Yeah, that's two consecutive theater viewings of Marvel Cinematic Universe movies. And sadly, I've had only a dozen theater viewings in the nearly 2.5 years since the last Spider-Man movie. But a friend had an extra ticket and invited me mere hours in advance, so how could I put this off?
The action begins right where Far from Home leaves off: Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal) has posthumously outed Peter Parker (Tom Holland) as Spider-Man -- and framed him for Mysterio's crimes and death. There is not enough evidence for a trial, but the public is divided on whom to believe. The bad publicity causes trouble for Peter's friend Ned (Jacob Batalon) and tentative girlfriend MJ (Zendaya) by association. Peter asks Dr. Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) to cast a widespread amnesia spell, but by belatedly requesting exceptions, he distracts Strange to the point that the spell becomes too dangerous and Strange traps the workings in a container -- too late for it to have no effect whatsoever. Not only will everyone remember, but people from alternate universes who know Spider-Man's identity cross over, including five villains from the first two Spider-Man silver-screen series: the Green Goblin (Willem Dafoe), Dr. Octopus (Alfred Molina), the Sandman (Thomas Haden Church), the Lizard (Rhys Ifans), and Electro (Jamie Foxx). Guess it would've been tough to fit the rest in.
Restraining the villains doesn't take as long as you'd think. The real question is what to do next. Strange insists on sending them back to their proper timelines ASAP, even knowing that some of them are on a path to getting killed there. Peter would rather attempt to neutralize them more peaceably first, whether that means depriving them of their powers altogether or simply cutting off the source of their apparent madness. (Unlike the Vulture or Mysterio, they all got corrupted by lab projects gone sour.) Indeed, even the nastiest of them doesn't seem irredeemable. But they don't always see eye to eye with Peter or each other, so you know there's going to be more fighting.
No, it isn't all up to the protagonist and Strange to take on five at once. MJ and Ned contribute in their own ways; Ned even learns to use one of Strange's magic tools. Eventually, the two prior Spider-Men (Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield) show up to help. Since they don't all have distinct names, that gets as awkward as it sounds, making this a contender for the funniest Spider-Man feature yet.
That doesn't preclude a poignant side amid the chaos. A major good guy dies, and the Peters see fit to help each other cope with grief without going too dark. The ending, while relatively conclusive for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, is not one of the happiest.
Obviously, this entry holds special appeal for those who are already familiar with a bunch of previous ones. But as someone who never saw Spider-Man 3 or The Amazing Spider-Man 2, I didn't feel lost with references to them. Maybe you could go in knowing next to nothing about Marvel and still have fun. Only once did my friend and I get particularly giddy at an unexpected appearance, however brief, and I think I'd better not tell.
After some deliberation, I've decided that this is my favorite Spider-Man flick to date. I do have a thing for the populous superhero epics, and while this is the third longest in the MCU, I welcome even slow, unimportant parts like when the Peters are killing time together. It doesn't hurt that this is probably the most we've seen of Dr. Strange since his titular debut, complete with awesome reality warping. (After the end credits, you'll find a preview for his sequel.) You might wait and watch at home to do your bladder a favor, but I recommend not skipping NWH indefinitely.
No comments:
Post a Comment