MOVIE REVIEW: SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME

 

With Spider-Man's identity now revealed, our friendly neighborhood web-slinger is unmasked and no longer able to separate his normal life as Peter Parker from the high stakes of being a superhero. When Peter asks for help from Doctor Strange, the stakes become even more dangerous, forcing him to discover what it truly means to be Spider-Man.

Director: Jon Watts

Cast: Tom Holland, Zendaya, Benedict Cumberbatch, Jacob Batalon, Jon Favreau, Jamie Foxx, Willem Dafoe, Alfred Molina, Benedict Wong, Tony Revolori, Marisa Tomei

Release Date: December 17, 2021

Genre: Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Sci-Fi

Rated PG-13 for sequences of action/violence, some language and brief suggestive comments

Runtime: 2h 28m

Review:

Spider-Man: No Way Home is a crowd pleasing trilogy capper for Tom Holland's run as the webslinger.  Jon Watts film is initially chaotic and contrived as he tries to set the table for the plot.  Once the film gets moving in earnest Watts and Holland start hitting that sweet spot with the latter bringing that youthful optimism and naivety to Parker that fits the character perfectly.  Plot threads from there on out become difficult to discuss without spoiling the fan service that's doled out in copious amounts in the film's last two acts.  There's a significant story at play in the background which deals with the characters legacy and future at the same time.  It's a hefty bit of character work and Tom Holland delivers one of his best performances in the role.  His turn here is more nuanced and layered than his previous takes and the film is the better for it.  Zendaya and Jacob Batalon return as Parker's girlfriend and best friend with the script not asking much from them other than playing it light and moving the story along as needed.  Jon Favreau and Marisa Tomei are in a same boat but Tomei does get a moment to really shine for the first time in this series.  Willem Dafoe, Jamie Foxx, Alfred Molina, Thomas Haden Church and Rhys Ifans return to the Spider-Man universe with varying degrees of effectiveness.  Molina who gets the most screen time early on does an impressive job of channeling his original performance.  Willem Dafoe is equally impressive bring back his Green Goblin and even builds on it as the story moves along which is sure to leave an impression.  On the opposite end of the spectrum is Jamie Foxx who decides to ham it up every time he's on screen to a distracting degree.  A minor hiccup considering the amount of effort employed to get all these characters on screen at once.  Spider-Man: No Way Home manages to balance all these story threads while zeroing in the character's heart in the finale.  That being said, it's not perfect since there's a tangible sense that the film could have been streamlined and trimmed by at least a half an hour.  It's also easy to forget that the kicking off point of the entire story is incredibly contrived and nonsensical.  Ultimately, long term fans probably won't care by the time the film ends since it ultimately delivers on multiple levels

B

MOVIE REVIEW: FROZEN 2

Elsa the Snow Queen and her sister Anna embark on an adventure far away from the kingdom of Arendelle. They are joined by friends, Kristoff, Olaf, and Sven.

Director: Jennifer Lee, Chris Buck

Cast: Idina Menzel, Kristen Bell, Jonathan Groff, Josh Gad, Ciarán Hinds, Sterling K. Brown, Evan Rachel Wood, Alfred Molina, Martha Plimpton, Jason Ritter, Rachel Matthews, Jeremy Sisto

Release Date: November 22, 2019

Genres: Animation, Adventure, Comedy

Rated PG for action/peril and some thematic elements

Runtime: 1h 43min

Review:

The original Frozen was a film I ignored as long as I possibly could.  Once I finally succumbed to the weight of its cultural impact and finally watched the film, I was left shrugging my shoulders.  The film itself is perfectly fine but it reminded me a lot of older Disney films which never really did much for me.  The songs were catchy enough to make the whole thing watchable.  The sequel has a very similar feel with a story that’s adequate if uninspired.  Honestly, the music is the center piece of this animated musical.  The songs are all solid enough but sadly none are nearly as memorable as “Let It Go” from the original.  As such, it’s easier to dissect the fairly routine story that doesn’t hold any sort of tension for anyone over the age of 10.  Pixar has raised the bar so high for children’s films that it’s almost quaint to run into a film that’s perfectly fine just catering to its core audience while leaving very little for the adults in the audience.  It’s a shame the story isn’t a bit more dense because the cast is all impressive with Idina Menzel and Kristen Bell carrying the film with great ease.  Josh Gad’s Olaf still fluctuates between amusing to annoying and his character is given a bigger role in this sequel.  Ultimately, this sequel checks all the boxes to keep the younger kids entertained but I doubt anyone will look back on this entry with sort of great fondness or affection. 

B-