A Multiverse of Mess!
The most underwhelming Spider-Man film of the series. Too overhyped. Doesn’t live up to the expectations. After the impressive Far From Home one would definitely expect No Way Home to be a better film but it falls flat. The way Far From Home had ended including the post credit scene was fabulous to create enough excitement and curiosity for the next part. No Way Home fails to capitalize on that and instead of taking it a notch higher to the next level it just crashes down. There is hardly any excitement and curiosity for the next Spider-Man film due to obvious reasons. The film itself is a disappointment and the ending and the post credit scene doesn’t give anything that you can look forward to.
On a concept and idea level it’s all good. The writing and execution messes up everything. Glaring loopholes in the story. Logic going for a toss. It has to be the least engaging Spider-Man film. Frankly speaking while watching it I was looking for a way home. I was nowhere involved in the film. There is least connection with the film or any of the characters at all. The emotional connect was missing. It does connect in some parts then again you feel disconnected. All of the film was very cold. There is absolutely no sense in the progression of the narrative. The film doesn’t really excite you. It fails to make you feel anything. You are not really rooting for anything or anyone. You just watch it as a matter of fact while questioning the logic throughout, the Why and What part of everything that is unfolding on screen trying to make sense of all the mess and confusion. Even the few exciting moments don’t last, the film again becomes dull after that. It doesn’t really keep you involved. The film is good in parts but not as a whole. There are some moments that keep you interested. That’s it. The film lacks the conviction. Spider-Man/Peter Parker Tom version as a character is unnecessarily made very childish and amateur which doesn’t make any sense and is irritating. The portrayal of the character was much better in Far From Home. It looked cool. It doesn’t work in this film. It doesn’t suit the character. It would’ve been better if the character was developed to be a bit sensible and mature, a little grown up. It could’ve worked as a progression to the character from the previous film.
There is something really off about the treatment. It is not really a visual treat. This kind of treatment for a Spider-Man film looks off. The film is dimly lit. There is not much of vibrance to the visuals. Even after having all the elements the director wastes it badly. It all begins from bad writing. The elements that worked in Far From Home are also not utilized properly. Whatever worked in the previous film was brushed under the carpet to make way for the new stuff which didn’t make any sense. The dialogues are boring and a big let-down. Even the humour doesn’t work too well.
After getting three Spider-Mans and still not making it big enough is such a wasted opportunity. The other two Spider-Mans should’ve got their own superhero moments instead of just reducing them to supporting characters to the current Spider-Man since each of them had their own nostalgic value. The climax was confusing AF. I could hardly make out the difference between the two Spider-Mans. Only Tom Holland’s Spider-man stood out because of the difference in the suit. I think here it has got something to learn from Rohit Shetty’s copverse like what he has done with Sooryavanshi. How to get three characters from different universes and how to make it big and exciting? That is the only recent example I can think of after watching this disaster of three Spider-Mans.
The highlight of the film has to be Doctor Strange vs Spider-Man in the mirror dimension. That is only thing I can say was visually interesting. Another really exciting moment would be the entry of the other two Spider-Mans. That was a whistle moment for me.
Doctor Strange and Spider-Man coming together looks so interesting in the trailer when you watch the film even that proves to be a damp squib. How can I forget the villains. None of them is given a chance to make an impact. I think the only villain that strikes a chord is Dr. Otto Octavius. All the others are as boring as the film. Dr. Octavius holds your attention right from the moment he enters. The fight sequence on the bridge between him and Spider-Man is very engaging and fun to watch. It keeps you on the edge of your seat. I would say that it is one of the highlight moments of the film.
The production design is pretty average. The Statue of Liberty shown towards the climax looks completely fake and created. The background music is amateurly used to manipulate the audience which makes it hard to bear. The performances are good. I think the kind of talent put together is like a dream cast. Watching Toby Maguire as Spider-Man was so nostalgic. Zendaya is impressive. I like her. She has a beautiful screen presence. Tom Holland and Alfred Molina are also good.
The cinematography is good. The editing could’ve been better. The duration of the film could’ve been lesser. It could’ve been crisper. Some dialogues or conversations could’ve been edited. The pacing could’ve been better. Some parts were very quickly edited like the climax which results in confusion. Some parts were slow like the tiring conversations that fail to hold any interest.
If you are watching it in 3D it will be even more disappointing since there is nothing 3D like in the film. It’s as good as watching it in 2D. 3D is just a marketing tool here.
Overall I would say Spider-Man: No Way Home is a wasted opportunity. It could’ve been something phenomenal but at last it disappoints. I don’t think I am looking forward to another Spider-Man film after this. If you haven’t yet watched it you can surely give it a miss.
Recently I am having this feeling of getting bored of these Marvel films. Let’s see what the Doctor Strange and Black Panther sequels have to offer. Hopefully they should be worth it.
