Spider-Man No Way Home: The Daily Star's (mostly) spoiler-free review

All the rumours are true. There is a new Spider-Man movie out.

Going into this third Marvel/Sony collaboration centred around Tom Holland’s web-slinger without having heard at least some speculation about the multiversal hijinks involved has been well-nigh impossible.

But rest assured: even if you’ve been aboard the hype train for the whole ride there are still a couple of surprises in store.

And they’re both Amazing and Spectacular.

We’ll try to keep spoilers to a minimum in this review but some details are impossible to ignore.

We open at almost the moment that Far From Home ended, with J Jonah Jameson telling the world that Peter Parker is Spider-Man – and accusing him of Quentin Beck’s murder.

Accomplices of Beck, better known as Mysterio, set up deep-fake “evidence” of the murder and sent it to Jameson – JK Simmons reprising a version of the role he first played in Sam Raimi’s 2002 Spider-Man.

From there the plot rattles along like a runaway train – with Peter’s personal life unravelling due to the revelations.

Aunt May (Marisa Tomei) and Peter’s close friends Ned and MJ are arrested but “a very good lawyer” soon has them back on the street.

You’ll only know who that lawyer is if you watched the ill-fated Netflix Marvel miniseries Daredevil, but don’t worry if you haven’t – along with many other little details and easter eggs in this film, you’ll be alerted to them by the rest of the audience going completely nuts when they happen.

And they happen a lot. From here we edge into mild spoiler territory, but most of these details have been floating around the internet for months so they’re unlikely to be a total surprise.

The story is unfolding just after Halloween, and the sight of a spooky decoration inspires Peter to ask Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) if he can “turn back time” and make everyone forget that Spider-Man’s secret identity isn’t a secret any more.

Of course the plan goes wrong, because heroes getting things wrong is what creates at least half the drama in the MCU. Instead of Peter getting his private life back, an array of former Spider-Man foes from alternate universes are dragged into the MCU.

We see Doctor Octopus (Alfred Molina) Green Goblin (Willem Dafoe) and Electro (Jamie Foxx). There are also glimpses of Rhys Ifans as The Lizard and Thomas Haden Church as The Sandman but for the most part their on-screen presence is handled by CGI.

Electro gets a new, much cooler makeover but The Lizard’s dodgy CGI look is faithfully reproduced from Spider-Man 3.

Learning that simply sending them back where they came from will lead to their deaths opens up a rift between Strange, who is perfectly comfortable with that, and Spidey, who takes a more humane approach.

The heroes part on bad terms, and Peter – along with girlfriend MJ (Zendaya) and “guy in the chair” Ned (Jacob Batalon) – tries to put things right.

Tragedy ensues. But with Peter at his lowest ebb, a chance discovery by Ned brings two other characters into the story: two other Spider-Men.

To the massed cheers of the cinema audience, Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire reprise their appearances from Sony’s two previous Spidey franchises, and together the trio of web-slingers take on the Sinister…Five?

It wouldn’t be a modern comic book movie without a massive, sometimes slightly confusing, CGI-laden battle royale at the climax.

Even during this massive scrap, though, there are still plenty of gags. This, more than any previous Marvel entry, is a very funny movie.

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But the end is somewhat downbeat. Peter gets his “It’s A Wonderful Life” wish and the movie leaves him moving into an uncertain future.

There has been some talk of this being Holland’s final turn in the red-and-blue suit, but pandemic notwithstanding this film is likely to be a colossal smash and both Marvel and Sony are sure to be tipping wheelbarrows full of cash on his doorstep until he agrees to make some more.

Be sure to stay to the very end of this movie. As well as an after-credits sting involving another Sony Spider-Verse character, there’s an extended teaser for the next Doctor Strange movie – Multiverse of Madness – just before the lights come up.

This is a great, very funny superhero flick with a lot of heart. You’ll want to see it in a cinema, if only to have the reactions of the audience flag up the references you missed.

Then again, you’ll probably want to catch it on streaming to so you can rewind all the crazy little details and watch them again.

Either way, see it. It’s Amazing. And Spectacular.

Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk