Hi Webheads
Took the daughter to see the latest Tom Holland/MCU Spiderman film and Wow.
This journey for me, started almost 20 years ago in 2002 when loading a disc from a PlayStation magazine onto my PlayStation. On it was a trailer for 2002 Spiderman film with Tobey Maguire and I was blown away. They made a realistic Spiderman swing and climb walls. By those days standards it looked awesome and still holds it's own against some recent films.
I loved the Tobey Magiure trilogy - yes even Spiderman 3. Then just as they were working on a forth film they shut production - I was gutted.
The Amazing Spiderman films came along with Andrew Garfield. I was luke warm to the first film but enjoyed Andrew Garfield as Spiderman. I really like Amazing Spiderman 2. Yet again the follow up was cancelled.
They then announced Tom Holland as the new new Spiderman in Civil War and again he is great in the role, although he has more help with Stark technology. Homecoming was fantastic but Far From Home didn't click with me as much until the bombshell ending of Mystero and J Jonah Jameson outing Peter Parker as Spiderman!
Spiderman - No Way Home - starts immediately afterwards as Spiderman F-bombs. He then swings himself and MJ to the relevant safety of Aunt Mays. His Aunt is oblivious to what's going on as she's breaking up with Happy Hogan.
Eventually when the media helicopters arrive they find out. Peter Parker and his friends and family are taken into custody and quizzed. Luckily this part isn't the main focal point but had a great cameo of Charlie Cox's Daredevil lawyer.
Peter being outed as Spiderman affects his family and friends life so much that him, MJ and Ned can't get into any colleges. This is too much so he hits on the idea of going to Dr Strange to make everyone forget he is Spiderman.
Dr Strange helps out starting the spell when Peter wants his Aunt, Ned etc to remember him but this corrupts the spell and Dr Strange puts the spell in a box.
After this with each entrance of an old school villain the crowd in the cinema went nuts. First up is Doc Ock still brilliantly played by Alfred Molina. He fights Spiderman until he realises it isn't his Spiderman. Green Goblin shows up on his glider as Doc Ock and Spiderman are sent through a portal to Dr Stranges basement where he has already captured Lizard from Amazing Spiderman 1.
Peter is given a magic update to his suit to capture the rest of the villains from other universes and he brings in Electro - Jamie Foxx, Sandman and Willem Dafoe who steals the show as one minute he is a vulnerable Norman Osborn and with a flick of his features becomes the evil Goblin.
Once captured Dr Strange is going to send them back to their respective universe where it is learned most will die at the hands of their Spiderman. Peter can't have this and having trapped Dr Strange in a mirror world sets out to cure the villains so they will go back and not be a threat.
This is going well with some funny banter between the villains. Doc Ock has a new inhibitor chip put on his neck so he controls the tentacles.
Then it all goes sideways as the Green Goblin don't want to go and encourages the others to join him so they all leave. There is a brutal fight with Green Goblin and Spiderman until Aunt May tries to cure him - but she is killed by Green Goblin! This was a heart wrenching scene as you saw her in all 3 Holland films. This is Holland's Uncle Ben moment which has him grow up.
The film goes to Ned and MJ who are waiting with the spell box. MJ wants to activate it to send the villains back. Ned wants to see Peter and accidentally opens a portal using a sling ring Peter took off Dr Strange.
The cinema went mad when in stepped another Spiderman and the mask came off to reveal Andrew Garfield.
After convincing MJ and Ned that he too is Peter Parker they try again. In comes Tobey Maguire. The cinema erupted again. It was great seeing them both onscreen and the banter and chemistry between all 3 Spidermen was great. A funny scene was when Andrew Garfield was grossed out over Tobey Maguire's Spiderman having organic web shooters from his wrist.
After having a talk with Tom Holland's Peter Parker and developing cures for the villains they trap them at the statue of Liberty for the final fight.
Overall - the best of the Tom Holland Spiderman films which has shown the true origin of Spiderman over 3 films instead of the first one. This is the one in which he matures and learns sadly that with great power comes great responsibility. By the end of the film it feels like the Tobey Maguire Spiderman where he is alone in his flat and making his own Spiderman suit which looked more comic accurate and hopefully the darker tone will continue in the next film.
Here's hoping Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield can either come back or get a new Sony Spiderman film. I would love to see an Amazing Spiderman 3 film.
This was a great film with 20 years of history and great performances all round.
Bels Score - 9.5/10 - half a point knocked off for film making her cry.
My Score - 10/10
