Sunday Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Tangled web
SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME
Cert 12A ★★★★ In cinemas now
If you think the Marvel Cinematic Universe has expanded far enough already, you’re probably not one of the record number of people who bought pre-release tickets for Tom Holland’s third solo Spider-Man movie.
Here, the webslinger ushers in another raft of characters by accidentally cracking open the “multiverse”. This means that not only is he swinging through the interconnected narratives of the Avengers movies but he’s also tied to the plots of the five previously unconnected Spider-Man movies that starred Tobey Maguire and
Andrew Garfield. Thankfully, it’s not nearly as baffling it sounds.
Only those with sharp memories and large comic book collections will get all the in-jokes and call-backs but director Jon Watts keeps the action zippy, the dialogue snappy, and anchors the drama to its emotional core.
Helpfully, the film begins with a brief recap of Spider-Man being unmasked at the end of the previous film.
Desperate to protect his friends and family, Peter Parker persuades Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), the weirdest Avenger, to cast a spell to make everyone forget he’s Spider-Man. But the magic goes awry, summoning everyone who knew his identity from every other dimension or Spider-Man movie.
The theme here is second chances, not just for Parker but for his many adversaries, some of whom work far better as minor characters.
Cleverly, Watts gives Willem Dafoe the most screen time as the Green Goblin, a villain with the spark that was sorely absent from Jamie Foxx’s power-mad Electro or Rhys’ Ifans’ angry CGI lizard.
Crucially, Watts clearly knows what powers the best Spider-Man movies – a homespun hero whose good intentions are often overturned by his youthful enthusiasm. Holland swings high but he’s still refreshingly down-to-earth.
He is swinging through interconnected narratives of the Avengers movies