Modern marvels
SURPRISING TWISTS FOR SPIDEY, A WEB OF LIES AND FUN ON FOUR BIG PAWS
SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME (M)
Director: Jon Watts (Spider-Man: Far From Home)
Starring: Tom Holland, Benedict Cumberbatch, Zendaya, Marisa Tomei, Jacob Batalon.
★★★★j
A web of secrets tangled from every angle
So here comes Spider-Man: No Way Home, the third solo Spidey outing for Tom Holland as that wide-eyed, world-saving webslinger Peter Parker.
Before you make your approach, heed the following advice: summon the best spoilerproof force field you can find, and stay inside there until you see No Way Home.
If you can do this, No Way Home will rock your multiverse on multiple fronts.
(And hey, once you have seen the movie, zip them lips and save your verbal fervour exclusively for others you know have seen it too.)
It cannot be emphasised enough: No Way Home is a great Spider-Man movie, and indeed, one of the finer Marvel-made movies of the past decade.
However, its capacity to fascinate, delight, intrigue, thrill and excite is irreversibly halved if someone unloads its full load of contents on you.
The ultra-arresting initial premise of the No Way Home plot was forged back at the dramatic conclusion of 2019’s Far from Home.
The whole world is now completely and utterly aware of Spider-Man’s true identity. Which means what little was normal about Peter Parker’s life has been shredded by the instant notoriety and public furore.
Not only has his beloved Aunt May (Marisa Tomei) been forced to flee her own house. Peter’s girlfriend MJ (Zendaya) and best bud Ned (Jacob Batalon) have had their futures ruined by their links to the now-maligned Spider-Man crime-fighting operation.
To try and rectify an everworsening situation, Peter pays a visit to his older, wiser Avengers compadre Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) in search of a one-spell-fits-all solution.
While the good doctor does have a mystic trick up his sleeves that stands a chance of wiping the world’s memory of an unmasked Spider-Man, it also unlocks a few doorways to alternate dimensions through which will step some familiar, yet highly unwelcome figures.
You think you already have a Ph.D. in all things Peter Parker and Spider-Man? A few shock twists and some sobering turns in No Way Home will have you questioning your credentials in the best possible way.
Performance-wise, Holland has never been better in the role of
Peter Parker. More importantly, No Way Home looks, sounds and feels exactly right in all the departments that truly matter to Marvel fans (particularly those bummed out by the needless noodling of the studio’s last release, the soporifically so-so Eternals).
Spider-Man: No Way Home is now showing in cinemas nationwide.
THE LOST DAUGHTER (M)
★★★★j
Now showing in selected cinemas; Netflix from December 31
As if there is not already enough evidence that Olivia Colman is one of the greatest performers at work today. Here comes yet another powerhouse display from the British Oscar-winner, playing a middle-aged academic having a miserable working holiday in the Greek Isles.
Colman’s character goes by the name of Leda, and it would be something of an understatement to peg her as the kind of person who does not suffer fools gladly. In fact, Leda seemingly lives to detest anyone and everyone in her eyeline – it is almost as if she loves the very act of hating someone – all of which makes her about as approachable as a grenade with the pin missing. Once it is time to go hunting for explanations as to how a person can become so bitter and twisted, Colman leads the audience on a devious and rather intimidating chase. You will be provided with clues, but you will also be deceived by what turn out to be outright lies.
A good place to start would be to pay particular attention to an incident where Leda helps reunite a worried mother (Dakota Johnson) with her missing child. Why does Leda hold on to the little girl’s doll? A subtly devastating psychological drama which marks a significant directorial debut for well-known actress Maggie Gyllenhaal. Co-stars Ed Harris, Peter Sarsgaard, Jessie Buckley.
CLIFFORD THE BIG RED DOG (G)
★★★jj
Opens December 30. Previews this weekend and next.
A genuinely lovely and endearing re-entry into the Clifford universe, wherein once again we learn what it might be like to own a small puppy that inexplicably grows up to become a 4-metre-high pooch.
In case you’ve never sampled the delights of the many Clifford books penned by the late Norman Bridwell, you should be made aware that caring for a giant, beetroot-red canine will always be a little bit stressful, moderately chaotic and a hell of a lot of fun. The hook to this new screen adaptation is that Cliffy is a very realistic-looking, specialeffects-generated hound who interacts very convincingly with his live-action surrounds.
Any child under eight will love this movie in a heartbeat. Parents assuming they will be bored rigid will be pleasantly surprised at how agreeable the whole spectacle can be. Stars Jack Whitehall, Darby Camp, John Cleese.