SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME

Tobey McGuire, Tom Holland, Andrew Garfield

SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME (2021). Director: Jon Watts.  

After the events of Spider-Man: Far From Home, the world now knows that Spider-Man and Peter Parker (Tom Holland) are one and the same. Peter goes to see Dr. Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), who casts a spell that will make the world forget this inconvenient fact, but Peter fiddles around too much -- there are some people whom he wants to remember his dual identity, such as close buddy Ned (Jacob Batalon) and his girlfriend, MJ (Zendaya) -- with the result that things go awry. Now other people who know the dual identity secret are popping up from other universes (the "multi-verse") -- Otto Octavius (Alfred Molina from Spider-Man 2), Electro (Jamie Foxx), the Lizard, the Sandman, and Norman Osborn (Willem Dafoe) -- and causing major problems. But Peter also gets help from other-dimensional Spider-Men ... 

Jamie Foxx as Electro

Actually the most interesting aspect of this production is that the two actors who played Spider-Man first (in big-screen movies, that is) -- Toby Maguire from the first three Spider-Man films and Andrew Garfield from the two subsequent Amazing Spider-Man films -- reprise their roles. It is also a plus for the film that Molina and Dafoe also reprise their roles, although Jamie Foxx is a rather disappointing new take on Electro. Although this was released by Columbia, it has the feel of a Disney film. There is way, way too much of Ned and MJ, who -- when you compare them to the original Ned Leeds and Mary Jane Watson -- are not terribly interesting characters. Of course this reboot of the franchise takes Peter Parker back to his high school days and reinvents everything, not always wisely. 

Alone: Tom Holland

There are some notable things about No Way Home -- some excellent FX work, good acting, a score that works on gullible emotions -- but the film is too long, there are dull stretches, there is only one fairly good sequence with Doc Ock attacking a bridge -- and not nearly enough suspense or excitement. Peter's actions are on occasion foolish. Apparently this writes finis to Holland's portrayal of the character as the contrived ending has everyone forgetting he ever existed (although apparently he will carry on as Spidey). It tries  hard to wrench out that pathos -- and the acting and the music help much in this regard -- but there's no real depth to it. 

Verdict: Although many Marvel-maniacs loved it, this is pretty much only for non-discriminating super-hero fans. **1/4. 

AQUAMAN

Jason Momoa and Amber Heard

AQUAMAN (2018). Director: James Wan. 

Arthur Curry (James Momoa) is the son of a human father (Temeura Morrison) and an Atlantean mother (Nicole Kidman). Having heard that his mother was executed because of her relationship with his father, Arthur wants little to do with Atlantis. But when his half-brother Orm (Patrick Wilson), also known as the Ocean Master, declares war on the surface world, Princess Mera (Amber Heard) importunes Arthur to fight to take the throne away from Orm. In the meantime Arthur, aka Aquaman, also has his hands full with a pirate who calls himself Black Manta (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II).

the city of Atlantis

Aquaman is based on a DC Comics character who has been around for decades. In the comic stories Orm was not a full-blooded Atlantean, but also a hybrid like Arthur -- they had the same father, not the same mother. The film uses the edgier, long-haired, full-bearded version of Aquaman, although I believe the character in the comics has gone back to his original appearance. (For more on Aquaman see The Silver Age of Comics and The Bronze Age of Comics Volume One.) Another change from comic to film is that Mera was not Atlantean but came from another dimension, although her ability to control water has not been altered. 

Patrick Wilson

There are a lot of things one could quibble about with Aquaman -- do we really need to see him sniffing his armpits when Mera suggests he smells bad? --  but the first thing one must say about it is that it is very visually compelling thanks to cinematographer Don Burgess and a host of special effects people. Atlantis is a striking kaleidoscope of color and energy. The fight sequences aboard a submarine in the prologue, a battle between Aquaman and Black Manta in Italy, and a struggle against nasty fanged and clawed monsters who emerge from an undersea trench to attack a boat, are all exciting and well-handled. The search for a trident that will help Aquaman in his battle against Orm takes place, oddly, not in the ocean, but in the Sahara, and his quest eventually takes him to an inner-earth prehistoric world that is borrowed from Edgar Rice Burrouighs' concept for Pellucidar. There are other interesting visual tidbits in the movie, such as Atlanteans who ride on trained sharks, and an octopus that uses its tentacles to beat on several drums at once. Charming!

Black Manta 

Jason Momoa makes an effective enough hero, although the guy should really work on his diction. Amber Heard is very pretty and competent as Mera. Dolph Lundgren and Willem Dafoe score as Atlanteans, Morrison makes a convincing Tom Curry, and Mateen and Michael Beach are fine as Manta and his father. (Manta blames Aquaman for his father's death in the prologue and will seek further revenge in the sequel.) But the show stopper in this is Patrick Wilson as Orm, who offers a fascinating portrait of a man who has understandable feelings of  jealousy and resentment, and the strength to carry out his negative schemes. Wilson makes more of an impression than the gargantuan sea serpent Karathan that shows up in all its glory at the climax. 

NOTE; Yes, I know this is not exactly a "B" movie, having cost about a zillion dollars to make, but this blog will also look at genre films of all kinds, decades, and budgets. 

Verdict: No masterpiece by any means, but good to look at, very colorful, and more entertaining than a lot of DC's movies. ***.