The New Review - Spider-Man: No Way Home

Rights belong to Sony and Marvel

Spider-Man: No Way Home

Directed by Jon Watts

Starring Tom Holland, Zendaya, and Benedict Cumberbatch

Concept: Jon Watts is the first to complete an MCU Trilogy with this 3rd MCU Spider-Man movie. Set directly after the event of Far From Home, Peter needs to navigate the aftermath... while making a stupid decision that brings villains from past franchises to the MCU.

Execution

Here we go...

Cast: As I said, Tom Holland is back, Zendaya is back, Jacob Batalon is back... and Benedict Cumberbatch is along for the ride. And they each has significant character growth here. But we also get Willem DaFoe, Alfred Molina, Jamie Foxx, Thomas Haden Church, and Rhys Ifans back(with their respecting villains)... and it doesn't seen to be overwhelming. It is extremely balanced... and I don't get how. Worries me that I missed something, but I didn't. Packed tight, yet very balanced. Score: 20/20

Presentation: I've said this before: it is a Marvel movie. Great soundtrack mixed with stunning visuals. But... this movie had some scenes that had WAY too much going on, but you can still see all of particle effects and it looks beautiful. For me, it is most visually impressive MCM movie, above and beyond the typical Marvel/Disney movie. Score: 21/20

Chronicle: So, I'm going to compare it to Raimi's Spider-Man 3. I had an issue with Spider-Man 3. There were at least 3 MAIN plots going at once, and the movie couldn't focus. No Way Home has MUCH MORE GOING ON, yet they found a way to make it focus on ONE main plot, AND balance all of these villains. I told Bob(yes... that Bob) that it felt balanced. And that is one of the best compliments I could ever give a movie with all that they packed in. But not all is sunshine and roses. There is a plothole that carries with you... one the movie addresses, but never explains why it happens. And... not a spoiler, it's in the trailers. Supposedly, these villains came over due to the botched spell... and they are villains that knew Peter Parker is Spider-Man.....  except one of them didn't know: Electro. He never knew. So why was he there? The movie addresses that he didn't know, but it forgets to figure out why he was there if he didn't know. It is a glaring plothole, but Jamie Foxx is SO good, I can't dock too many points. But... it can't be ignored. Score: 25/30

Impact: Without spoiling the movie, it is definitive within the grand scheme of the MCM... AND for a Spider-Man movie. Reports of a SECOND MCM Spidey Trilogy, this movie ends one ENORMOUS arc, but sets up Spidey as we know him... Solitary and somber. Also... the 3rd largest opening weekend of all time, it is promising for the theater industry. You can't really argue with success... and considering how many chances we have had since the Covid pandemic, the theaters need a win. If you completely ignore the movie itself, the success it has so far...... it is VERY important. Score: 20/20

Extra Oomph: I highlighted this already, but I must touch on it again. The balance. But the balance goes much further than that. It balances how much Strange is involved, how the villains were used, the personal crisis that Peter Parker is having through the movie, the terrible choices he had to make, and balancing him stuck to Iron Man's legacy to him setting out on his own... and it didn't drop a single plate(the Electro thing is like dropping a glass). I went in and expected something HUGE to not fit in, and everything just be a mess(again, like Spidey 3), but it subverted my expectations. And what we got was beauty that was both cohesive and chaotic...... beautiful controlled chaos. Score: 10/10

Final Score: 96/100

FINAL GRADE: A!

Conclusion: I can forgive them for the plothole, because the story balanced how exciting the situation was with how depressing it was going to be. Many characters... but none of them felt like they weren't important to the story overall. Massively cohesive.

It's all a matter of opinion: I cannot stress enough that THIS is MY opinion, you can either agree with me or not. I don't have to justify my opinion, because *clears throat* that's what this blog is about. Whether I like it or not doesn't mean you have to or not...... I'ts just my justification behind MY recommendation... Which leads me to my FINAL JUDGMENT...

FINAL JUDGMENT: No Way Home is my favorite Spider-Man movie so far... and it is easily the best of this MCM Trilogy. If you haven't seen it, I recommend it. Not just recommend it once... watch it twice. And don't just do it for me... do it to help your local theater. But... yeah... do it because it IS an epic movie.

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There you go, readers... Spider-Man: No Way Home has gotten a 96! That is pretty damn good.

What did you all think about it? What could they have done better? What do you hope for the next Trilogy? Comment... share...

Until next time, don't forget...

The New Review - Dune(2021)

Copyright belongs to Warner Bros and Legendary Pictures

Dune

Directed By Denis Villeneuve

Starring Timothée Chalamet, Oscar Issac, Rebecca Ferguson, and many more

Concept: Frank Herbert's legendary novel that inspired decades of sci-fi epics, including Star Wars. Sci-fi mixed with geopolitical plots at the forefront of a Messiah story. Hollywood has struggled to get this movie made... and aside from one particular critically panned classic, this is the test to see if it can be done.

Execution

Here we go...

Cast: A LARGE cast. Chalamet, Issac, Ferguson, Stellan Skarsgård, Zendaya, Brolin, Momoa, and did I see a David Dastmalchian? AND a Javier Bardem? AND a Dave Bautista? Stacked. And no part seems small. Even the ones that COULD be small serve a purpose. But breakout performances from Timothée Chalamet and Oscar Issac...... Score: 20/20

Presentation: An Epic score you would expect from a sci-fi epic film. One or two off CGI moments, but I saw an homage to old school sci-fi with a paper maché explosion and practical effects mixed with beautiful CGI. And if you feel comfortable enough, watch this on the biggest screen you can. Because Denis uses ALL of the screen real estate he could. Score: 20/20

Chronicle: So, if you aren't aware... this is a part 1. One of the biggest issues I had with the original movie was how so much story was crammed into one movie. Sacrifices had to be made, like the nerfing of The Weirding Way. This one, however, showcases what Hollywood couldn't figure out... split it into 2 movies. Focusing on the Geopolitical portion of the story, it was built around the emergence of the heir to an empire he really doesn't feel ready for. Clever uses of premonition and foreshadowing, while making it a CHARACTER ATTRIBUTE. Even the short roles of certain characters, everyone has good to GREAT character development. Only the beginning. Score: 30/30

Impact: The Novel was the inspiration for MANY sci-fi franchises. And this movie is a masterclass on how to inspire many more. Hollywood has been afraid of making this into such an epic because of the plots and subplots throughout the first book... and well... the series of books overall. Denis Villeneuve did a WONDERFUL job at making Blade Runner 2049 as a vessel to bring Blade Runner to modern audiences...... and I TRUSTED him with making Dune as amazing as he could. And... not only did he not let me down, he exceeded my expectations. And it is an example of how if you believe in the material, you should take it... and run with it. So... not only do I hope Dune inspires more sci-fi franchises, I also hope other directors look at Hollywood's fear materials... and run with them(as much as I was okay with John Carter... I would LOVE someone else to take a stab at A Princess of Mars... I've even started a fancasting for it). Hopefully this(and subsequent part 2) inspire DECADES more sci-fi epics. Score: 20/20

Extra Oomph: So this one is gonna be a little spoilery, but not for this movie... for the trilogy as a whole, as compared to the original cult classic and the novels themselves. There are FIVE actors/roles I want to point out. They are Brolin/Gurney, Momoa/Idaho, Zendaya/Chari, Bautista/Rabban, and Skarsgård/The Baron. Brolin, Momoa, and Bautista... all feel a little typecast, each with only a small role this time around(at least 2 of them will get featured more going forward... up to you to figure out which 2), but each one serving a MAJOR purpose in the story regardless. And Denis did the same thing with Bautista in Blade Runner 2049. Then we look at The Baron... I thought that was Stellan Skarsgård, but I wasn't for sure the whole movie. And dammit...... I like that. And that leaves Zendaya. I credit my friend Bob for this one... because I saw it... and he put it into words. Chani isn't featured with solid lines until the end, but she was shown as the central figure in Paul's dreams/visions throughout the film(trailers spoiled that, sorry not sorry). And with that, she had MORE character development and was used in a much better way than she is as MJ in the MCU Spider-Man films. Denis Villeneuve's vision... but Zendaya's range. Zendaya has an Emmy already. I'm calling it... she will end up with an Oscar someday. And I'm ready to see what she does in Part 2. Thank you to Denis for bringing out MORE that potential in her. Score: 10/10

Final Score: 100/100

Final Grade: A++ or S-Class

Conclusion: Frank Herbert's legendary novel has been brought to life as it should be. Stunning. Emotional. Detail oriented. Fierce action met with rich storytelling that it NEVER lost hold of. Even the battles told stories(something that I feel Star Wars lost more times than not). Sci-fi Masterclass. Denis Villeneuve does it again.

It's all a matter of opinion: I cannot stress enough that THIS is MY opinion, you can either agree with me or not. I don't have to justify my opinion, because *clears throat" that's what this blog is about. Whether I like it or not doesn't mean you have to or not...... I'ts just my justification behind MY recommendation... Which leads me to my FINAL JUDGMENT...

FINAL JUDGMENT: I have some evaluating to do for where to put this movie in my top 10 of all time. That should tell how bad I want each of you to see...... no... how bad I want you to EXPERIENCE this movie. Come back and thank me later.

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Well there you go...... Dune get a 100!!!!!!!! A perfect score!!!

Full disclosure... this was going be a make/break movie. I was looking forward to it. I had very high expectations. But... I do try to be fair. Small oopsies would've been forgiven, but this one... was important to me. So if Denis Villeneuve would've screwed up ONE part in a major way, this score might've been drastically different. But I put my faith in Denis, and he did me proud... so much so, I say once he gets through this trilogy, give him A Princess of Mars... give him any other sci-fi novel and just let him go do his thing. This was VISIONARY! And it could've gone wrong in someone else's hands.

I think the delays for release due to Covid made it that much sweeter. Great things come for those who wait...... well... get me a part 2... now!

So what did you all think? Comment down below. Share the hell of this. And if you haven't seen it... go... do... so... as soon as possible. You won't regret it.

My movie of the year for 2021. What else could top it? Yeah... nothing.

Whether you watch it at home or in the theater, don't forget...