all its different villains. And No Way Home has even more villains plus Dr. Strange; however, everyone already knows these villains and the actors that played them, so you don’t have to go back through their origins.

          Let’s recall what we know story wise from the trailer. The end of Far From Home shook things up by revealing Peter Parker’s identity to the world. Now as he scrambles to adjust to a life of fame and how that affects himself and his loved ones, Parker turns to Dr. Strange to find a spell that will make the world forget who he is. In a kind of silly sequence, Strange takes little convincing to begin the spell, but Parker starts realizing that he still wants his loved ones to remember who he is and pesters Strange to tamper with the spell. Things go awry, and instead of the spell working, a dimensional shift of sorts occurs that starts bringing the villains from the multiverse into theirs.

          This of course is where the villains from the past franchises comes into play. I’m going to stop talking about the story from this point, but just know that things from here actually play well. This film could’ve easily failed, but the integration of the other franchises works thematically, fits the story, and is honestly loads of fun. This has always been one of the more light-hearted franchises with the 80s high school feel from the first two films and now here the main characters trying to get into college, but this film also works in some more serious stuff and allows a nice change-of-pace—especially since I have been feeling a lot of fatigue from the Marvel formula.

          Okay, time for the small gripes. The film has its quips at the beginning of the film, but they feel like the generic humor that Marvel has relied on too much, and it’s not particularly funny. Also, I have recently gone back in the last couple of months and have watched films from the 3 Mexican directors that have revolutionized cinema: Guillermo del Toro, Alejandro Innaritu, and Alfonso Cuaron. And after you watch someone like Emmanuel Lubezki with his cinematography and use of natural light and real settings, it’s hard not to notice the harsh artificial light incorporated into pretty simple scenes that still feel the need to use a green screen background. Also, one thing The Amazing Spider-Man films did so well was Spidey web-slinging around. Or even take web-slinging from the videogames, the newest PlayStation games in particular. Those feel so dynamic and fluid, and there sadly are definitely moments in this film that have that rubber feel—animations where you don’t feel the weight of something.

          I saw this film in IMAX, and the Dr. Strange sequences are enough alone for the price of admission. And despite feeling like Jacob Batalon gave zero effort in that new car commercial, his character Ned is fun again in this film. Tom Holland has always been a great Spider-Man, and he feels a bit too clueless about his surroundings at times, but he and Zendaya and Marisa Tomei are all great fun to watch. And to round out this part of the review, it’s fun to see Molina back in form, and it definitely feels like they basically asked Jamie Foxx what he would like to different this time around, and then did exactly that. And having not gone back to the previous franchises in awhile, I was pleasantly surprised by how powerful an actor Willem Dafoe still is; he is old and needed a bit of aid from CGI, but he is back in form as Green Goblin.

          If you’re a fan of the Marvel films, then this is a must-watch. It’s still too fresh on my mind to give a rating of where this stacks up in the MCU, but I really enjoyed watching the film and highly recommend it. Okay, from this point on, now we get into spoiler territory.

 

**Spoilers beyond this point**

 

          I’m going to assume people reading this portion have either already seen this film or have no desire to see the film and don’t mind me giving everything away. Because they start quick with putting Daredevil in the film. And honestly, as soon as I saw that, I basically knew for a fact that we were getting Tobey and Andrew.

          I think the premise of Parker’s mistake and now needing to round up all the villains works as a premise. But it works for one particular reason. And that is the fact that his mistake came out of a true case of selflessness. He didn’t want people to forget who he was because he was caving under the pressure of the fame Tony Stark relished in; no, his girlfriend and best friend couldn’t get into college as a direct result of their association to him. It’s this guilt that he feels that also drives the point home of listening to Aunt May about doing the right thing and actually trying to help the villains instead of letting them simply return to their doomed fates.

          And the triumphant return of the Emperor Palpatine lego works well too because of the comparisons you can make to Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. That film sucks. It’s fan service in the name of fan service, and none of it works. Whereas, if you described No Way Home to someone, you could mistake it for sounding like fanfiction. But as previously mentioned, it’s integrated in the best way. They gave Tobey and Andrew significant screentime. I think the start of the film suffers slightly from lackluster writing, and there’s only the brief Daredevil appearance to wet the whistles of the diehards until the real action begins. But when the Spider-Men do come in, I love it. They even do the meme of them pointing at each other and pay clever homage to their respective franchises.

          Tobey is in his 40s and has been doing way more producing than he has been acting. And the Spidey suit is a bit tight, but he plays the fatherly figure well. And I even loved that he gave one line of him and MJ making it work; we don’t need extensive detail, but it’s enough to even make up for cancelling Spider-Man 4. Now the real bright light here is with Andrew. The dude is almost 40 at this point, so first off credit to him for looking -ahem- amazing. But he pulls off the banter with the others well and even gets to play off the fact that his version as well as his films are the least well regarded. And the face he makes when he saves Zendaya at the end is enough to melt any heart, it’s an honestly touching moment.

          Other small gripes. The Lizard looks terrible. It doesn’t look realistic, but it also doesn’t look cartoony. It’s the kind of look that would’ve happened and then been made fun of in The Suicide Squad. And Rhys Ifans doesn't look great either. The final fight uses the 3 Spideys well despite no regard for destruction, but it’s also close to impossible to differentiate which one is doing what at points. Holland is also basically invincible. The amount of concrete slabs he's smacked through would make the NFL concussion protocol shutter. He literally dedicates a line to thinking aloud how he broke some ribs, and that's the last that is ever mentioned.

          But like I said, the film plays strengths really well. Electro is cooler and more imposing (I need to rewatch his film though because I think he gets a bad rap), Molina has a nice redemption arc, Green Goblin is still imposing in the same way as before, they make a joke about the terrible Rhino from the Amazing franchise (sorry Giamitti), and Sandman is rightfully motivated by just wanting to return to his daughter.

          This is a complete film that breaks Marvel molds enough with actions like killing Aunt May, and having the 2 older Spideys mentor Holland works because he is genuinely the youngest and hasn’t been exposed to the world as much as they have (despite his true remarks of fighting aliens in space). It also performs its role of setting up more of the MCU with some multiverse madness for Strange to handle; the trailer at the very end looked a lot like the What if…? episode, and I am curious as to what to expect. I’m also confused by the mid credits scene. It feels cheap to tease Tom Hardy entering the MCU from the Let There Be Carnage mid credits scene, only to suggest that he will continue his own universe while allowing it to set up Venom in the MCU.

          I think Marvel has been clever with what they have revealed, and without any knowledge of what happens in comics, it also feels like they’re making sure they don’t follow exacts from those so as to keep everyone on their toes. You can be upset with the likes of Scorcese saying these films aren’t real cinema, and I agree with him to the extent that I’m fatigued by their formula and with the CGI action. I even also enjoy DC films more than others, and think they’re back in a better direction with a darker alternative to what Marvel does. But I’ve also still grown up with these superheroes and thoroughly enjoy watching the films and seeing where they will end up next. They’re on an interesting trajectory to move forward from Thanos, and their miniseries on Disney+ have been mostly successful as well. I’m still a little shocked that they were able to pull this film off, and this has easily been one of the more enjoyable experiences at the theaters this year.

James McAvoy in My Son

Gillipedia Official Rating: Good, but in a Scottish accent

          Here’s a sentence most self-respecting people probably aren’t proclaiming: I watched a movie streaming exclusively on Peacock. To my credit, it’s the free version where they play 2 minutes of ads first and then you’re good to go, not paying for that premium version (although that is the way to watch the new Psych movie). Recommended to me by a friend, the film is one that I highly doubt many people have heard of. I’m talking about My Son starring James McAvoy and Claire Foy.

          On the surface this is a pretty simple film. Clocking in at just over 90 minutes, we aren’t given any background and are thrust straight into the thick of the premise. We’re in a beautiful, mountainous region of Scotland (where McAvoy is originally from, so it’s his real accent he’s using I presume), and McAvoy receives word from his ex-wife Foy that their young son has gone missing. The rest of the film follows McAvoy around as he tries to uncover the mystery of what has happened and of course to find his boy before it’s too late.

          As you may imagine with the short runtime, there aren’t going to be too many clues and red herrings here; it’s a mostly straightforward mystery. The real kicker to the film is how the film itself was shot. The idea here is that McAvoy was never given the script to the film, only a glancing overview of the plot. What that means is that as we the audience watch the movie, we uncover the mystery at the same time as McAvoy does, so his reactions to everything are completely genuine. This is the kind of idea that I love and absolutely drew me into wanting to watch how this all played out. The resulting thriller honestly comes slightly mixed.

          I have to point out McAvoy’s performance. I feel like everyone realized how talented he is after he did Split, but he is by and large the best part of this film. Foy plays her part well, but so much of the focus is on McAvoy, and he nails it. There is one moment that did feel a bit improvised in a mistaken way, but tiny gripe. There’s a moment about 30 minutes in that calls back to Tom Hanks at the end of Captain Phillips—those moments of acting that just stick with you in how powerful they were. McAvoy achieved that. With how little attention and the mixed reviews the film received, it appears highly unlikely, but I’d like to put my two cents in and say that McAvoy needs to get a Best Actor nod for this film.

          The other side of this is the limitations. As I mentioned earlier, the mystery isn’t very complex. And it can’t be either. When your lead actor doesn’t have a script, you’re not going to throw a bunch of subplots that have no relevance into the mix. So when you get to the climax and realize that the scene you’re watching is the conclusion of the film, it leaves you feeling a bit like, “Oh, that’s it?” Because they figure something out, pretty easily get the clue, and the clue leads them directly to where they need to go.

          As a showcasing of McAvoy’s talents, the film strikes gold. As a mystery thriller, it’s nothing out of the ordinary. And as a tourism attraction piece to Scotland, it’s absolutely brilliant—minus the whole boy going missing part of the story of course. But really, there are some great landscape shots here; however, it is also worth noting that the score doesn’t always match up. Like this is a serious film with a dark premise, and the score is pretty light-hearted. On one hand you can think of it as a way to alleviate some tension? Maybe? Like this isn’t the super dark film the way the brilliant Prisoners is, but the music isn’t very fitting overall.

          Ultimately, you can create an account for Peacock for free, and that in itself absolutely makes this film worth recommending. It provides you with a unique setting, some terrific acting, and an enjoyable watch for a film that most people have never even heard of. And hey, you don’t have to use that pink fleshy thing inside your head very much to figure this movie out, but that might be what you’re in the mood for anyways. Oh, Peacock is also where The Office is now streaming if that also helps.

 

In Brief:

• I recently flew out to Denver for a friend’s wedding, and I was able to catch a couple films during the long flights. No Man of God takes place primarily in one room as Elijah Wood plays a rookie FBI agent that develops a strange relationship with serial killer Theodore Bundy. Interesting film, good acting, nothing ground-breaking. Also watched Stillwater with Matt Damon and Abigail Breslin. I only knew a tiny bit about the film but was curious to see Damon’s performance. What I didn’t realize is that despite the title of the film, the vast majority of this film takes place in France. The main focus sways from figuring out how to free his innocent daughter from jail to a relationship he develops with a French theater woman and her young daughter, and that part of the story has a whole lot of heart. And then it comes crashing down with a sobering ending that may seem to fit real life more than Hollywood, but heck n holler, rooty tooty, butter my biscuit cuz I ain’t satisfied by the way this roughneck film ends. It takes away from so much of the film and won’t satisfy you.
• I watched Red Notice on Netflix with The Rock, Ryan Reynolds, and Gal Gadot. Despite high production values, I see why this film didn’t go for theaters. It double-crosses itself too many times, and only really redeems itself somewhat with Reynold’s mostly funny banter. Not a great film.
• What was much better was Daniel Craig’s conclusion as James Bond in No Time to Die. I enjoyed that the concept of time was heavily featured—hence the title. But not in a trippy Christopher Nolan way; no, more like an aging character finally ready to move on from his 007 life kind of way. There’s some touching moments, and Ana de Armas is criminally underused. The action is great again with solid directing and editing that doesn’t cut away from the action every frame. Not as good as Skyfall, but a big improvement over Spectre.