Review: Spider-Man: No Way Home (UK Cert 12A)

 

After the events of Spider-Man: Far From Home, which ended with Mysterio outing Peter Parker as the web-slinging superhero, Peter's life has changed drastically. Desperate, he turns to Doctor Strange for help and a spell which will make people forget that Peter is Spider-Man. But when the enchantment goes awry, dangerous foes from other worlds appear, all looking for Spider-Man... but not this one... 

Before I begin this review proper, please be assured: there are no spoilers here. Yes, it's gonna make discussing the film as a whole a bit more difficult, but- frankly- anyone reading this who hasn't seen the film deserves to have the same experience in the cinema that I did. There are moments in the film which will have so much more impact if you don't know they are coming. I daresay, once all three of us have seen it, we might release a more spoiler-filled podcast but, for the moment, if it wasn't something revealed in the trailers or official pre-release publicity, you ain't gonna find me talking about it here. Also please respect the "no spoilers" policy that people may have - don't be that person. Thank you!

Director Jon Watts and screenwriters Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers deserve a great big pat on the back. This had the potential to be a bloated, self-referential mess. It's far from it. Yes, there's the occasional bit of fan-service, but nothing that would alienate a more casual viewer. Yes, it's a long film (nearly 2hrs 30m) but it never feels long. The script is well-paced and nothing feels superfluous. It manages to balance heart-racing action with heartwrenching emotion, with a healthy does of humour to counterbalance it all. 

Performance-wise, this is the strongest that Tom Holland, Zendaya, and Jacob Batalon have been. Holland still has that puppyish enthusiasm that has been the hallmark of his portrayal as Spidey, but here it's also tempered with a much more mature streak of dealing with rage and pain, and what it truly means to be a hero. There are moments where he'll break your heart, and moments where he'll make you feel exhilarated. Zendaya imbues MJ with more than just a level of snark, making the stakes for her relationship with Peter feel real. Finally, Batalon's Ned also becomes more than just a comic relief character, again showing a level of maturity and growth in the character. 

In support, Cumberbatch is great as the mentor-figure to Peter. Still haughty, still self-important, and still arrogant enough to think he can change the world, Strange decides to go against advice from Wong (a lovely cameo by Benedict Wong) and casts the spell anyway. Quick to abdicate himself of responsibility, he sends Peter on a mission to catch any interlopers from other dimensions. Cumberbatch has to deliver a great deal of expository dialogue (especially to do with the idea of "the multiverse") but it never feels like an infodump. 

In other supporting roles, Marisa Tomei and Jon Favreau continue to shine as Aunt May and Happy Hogan (who turns out to actually be called Harold), with Tomei's May providing a moral imperative for Peter in light of the multiversal villain situation. It's great to see J.K. Simmons reprise his role as blowhard newsie J. Jonah Jameson, who pops up almost like a warped Greek chorus, to give the right-wing opinion on Spider-Man's actions. 

Time to discuss the villains of the piece. In all honesty, and I've said this before, Alfred Molina's performance as Dr. Otto Octavius/Dr. Octopus in Spider-Man 2 is not only one of the main reasons why that film is so good, I'm gonna go further and say it's one of the strongest comic-book villain turns one film (don't @ me). So to anchor the multiversal villains with his turn is a canny move. And, considering he's reprising a role seventeen years later, Molina slips effortlessly back into the part. 

Jamie Foxx's performance as Max Dillon/Electro is miles better than the one he gave in The Amazing Spider-Man 2, and Willem Dafoe adds a steely menace as Norman Osborn/Green Goblin. Of the villains, Dafoe probably gets the meatiest role (in terms of character arc and development) and his unpredictable nature put me on the edge of my seat more than once. The action set-pieces are strong and unmuddied, even towards the end in the final big battle. There's an admirable lack of kinetic shakycam- which I greatly appreciate.

There's a lot, lot, lot more I want to say about the film. But I won't. Not yet. In conclusion, for me, this is the strongest of the three Sony/MCU Spider-Man films and a major contender for my film of the year. 

Rating: 5 out of 5

Tez

Review: Solo: A Star Wars Story (UK Cert 12A)

SPOILER WARNING! This review discusses and/or mentions a few important plot points. If you would prefer not to have these spoiled, please stop reading now and come back once you've seen the film.

And so we return to that galaxy far, far away for Solo: A Star Wars Story, an origin story for the titular roguish pilot. From his early days on the mean streets of the shipbuilding world of Corellia, to meeting up with his Wookiee co-pilot Chewbacca, we follow Han's life as we also find out exactly how he managed to do the Kessel Run in less than 12 parsecs and how he got control of the Millennium Falcon from Lando Calrissian. 

I should preface this review by saying that I personally don't consider myself to be a massive Star Wars fan. Watcher Rhys is, and his articles on the original trilogy and the prequels make for interesting and informed reading. I've seen them, enjoyed (most of) them, but that's where it starts and ends. I wouldn't go to a midnight screening, for instance. So, there's probably a lot in this film that goes right over my head. The reappearance of a character from the Star Wars prequels, for instance, will have more importance to others. For me, I just went 'oh, that's cool'. That said, I enjoyed the film a lot more than I had any right to, and a lot more than I expected to. 

To say this film had something of a challenging and chequered production would be like saying it's a bit nippy in Antarctica. Original directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller (The Lego Movie, Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs) were dismissed from the project after approximately six months into production due to 'creative differences' (ah, that old chestnut). With a vacancy in the director's chair, Oscar-winning director Ron Howard (Rush, A Beautiful Mind) took over to complete the film, although there are rumours of extensive re-shoots as well. So tonally, you could expect the film to be a bit of a mess. Stylistically different. Performances different. To be honest, with some films (I'm looking at you, Justice League) where two directorial styles clash, you can tell where the joins are. There's nothing that glaringly obvious in Solo, so if nothing else the editor can be commended for a bang-up job. 

There was concern in some quarters that the trailers and such didn't feature much of Han in them, and that was a sign that Alden Ehrenreich wasn't up to the task. Utter nonsense. Ehrenreich's performance is really good. Better than good, actually. He's not Harrison Ford (obviously) but it would be folly to try and emulate him. He brings his own energy and his own charm to the role. For me, he takes a while to really grow into the character, but even at the beginning when he's finding his feet, there's the occasional flash of the cocky swagger that Han needs. Following on from strong supporting roles in Blue Jasmine and Hail, Caesar!, Ehrenreich's star is definitely on the ascendant. 

There's a great turn by Woody Harrelson (following his dramatic and Oscar-nominated performance in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri) as Tobias Beckett, a mercenary and thief who acts as Han's mentor. For a man whose credo is 'assume everyone will betray you', there's at least a kind of grudging respect between Han and Beckett. Thandie Newton (Crash, Westworld) is great as Val, Beckett's partner, although I was disappointed not to have seen more of her. Jon Favreau (Chef, Spider-Man: Homecoming) gives a nice voice performance as the third member of Beckett's crew, the multi-limbed Rio Durant.

Emilia Clarke (Game Of Thrones, Terminator Genisys) plays Han's childhood friend and love interest Qi'ra. She does well with what she's given, but there are a few missed opportunities to flesh out her character; she's allied to the nominal bad guy with some hints that she's done 'terrible things' but that's never really explored. The nominal bad guy is Paul Bettany (Avengers: Infinity War) who plays the villainous Dryden Vos, to whom Beckett, Han, and the others are in debt to after an initial heist goes wrong. He's supercilious, slimy, but a bit stereotypically evil. 

Donald Glover (Atlanta, Community) was inspired casting to play the young Lando Calrissian. He's got the charisma and the magnetism that Billy Dee Williams has, and he exudes confidence. After Solo, I'd love to see a young Lando spin-off: Glover has the chops to pull it off. Phoebe Waller-Bridge (Fleabag, Goodbye Christopher Robin) gives a brilliant voice performance as L3-37, Lando's militant co-pilot robot, warm and amusing in equal measures.  

I have two main criticisms of the film: for certain sequences, the screen was really dark and it was difficult to tell what was going on. Couple that with a bit of nauseating shakycam and some bits were difficult to watch. The other was that the script- by Star Wars legend Lawrence Kasdan and his son Jonathan- doesn't always take chances to expand on characters and occasionally comes out with dialogue that's a bit clunky, a bit obvious or on-the-nose. 

All said though, these minor gripes didn't overshadow the rest of the film. A thoroughly enjoyable space opera romp. 

Rating: 4 out of 5


Tez

Film Review: CHEF

Jon Favreau the Director of Iron Man, Iron Man2 and Elf – comes a much smaller, personal story. Here the director takes the lead roll, in a film that is very much a labour of love.

The plot surrounds a 40 something Chef, Carl Casper. Who is divorced and has a young son – he lives in a small apartment while paying for the marital home. He works at a restaurant which has become uncreative for him, we quickly learn he has been cooking the same menu for the past ten years. Due to events that unfold (not wanting to spoil) he finds himself rebuilding his career from a food truck serving Cuban sandwiches.

What could have been a run of the mill Hollywood comedy without a soul becomes thankfully the opposite. The director makes sure that the characters and the story are at the focus here. A man lost in his life hit his stride ten years previous and now unknowing where, what or even why to bother with life.

The film is heart warming without being sicking, it is by far the best drama I have seen in years from an American film maker. The cast tells you about this director and the project – because these actors of there calibre are not doing this film for a pay check, the budget just isn’t there. The work is why this cast is here and it shows on screen. A supporting cast such as John Leguizamo, Scarlet Johansson, Oliver Platt, Robert Downey Jnr and Dustin Hoffman don’t just work on anything or even just work on it because there friends with the director (helps im sure).

The film will leave you smiling and satisfied with life and the film you’ve seen. What is so brilliantly written in this film is the Father Son relationship, perfectly written, paced and acted. Enjoy this – it will make you smile and also make you want to eat after viewing.

4 out of 5 - Rhys