Everyone Who Has Seen Spiderman: No Way Home, Meet Here. (Spoilers)
Please do not progress if you haven’t seen the film.
My expectations were GARGANTUAN going into this film, as is the same with most superfans. The crowds weren’t just the mighty Marvel fans, but the fans of classic 2000s villains from the Raimi Trilogy and The Amazing Spiderman films. Millions have, and will gather, to catch a peek of Doc Oc and The Green Goblin, impossibly, part of the continuing (canon) story.
I expressed in this article here that I just thought my hopes of Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield returning, and returning perfectly, will just never match what I’m hoping for. It was a secret that was allegedly leaked and spilled here and there to build hype, with every other variable completely watertight. When the likes of Tom Holland reveal nothing, you start to wonder if there are even are further spoilers. Andrew Garfield vehemently denying everything on national television, begging fans not to be disappointed. Tobey Maguire had seemingly been in a bunker for the past four years, it was so well kept that these hints just had to be intentional.
Now, the content. This film tore away from the traditional Marvel format, apart from the previously teased Dr. Strange plan, no one knew how the story was going to turn out. At the point where the villains all seemed to be cooperating, even making everybody laugh, there was a beautiful confusion in the audience as to how the antagonism was going to emerge, and where it could possibly come from. Now we get to that point, and a point that I think wins the best (or joint best) moment of the film. The Spidey-Sense ringing through the scene, the palpable tension where the audience realized no-one, including Spiderman, knew how there could be a threat in the threatless tone the film was in at that point.
The Green Goblin shifting his facial expression was a terrifying and fantastic moment. I say the name of his alias because Willem Dafoe’s acting throughout transcended make-believe. You were looking at a pure Villain, and this was without makeup, costume, or effects. Having said that, his new costume was very cool and authentic, despite the impossible challenge of replacing the much-loved original. The transitions he did were similar to Anne Hathaway’s Selina Kyle in The Dark Knight rises, just a lowering of the shoulders and she was a completely different character. Similar also to Allison Williams in Get Out, all three of these changes in emotion were absolutely prime acting.
BIG SPOILERS COMING.
The way they revealed the other two Spidermen was far more jokey and accidental than I’d previously hoped. Very Marvel of them, not very Hollywood. But, I liked it and it did work. It was a huge moment of fan service that slipped seamlessly into a critically-acclaimed film, where it so easily could have impacted the quality of the story.
I’m out of analysis mode to say that this moment was one of the finest I’ve experienced in cinema. So many things like this you hope to see, but when it’s considered canon (authentic) you worry about the manner they do it, and whether it’s a plausible event. Watching Andrew Garfield’s suit zoom clearer and clearer was so unbelievable at that moment that I actually enjoyed the yells from people who’d cooped it all up for months. I felt a similar way when all three suited Spidermen landed together pre-battle.
Beyond just the visual, there were plenty of other fan services they did which were so delicately done. No character was overindulged, yet almost everything was nodded to. The lack of web-shooters on Tobey’s suit, all 3 dying relatives having the same quote about “responsibility”, and Andrew saving MJ in the exact manner he was unable to save Gwen. At this point, I should probably say that I thought Andrew Garfield’s acting was incredible, but Tom Holland has also improved a lot. The conversations in the lab and on the scaffolding were fantastic, the dialogue was totally captivating, and I wouldn't have left for the toilets if there was a spotlight on me.
A special mention definitely goes to Alfred Molina, again for effortlessly shifting between the evil villain and the pleasant scientist. I also thought Jacob Batalon as Ned was a great source of comedy at times, whereas I haven’t always got Marvel’s usual style.
Overall I’d say, despite usually having a bit of a cap on how Marvel movies can be, this one is probably the best of the MCU films so far. The cinematography is always good for films of this budget but it was the acting, writing, and difficulty of tasks that were upgraded for this particular film. Giving it a…
9/10
