By Gulal Singh
Before I somersault into the depths of this insane Spidey flick, I must admit that I haven’t been the biggest fan of the way Disney has portrayed its version of Peter Parker. Perhaps my most critical gripe with the previous two Spider-Man movies is their attempt at building a Spider-Man under the shadow of Iron Man. It is an excruciatingly painful experience to watch Spider-Man face villains that he has no quarrel with in the first place. The origins of Supervillains such as Vulture and Mysterio quite clearly depict to us that they have nothing against spider-Man, it’s disappointing to spectate Spidey live his superhero story under the overarching shadow of Tony Stark.
This transitions into my larger issue with the new Spider-Man franchise, I hate the underlying objective of Disney to replace Uncle Ben with Tony Stark. Yes, if you look at the films closely enough you shall see how Tom Holland’s Spider-Man seems to have no affection or memory of Uncle Ben. To me, spider-man without Ben is like milk without cookies, it’s like a pen without ink, or perhaps it’s more like…you get the point! The reality is that there is no friendly neighborhood Spider-Man without the sacrifice of Uncle Ben. These were the affairs that plagued my heart as I rambled into the theatre to check out No Way Home. In other words, I had absolutely zero expectations so I knew for a fact that I couldn’t be disappointed if I already expected disappointment.
After almost 3 hours of being glued to my seat, I must admit, I didn’t hate the film, if anything I was a little impressed. I was heavily impressed by Marvel’s ability to handle the complicated plot. From handling the intricate details of the Multiverse to constructing a powerful relationship between Peter and MJ. Yet, somehow this film simply couldn’t avoid sprinkling annoyingly unfunny comedy across this film. Whether that be Ned third-wheeling or Marvel’s nerfed version of Flash Thompson attempting to seem quirky, this franchise has some of the corniest humor of all time that will always kill the vibe. Ignoring the comedy is hard but the introduction of Doc Ock, Goblin, Electro, Lizard, and Sand Man work as goosebump-inducing distractions. Their interactions with Peter are natural and straightforward. There are almost no choppy dialogue exchanges and the unbreakable chemistry shared amongst every significant character on screen makes this gathering feel ever so surreal.
On an emotional level, No Way Home hits the bullseye. It ticks every box. Although It never got me to tear up, you could sense the stern mood shift in the audience as Aunt May delivered the “with great power comes great responsibility” speech. It was a legendary moment but it took Marvel 3 movies to teach Peter Parker his most basic lesson and that’s an inexcusable error. What took Sam Raimi 25 minutes ended up taking Jon Watts 7 hours. Though I was speechless when May died, it wasn’t entirely due to the circumstances that led to her demise but rather at Marvel’s audacity to take such a brave step. I’ve always expressed my anger at Marvel’s inability to take a dark turn and by that I mean to kill off a beloved character, and yes I know they killed off Iron Man but that was an expected sacrifice. Aunt May’s death, however, could not have been foreseen, and simply for that, I commend the writers of No Way Home.
Now it’s time for me to upset most reading this by stating that I was not at all intrigued or impressed by the idea of bringing all of the “spider men” together. It felt like a very amateur, desperate move at Marvel’s part. It also further proved the fact that Disney simply can’t craft a standalone Spider-Man movie because they depend on the lamest fan service to make a profit. Yes, I enjoyed seeing Tobey and Andrew return but something didn’t sit right with me. I’m not sure if it was the obviously rushed CGI or the fact that Tom Holland’s Spider-Man still can’t self-sustain itself. The CGI for this film was hurried and unfinished. That’s why many of the action set pieces almost gave me brain damage. It’s also very endless, the ground below Peter’s feet is CGI, the surroundings are CGI, the roof above is CGI, his suit is CGI, and so on. It’s not that the CGI is bad, it just felt like the VFX artists weren’t given enough time to do the best possible job.
As far as performances go, Andrew Garfield stole the show. He had like 20 minutes of screen time and still managed to outshine every one of his co-stars. His best Spider-Man performance to date and it wasn’t even his universe. Bully Maguire… I mean Tobey Maguire still had the charm of the original Peter Parker and his exchanges with Andrew were smoother than butter. Well, I got to say, this movie was a special cinematic experience, would I watch it again? Probably not… but still it’s a film that we shall remember for decades to come. Despite the technical flaws and emotional manipulation, Spider-Man: No Way Home is definitely one of the Spider-Man movies of all time.
Rating: 3/5