SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME (2021)
Tagline: The Multiverse Unleashed.
(Action, Adventure, Web-Slinging) [PG-13]
Please. We've saved half the universe together. I think we're beyond you calling me "sir".
This one follows briefly after the events of SPIDER-MAN: FAR FROM HOME and Peter Parker is facing all kinds of uncertainty and hatred after having his identity unveiled. In desperation mode, he goes to Doctor Strange to ask him if he can make the world forget he’s Spider-Man. While casting the spell things go terribly wrong and now the multiverse has been unleashed. Can Spider-Man make things right before his universe is forever changed?
First off, the way the multiverse is realized in this movie is completely fan-service. Credible in the world of comics for certain but never the less it is fan service. Glorious, unapologetic, balls to the wall fan service. See, in the real world. Fan service is fantastic, after all the comics were never written for critics, overanalyzed bologna, or for nitpicking things to death. They were and still are there for the fans. As a comic books creator myself I always want to put everything I’ve got into ANGELWOLF and DARK 30 but ultimately people have to want to read them. I am thinking of what fans will think and how I can bring them joy. This movie is freakin” pure joy”.
Sometimes pure “joy” though when it comes to entertainment has its sappy moments and I won’t give too much away but when the “cheese” hits the fan in this thing, it will be pretty obvious to the moviegoer or at some point the BLU-RAY, DVD buyer or streamer. I don’t mind cheese but there is definitely at least one part in this movie that I kind of wish they had done differently. However, having said that, the majority of this thing is just a blast. I do feel they could have easily cut a least half an hour out of this thing and it would have been fine. There is some exposition and dialog that isn’t critical to the story and give this some slower parts that weren’t really adding to the film.
With script ideas like Spidey-In-Space and introducing the Secret Invasion storyline floating around from the comics, I am glad we got a more in-depth “multiverse” storyline because it fits more with the last film and DOCTOR STRANGE’s films storylines. For those of you unfamiliar with the multiverse it kind of takes its premise from the scientific theory that there may be billions of “universes” each with their own different sets of physics, star systems, etc. In the comics, the multiverse is presented as having multiples of each person only different with different circumstances. Honestly, this was probably a way to explain continuity errors and rebooted character origins in the comics more than anything, but it does make for some cool storytelling. For me, the idea of a multiverse is always better than anything time-travel-related because time-travel essentially means nothing really has any consequence. You can always go back and change things. It’s annoying.
Production-wise this is superbly done and the pacing feels pretty natural even with the lulls I mentioned. Cinematically we get a lot of really cool shots and atmospheres here. We also get some DOCTOR STRANGE mirror dimension stuff which is always rad. Trying not to give away anything, there are some emotional moments in this but it is not a downer at all like we get in AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR.
Acting-wise we get the usual MCU Spidey Crew and they are all just as fantastic as usual with Jacob Batalon (Ned Leeds) and Zendaya (MJ) getting less screen time than in previous films. Tom Holland (Peter Parker) of course gets nothing but screen time. Benedict Cumberbatch is also back as DOCTOR STRANGE and does an amazing job as does the rest of the cast. I am not going to go into anyone that shows up from the multiverse, but there is at least one character, in particular, that had me shouting with excitement.
If you get a chance you will want to see this in theaters. It’s always more fun to be in an audience and feel everyone’s enthusiasm for what’s unfolding on screen. That is probably why this movie has already made over 1 billion at the box office. There were several moments of clapping and cheering on Christmas Day when I saw this.
For me, this is an easy 7 out of 7. It’s not completely perfect, but it’s pretty freakin close.
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