After the chaotic multiverse complexity of 2021’s Spider-Man: No Way Home — a score card was needed, to keep track of all the superheroes, super villains and spider guys from three different Earths — this one is a welcome relief.
 |
| Spider-Man (Tom Holland) and NYPD Detective Jean DeWolff (Liza Colón-Zayas) survey the wreckage after a massive tank truck rams into a government building occupied by the somewhat mysterious Department of Damage Control. |
The Chris McKenna/Erik Sommers script is much tighter, and better focused, than the previous films.
Fourth time’s the charm, I guess.
Back to some semblance of a normal life, Spider-Man has become New York City’s very public resident hero. He enjoys a good working relationship with the local police force, and frequently liaises with NYPD Detective Jean DeWolff (Liza Colón-Zayas, appropriately take-charge).
But he’s achingly lonely.
For reasons compelled by events in the prior film, the existence of Spidey’s civilian self, Peter Parker, has been wiped from everybody’s memory. That includes best friend Ned Leeds (Jacob Batalon) and former girlfriend MJ (Zendaya). Given that Peter’s beloved Aunt May (Marisa Tomei) also died during No Way Home, that leaves the poor guy even more isolated than usual.
Which, honestly, always has been the character’s most compelling feature. As originally conceived by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, back in the early 1960s, Peter was a nerdish bookworm and social outcast, which made him relatable to readers. (Back in those days, Superman and Batman never had social problems.)
Holland handles angst and loneliness quite well, and many of this film’s best moments occur when the guy is out of uniform. The yearning in Peter’s gaze, when he sees couples and groups enjoying each other, is palpable. And heartbreaking, because Peter still loves MJ, even though — in effect — she never has met him.
But somebody always needs saving, some local crisis averted, and some crooks need to be caught, so Spider-Man is kept busy. (I’m not sure how Peter puts food on the table, since there’s no indication of any sort of civilian job. Maybe Aunt May left him a lot of money?)
But full-time superhero work takes its toll. Enhanced abilities and high-tech Spider-Man suit notwithstanding, Peter is human. He’s battered and bruised all over, and he also isn’t as quick as he was, back in the day.
Events kick into gear when somebody hijacks a massive tank, which rampages through the city. Despite his best efforts, Spidey can’t stop it, and the tank ultimately crashes into a building occupied by the Department of Damage Control (DODC), a government entity formed a decade back to study super villains, in order to anticipate and better deal with them in the future.
It turns out the crash was something of a diversion. The driver recalls nothing of his actions, which were controlled by a nearby telepath who, once inside the building, is able to “body hop” from one person to the next, in order to facilitate the escape of captured super villain Mac Gargan, better known as The Scorpion (Michael Mando).
The obvious question is why.
When confronted, and somewhat unexpectedly, the telepath is unable to invade Peter’s mind. It escapes.
Peter arranges to meet Yelena Belova, the current Black Widow (Florence Pugh). This is an amusing scene, given that her “office” is a stone room dominated by a large wading pool, and she insists that visitors doff their duds and join her (the better to assure they have no weapons). Pugh has fun with Yelena’s Russian accent and slightly mocking sensuality.
She shares one intriguing piece of information: An unknown individual has been attacking various DODC facilities, searching for something dubbed “V-Max.” When Spidey later questions DODC Director Bill Metzger (Tramell Tillman) about this, the man looks blank and claims ignorance.
(Do we believe him? Hard to say...)
Unfortunately, Peter has a new problem. (Bear in mind that he got his hyper-agility and wall-crawling abilities after being bitten by a radioactive spider.) He wakens one morning with enhanced abilities and organic webs shooting from his wrists, rather than the web units attached to his suit. But his senses also are altered, and he has become reckless and prone to rage.
The reason? His body’s arachnid DNA has risen to a percentage now overwhelming his human DNA. Peter is enough of a bio-engineer to seek help from fellow scientist Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo), knowing that he developed an inhibitor device to suppress his dangerous alter ego as The Hulk.
But before Peter can get very far with this challenge, the telepath tracks him down and “attacks” by invading MJ’s mind. One taunting skirmish later, Peter realizes he must protect MJ ... which will be difficult, because she has no memory of her prior relationship with Spider-Man.
The telepath proves a formidable opponent, given its ability to “be” anybody, with no visible indication that said individual has been invaded. (Longtime Marvel fans will be quite surprised when the telepath’s actual identity is revealed; it’s an unexpected twist.)
This presents numerous opportunities for action-packed skirmishes that involve plenty of punch-ups, web-slinging and the destruction of considerable real estate.
But the film retains its heart during the quieter encounters with MJ. Zendaya persuasively handles these encounters, deftly navigating a shift from wary self-protection to curiosity, willingness to help, and ... perhaps something deeper.
Jon Bernthal is a hoot as Frank Castle, better known as the relentless mercenary The Punisher, whom Spidey regards — and relies on — as a reluctant colleague. Bernthal relishes Castle’s back-to-basics version of getting a job done; he regards Spidey’s virtuous morality as insufferably high and mighty, when putting a bullet into somebody would get the job done faster. And more permanently.
Ruffalo slides into his role of Bruce Banner like wearing a comfortable pair of shoes: no surprise, since he now has played the character many times. (Pugh’s Black Widow and Bernthal’s Punisher also are Marvel Cinematic Universe veterans.)
Happily, Batalon has minimized Ned’s fan-boy geekiness. Although still idolizing Spider-Man, it’s now more in the manner of a dedicated journalist. I’m also relieved by the fact that the Spider-Man suit’s built-in AI assistant, E.V. (voiced by Naomi Watts), is strictly business, as opposed to the insufferable “maternal” personality it displayed in 2017’s Spider-Man: Homecoming.
Director Destin Daniel Cretton and his editors — Nat Sanders, Gina Sansom and Harry Yoon — skillfully blend the tightly choreographed action scenes with the equally important character moments. That said, at 145 minutes, the film runs a bit too long.
As has become custom with MCU films, this one delivers a post-credits scene, but it ain’t worth waiting for. It doesn’t arrive until after the entire credits crawl, and it’s merely a fleeting glimpse of Ned’s “Spidey Tracker,” which offers a clue to Spider-Man’s next adventure.
No comments:
Post a Comment