Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * * *
Cast: Tom Holland, Zendaya, Benedict Cumberbatch, Jacob Batalon, Marisa Tomei, J.K. Simmons, Jon Favreau, Jamie Foxx, Willem Dafoe, Alfred Molina, Benedict Wong, Tony Revolori, Andrew Garfield, Tobey Maguire, J.B. Smoove, Charlie Cox, Angourie Rice, Rhys Ifans, Thomas Hayden Church, Paula Newsome.
It is entirely reasonable to believe that somewhere in the great beyond, both Steve Ditko and Stan Lee are giving each a high five and drowning their own drink of choice in celebration of the release of Spider-Man: No Way Home. If there is no such thing as the afterlife, then we should create one just for these two visionaries, for in their pursuit of one of the all-time comic book heroes of them all, the legend of the Marvel Comic Universe and cinematic equivalent is taken to a new glorious height, one that many could not be matched when Avengers: End Game was proclaimed as the largest Box-Office success in modern times.
Homage, true respect and praise is one to be felt with caution, but as writers Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers not only took the bar and set it to a height that is phenomenally elevated, what the original artist and creator Steve Ditko would have thought had he been alive to witness the feat of writing and filming engineering would have hopefully been an expletive laden “Wow”.
It is almost impossible to avoid spoilers and previews now, the cave we might hibernate in to steer clear of the experience being lessened has been bulldozed down by constant drip feed information and the need to stir up hype. Spider- Man: No Way Home required no hype, its majesty is on the screen, the interlocking of Marvel and Sony’s Spiderman universe is one of exciting fantasy, of the fan’s most treasured memory, and the understanding that Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield are as loved and appreciated for their portrayal as the web-slinger as the current possessor of the character, Tom Holland.
Make no mistake, this film will not change your life in the same way that more contentious serious dramas will insist that they have done, Spider-Man: No Way Home is not Citizen Cane, it is not The Godfather, David Lean’s Great Expectations, it is not The Shawshank Redemption, J.F.K. or the impressive Brooklyn, it is however a dramatic slice of history, a large helping of pop culture, a reference to the fan and to the comic book industry as a whole, and to the words forever associated with the Friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man, that with great power, comes great responsibility; and is in that responsibility, that conscious effort to remain true and faithful, that the two studios, the sublime cast, including the terrific Alfred Molina, Willem Dafoe, the phenomenal J.K. Simmons, and Marisa Tomei, and all behind the scenes, have created a joyous, forceful, formidable, energetic film that will stand the test of time.
Spider-Man: No Way Home is nothing short of fantastic, imaginative, encompassing, vigorous, it is end of one terrific trilogy, and the open door to all that may now come. As Stan Lee would have proudly exclaimed, “Excelsior!”
Ian D. Hall