Spider-Man: No Way Home

Evie Totty: “It ruled.”

This review by Kristy Puchko at Mashable nails it.

At two-and-a-half hours, it sped by. And not in a bad way. Not once did I look at my watch. My soda and popcorn were still pretty much full when I left.

I tell you, it's one thing to know all these 'cameos' were going to be in the film (some were, some were full-fledged supporting roles) and quite another to see them.

Applause rang out many times as some appeared on the screen in the theater I was in.

Not only did SMNWH deal us fan service, it gave us an enjoyable movie.

I'm sure you all remember Raimi's disasterous Spider-Man 3 with the three villains and how it was just too much, right?

This one had FIVE and even though not all had the same amount of screen time, you got enough of all of them so you didn't feel like they were afterthoughts.

It was cool watching the comparisons between universes. So very cool.

I expected to see some sort of ego pass through - but either I was fangirling too much or it just wasn't there.

This movie has it all (at least it seemed to): action, romance, laughter, drama... magic!

I had... Regular expectations going in. The result far exceeded it. My vote for best movie this year at this stage (still have The Matrix next week).

Some may complain that it does too much fan service, but I disagree. Sure, there are comments here and there, but this movie was it's own story.

I know there are rumors that this could be Holland's last turn as the web-slinger... and Tom is being cagey about it - I hope this isn't the case. In the article I linked, he says he'd like to see one of the more diverse iterations get their time in the spotlight. If this is the case, I hope he at least sticks around to usher them in

I also hope when you see it, you'll love it as much - if not more - than I did

But bring tissues. You are going to need them.

(NOTE: the usual mid- and post-credit scenes we've come to expect from the MCU)

− December 17, 2021 • more by Evie • log in or create an account to reply

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Matthew Preston: “It ruled.”

DO YOU SEE, LUCASFILM?! THIS IS HOW. YOU. DOIT!

− December 17, 2021 • more by Matthew • log in or create an account to reply

Evie Totty: *mic drop* − December 17, 2021 • more by Evie

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Scott Hardie: “It ruled.”

I loved it. This was a feast of action, jokes, emotion, and nostalgia. I saw a review headline that called it something like "a joyous explosion of creative possibilities," and you can feel the giddy thrill that must have gone through the writers' hearts whenever they realized that they could do something else awesome in this movie.

Honestly though, what I consider the most amazing about this Spider-Man is how disciplined it feels. Sony is, shall we say, not the most responsible shepherd of the IP, always rushing to cram ever more characters and spin-off opportunities into every picture, sometimes without planning ahead. Homecoming was an improvement, restraining the scope to the level of a teenager comedy that happened to have a superhero in it, but the more slapdash Far From Home and its blind-leap ending (there was no plan for what came next) threatened to undo the progress. Given the premise and the potential number of fan-favorite characters in this film, I dreaded another Sony clusterfuck. But this feels surprisingly careful, progressing patiently through its story so that each step makes sense, and spending time on each major character to make them feel essential instead of tossed in merely because they could be. It works hard to earn every single one of its emotions, and is all the better for it. I'm shocked now to read about the production of the film and to learn that some of the major cast members were added after filming began, and that the entire third act was rewritten shortly before filming it. The movie feels remarkably coherent and singular in vision despite apparently being thrown together as usual. That's an impressive feat for the filmmakers.

Some have criticized this for mostly abandoning the sweet teen-comedy notes that distinguished the series up until now, but I would argue that its grander story that takes over after the first act is worth spending all of that time on. This feels the most essentially "Spider-Man" of any Spider-Man movie. If you have any love for the character at all, this is a triumphant entertainment.

− December 23, 2021 • more by Scott • log in or create an account to reply

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