Spider-Man: No Way Home

In the context of the comic-book movies made so far, Spider-Man: No Way Home is a miraculous phenomenon. Unlike other superhero movies, it doesn’t conform to the dad ethos of aging fanboys, but instead exclusively targets millennials and younger viewers. What’s more, it even adopts their values and, on top of that, confronts them with the essentially evil and instructively corrosive black-and-white duality of older films. Like today’s (or any) younger generation, the Spider-Man of No Way Home is rashly hyperactive, naïve and idealistic. Besides its hypermedia nature and the motif of friendship, a more fundamental shift is manifested in the transformation of Spider-Man’s values and message. Though there is the inevitable facetiously adult proclamation “with great power comes great responsibility”, Holland’s Spider-Man does not have to give up his youthful view of the world within the coming-of-age story arc. Rather, his view permeates the whole film and underscores the central motif of its narrative, which is the effort not to fight the bad guys, but to find ways to help them. (08/01/2022)

I enjoyed the new Spider-Man movie at the cinema. I enjoyed the return of old friends, and I was equally happy that some characters, for whom I had practically expected no more than a cameo, were surprisingly given quite a lot of screen time. However, this movie beautifully mirrored Martin Scorsese's words about how the MCU really IS the equivalent of an amusement park. That is because this movie, for all its flashiness, has no more depth than an empty amusement park ride, with well-known characters popping up to get the viewers to react emotionally. While I am willing to go along for the unpretentious fan-service ride to a certain extent, I am not going to condone the trigger for the whole plot is that the two main "superheroes" act like the biggest idiots in the galaxy. This is something that no one gives a second thought to for the rest of the movie, and both characters barely show any self-reproach. Yes, I understand that the movie needed some sort of storyline; however, the whole thing (including the denouement) hinges on one screenwriting crutch after another. Plus, there is the lame prepubescent humor again, ha... ha... Again, I enjoyed it at the cinema, but "the nineteenth best movie of all time"? C'mon. (23/12/2021)

I didn't expect that the emotional wringer Avengers: Endgame gave me would be repeated – let alone that it would happen just two years later and out of the blue. This is not just a journey back home, but also a way to repay long-standing debts to loyal fans, whether it hurts or warms them the most. The first act is still a classic attraction of the pure MCU formula, a hyperactive arcade that some love and some hate. But once it gets serious and Doctor Strange enters the story, everything gets better, purer, and more epic. At a certain point, I became an emotional bundle of joy, thinking constantly the same thing in musical or dialog reminiscences. It's such a great feeling to be a part of this right now. A Christmas gift, the finale of a trilogy, a crossroads of the spider fandom, confirmation of Tom Holland's growing talent, and last but not least, a blockbuster that somehow manages to stand on its own. (20/12/2021)

There are very few movies I wouldn’t mind arriving late to so I could actually appreciate them. Spider-Man: No Way Home is really great, unfortunately it's only great after an hour, when everything starts to come together, kicks into high gear, and Jon Watts delivers not only fanservice and very solid action, but also very effective emotions. Everyone on the screen is enjoying it and they can rightly pat themselves on the back for making fantastic popcorn entertainment without getting lost in grand ambitions. But then there's that first hour, for which the screenwriters, the director, Tom Holland, and maybe everyone who could have prevented it from looking the way it does, deserve a good slap. Peter Parker in Holland's portrayal is still a kid, or rather a teenager. That's what the series is built on, I get it and actually enjoy it, but he was never an idiot. Here he is. Parker behaves like an irresponsible jerk, but it's no longer funny, playful, or entertaining. His incompetence and stupidity far exceed everything I'm willing to tolerate in an action blockbuster, and I set the bar really high. And actually, it ruined the whole movie for me to a large extent, because in all the following scenes I was thinking that it looks great, but I would actually be pleased if Parker got buried under a skyscraper, because I don't know if I want to cheer and root for such a dumb moron and a happy ending. Two hours after the end of the screening, I can honestly say that I belong to the satisfied ones. However, if I ever watch it again, I will definitely start from the halfway point. (15/12/2021)

Hectic, whiny, Spider Man soap opera. Or when you don't know what to do with the story, make a hodgepodge with time planes and multiverses, everything goes better afterwards because it can basically be about anything – and you have unlimited space for action set-pieces. I don't understand the enthusiastic reactions because it's a grueling 150 minutes. A fine return of friends and some tried and true bad guys, but in real time there's absolutely nothing going on. (27/03/2022)