#thecastingrumorsaretrue

[lasagnaisnotapasta]

OOH! OOH! I saw a movie before the Americans had a chance. Spider-man:  No Way Home

First of all, I’d like to thank @astrangergivingthestrangewelcome for helping me procure a ticket to a sold out showing.  I promise to avoid giving spoilers as much as possible.

NWH was absolutely, amazing/spectacular/whateverdescriptor of choice you have for Spiderman.  Compared to the previous MCU Spiderman movies, it’s a solid star or two up in quality.  Holland’s Parker is much more nuanced and flawed given the darker nature of the film.  This made him much more tolerable to me that the happy-go-lucky Stark Jr. quipster of the rest of the trilogy.  There’s still plenty of humor and the kind that has the whole theater laughing at that (even more so that the nominally comedic French Dispatch, which is still on my endless to-review list).

The cast of characters is impressive.  The theatre I was in filled with cheers as half the characters were introduced.  This would be mere fanservice if it weren’t for the fact that they do wonders for advancing the story, both plot-wise and thematically.  Despite the size of the cast, the majority of the aren’t one-sided, ranging from emotionally vulnerable to terrifyingly menacing.  This is especially the case with Willem Dafoe’s Green Goblin, who is *chef’s kiss* brilliant

One of my biggest gripes with the previous MCU Spiderman films is the overabundance of CGI, especially when strung together in really, really short shots that leave the mind lost and the eyes bleeding.  FFH was especially terrible in this regard but thankfully this sort of headache has been toned down, mostly.  I enjoyed the fight scenes, despite how busy they got at times.

Where it falls short:  The film’s entire premise is reliant upon a moment of impulsivity, much like the collective stupidity in FFH, but I prefer fridge logic to be passed over, especially when magic and hearts are involved.  Doctor Strange’s character and aptitude vary drastically as the plot demands, but thankfully the film stops far short from allowing itself to become a team up movie (much less so that Thor: Ragnarok).  However, this does not stop the film from becoming cluttered by its cast, rendering many of them really stupidly trivial sub quests worthy of a few jokes and some smiles from fans.  Cinema Sins will have its day of reckoning on this, HARD.

Finally, without giving too much away (THIS MEANS PSEUDO SPOILERS), NWH, when making a concerted effort, functions as a deconstruction of the superhero.  It does pick up exactly where FFH leaves off and explains why secret identities are important.  And for once, J. Jonah Jameson is validated in calling Spiderman an menace, despite the fact J. K. Simmons’ wonderful impression seems to be an interpretation of Alex Jones.  There’s a somewhat healthy discussion of “the no killing rule” and heroes’ duties to do more than just commit violence.  Finally, the last arc of the film is a decent enough exploration of what it means to be your friendly neighborhood Spiderman.

Probably one of the top 5 Marvel movies, but really only watch it if you’ve watched Marvel movies.  If you do watch them, don’t skip this one.

4/5

Anyways, I’m tired and need to pack for a plane tomorrow.  Love you, all! -SC