Earlier tonight, the news that Alfred Molina will reprise the role of Doctor Octopus for Marvel Studios and Sony's third Spider-Man movie was confirmed, and we now have an update on those persistent rumors relating to a couple of former big-screen Spideys.
Collider's Jeff Sneider reports that The Amazing Spider-Man's Andrew Garfield will return as his take on Peter Parker, while Tobey Maguire is still in talks to reprise his interpretation of the iconic Marvel hero. That's not all, though, because Kirsten Dunst will be on hand as Mary Jane Watson, and Emma Stone is "expected" to step back into the role of Gwen Stacy.
Though it sounds like at least a couple of these potential returns have yet to be set in stone, this obviously confirms that Jon Watts' Far From Home follow-up will indeed introduce a Multiverse - or more accurately, Spider-Verse - to the MCU. Exactly how those elements and characters are integrated into the story remains to be seen, but it's unquestionably an exciting time to be a Spider-Man fan.
The still untitled Spider-Man 3 will also feature Benedict Cumberbatch as Doctor Strange and TASM 2's Jamie Foxx as Electro , along with returning cast members Zendaya, Jacob Batalon, Tony Revolori and Marisa Tomei.
Be sure to share your thoughts on this massive news in the usual place, and you can check out our ranking of all previous Spider-Man movie by clicking the "next" button.
Simply click on the VIEW LIST (ONE PAGE) button below!
The Amazing Spider-Man 2
Marc Webb's
TASM sequel really is a mess. While the first movie definitely has its share of problems, the follow-up basically took all of the elements that didn't work - annoying, "cool" Peter, overstuffed plot, awful villains - and amplified them.
To be fair, leads Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone do their best with the material and Gwen's demise is well handled, but by that point we've already sat through over 2 hours of increasing silliness, cliched romance and Jamie Fox's Electro.
Spider-Man 3
Many of you were probably expecting this to take worst place, but Sam Raimi's
Spider-Man 3 is not
quite as bad as its reputation suggests.
Sure, it's tonally all over the place Topher Grace's Venom is... not very good, but Kirsten Dunst gives arguably her best performance of the trilogy as MJ, and there are some well executed action sequences.
Then there's the dancing. Okay, there's no defending the dancing.
The Amazing Spider-Man
Sony and Marc Webb's first
Spider-Man reboot is technically a well made film and Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone make for likable enough leads, but it's basically a complete rehash of Raimi's first movie - and it falls way short.
Peter Parker being re-imagined as a cool skateboarder kid would have been forgivable if the script took a few chances and skipped over the origin story, but at the end of the day it's a copy-and-paste job with a subplot involving Peter's parents that goes nowhere, and a truly horrendous looking villain.
Not
bad, but not quite good enough to justify its existence.
Spider-Man: Far From Home
I know I'm going to be in the minority on this one, but I thought
Far From Home was just okay, and I left the theater quite disappointed. It's a fun movie for the most part and Tom Holland once again does a stellar job as Peter Parker, but I was never fully engaged with the story.
It's basically a high-school romance with some superhero stuff thrown in, and that's fine... to an extent. A couple of scenes with Peter and MJ awkwardly flirting is endearing, but it soon becomes a little tedious - even if the actors do have strong chemistry.
Unfortunately, the action sequences are also very repetitive with continuous shots of Spidey swinging around giant CGI monsters as they destroy a few buildings. We're told that these Elementals represent a major threat to the world, but that never comes across and the movie, in general, lacks bite. The final set piece is undeniably impressive, however.
Perhaps my biggest gripe with the film is that it feels like a step backwards for Spider-Man. Or a step to the side, at least. After having fought alongside The Avengers, stopped The Vulture and helped defeat Thanos and reverse The Snap (sorry, "The Blip"), this movie takes a still ridiculously inept Parker right back to the beginning and basically repeats his
Homecoming arc to the letter.
I'm a big Spider-Man fan, I guess I've just had enough of Spider-Boy at this stage.
Spider-Man: Homecoming
This second reboot fully integrated
Spider-Man into The MCU, taking the character back to basics for a light-hearted, John Hughes-inspired high-school adventure that doesn't quite reach the heights of Raimi's first two films, but comes pretty damn close.
Tom Holland is terrific as a younger take on Peter Parker, and he's bolstered by a strong supporting cast that includes Zendaya, Maria Tomei and Michael Keaton. Robert Downey Jr's extended cameo as Tony Stark came in for some backlash, but there's no denying that his presence gives this latest Spidey flick a much-needed injection of originality - as does the decision to dispense with Peter's origin story.
A
little more edge wouldn't have been unwelcome, however.
Spider-Man
X-Men is widely credited with rejuvenating the CBM genre, but the success of Sam Raimi's
Spider-Man most definitely ensured its longevity.
The
Evil Dead director brings all of the requisite blockbuster thrills while maintaining some of the pulpy charm of his earlier films to deliver what is widely considered to be one of the best comic book adaptations of all time.
There are a few issues (as great as Willem Dafoe is, that Green Goblin suit just does not work), but for the most part,
Spider-Man is about as great a big-screen debut for Marvel's web-slinging hero as one could have hoped for.
Spider-Man 2
What can be said about Raimi's Spidey sequel that hasn't been already? Some still believe the original to be superior, but for me
Spider-Man 2 is smarter, funnier, more emotional, more exciting and features more nuanced performances from Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst.
Alfred Molina also makes for a terrific Doc Ock, and is involved in two of the movies standout sequences: the deliriously dark operating table massacre, and that train fight people tend to bring up once in a while.
Flaws? Well, Maguire does pull that weird face while stopping the train...
Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse
When I first saw Sony's superb
Into The Spider-Verse I placed it below
Spider-Man 2 in my rankings, but after a second watch it just edges it out as the best Spidey flick yet.
This first big-screen outing for Miles Morales is not only a hugely entertaining and stunningly animated adventure, but it plays with the usual tropes associated with comic book movies in some surprising ways, and even succeeds in breathing new life into the well-worn superhero origin story. It's so damn good that any gripes I may have (okay, so it could have used a better villain) seem like minor, almost insignificant nitpicks.
Spectacular, amazing, astonishing - whatever Spidey-related adjective you choose, it'll fit.
Continue Reading For 9 Reasons Why Far From Home May Be The Most Overrated Spidey Movie Yet - SPOILERS Ahead
"The Blip"
As the movie begins we learn that The Decimation wrought by Thanos in
Infinity War before being rectified by The Hulk in
Endgame is actually known as "The Blip," and it's treated almost as a throwaway joke with very little thought put into the implications of this world-altering event.
During a high-school "in memorium" for the fallen heroes, we learn that everyone that ceased to exist after The Snap simply returned to the exact spot they were in 5 years later. So, if someone was on a busy highway or a plane when they vanished, for example, bad luck?
Probably should have spent a bit more time on this one, guys.
The High School Stuff
Far From Home is basically a high-school romance with some superhero stuff thrown in, and that's fine... to an extent. A couple of scenes with Peter and MJ awkwardly flirting while stammering through their dialogue is endearing, but it soon becomes a little tedious - even if the actors do have strong chemistry.
We also spend far too much time with Parker's classmates, most of whom are either mildly irritating or full blown assholes. Again, none of this would be a problem if it was kept to a minimum, but it takes up almost the entire first act of the movie and even when the main plot kicks in we return to the clownery far too often.
It'd also be a lot easier to handle if these scenes were funny, but...
The Humor
There are a few laughs to be hand in
Far From Home, but most of the humor is of the obvious/juvenile variety, and the majority of the gags are more likely to result in eye-rolls than guffaws.
Anyone expecting a few trademark Spidey wise-cracks or quips is also going to be disappointed, because the Webhead spends pretty much every battle sequence completely out of his depth or screaming for help.
Spider-Man is Still Useless
Yes,
Far From Home is supposed to take Spidey out of his comfort zone and present him with formidable new challenges to overcome, but are we seriously expected to believe that after everything he's been through in the previous movies, he is still pretty much inept on every level?
Parker spends most of the movie either getting wiped out by The Elementals, standing around looking helpless, or banging his head on a church bell... twice. Plus, the first thing he does with Tony's E.D.I.T.H. tech is almost kill one of his classmates in an attempt to erase a photo from his phone
We get it: he's a teenager - but he's supposed to be 16, not 6.
The Action Scenes
While the final set piece with Spidey using his "Peter Tingle" to take out Mysterio's drones is undeniably impressive, most of the earlier action sequences are pretty forgettable.
They basically consist of continuous shots of The Wall-Crawler swinging around giant CGI monsters as they destroy a few buildings and conveniently manage to avoid causing any obvious casualties.
We're told that these Elementals (who are truly awful villains, incidentally) represent a major threat to the world, but that never really comes across, and watching mindless, man-shaped water splashing things soon becomes very repetitive.
The Twist
Jake Gyllenhaal does a fine job as Mysterio, but the big twist involving his character falls completely flat.
Putting aside the fact that even casual comic book fans will already be aware that Quentin Beck is a villain, it's pretty obvious that he's hiding something, and with no main antagonist to speak of (unless you count CGI fire and water) it's really not too hard to see his betrayal coming.
Plus, the big reveal is that Beck is yet
another disgruntled Tony Stark employee who wants to get back at his boss for misusing his tech. Could've sworn this was a Spider-Man movie...
No Multiverse
Unfortunately, this means that everything about Beck is fake - including The Multiverse.
The reveal in the trailers that The Multiverse now existed in the MCU after the events of
Endgame was one of the things fans were most excited about going into
Far From Home, and it turns out to be nothing more than another one of Mysterio's lies.
There's always a chance alternate universes will eventually come into play, but would they really establish something Beck clearly made up on a whim as canon? Either way, this was a big disappointment.
The Post-Credits Scene
After an awesome mid-credits scene which reintroduces J.K. Simmons as J.J. Jameson, we get a sequence involving Nick Fury and Maria Hill turning into Talos and his wife from
Captain Marvel.
It turns out the Skrulls have been posing as Fury and Hill for the entire movie while the real former S.H.I.E.L.D. Director relaxes on their ship. Amusing? Sure... but it completely negates everything that happened with these characters throughout the film, and the dynamic that was established between Fury and Parker.
How much do you want to bet this will be completely ignored moving forward, anyway?
It Feels Like A Step Backwards
Perhaps the biggest problem with the film is that it feels like a step backwards for Spider-Man. Or a step to the side, at least.
After having fought alongside The Avengers, stopped The Vulture and helped defeat Thanos and reverse The Snap (sorry, "The Blip"), this movie takes a still largely amateur Parker right back to the beginning and basically repeats his
Homecoming arc to the letter.
Sure, he eventually steps up, accepts his responsibilities (glad you realized that kiss could wait Pete... it's only the fate of the [frick]ing world at stake!) and stops Mysterio, but didn't we already see this progression in his first solo adventure?
The ending of
FFH does suggest that we're going to get something a little different in the next movie, so that's something. Maybe we'll finally get to see Spider-Man, because Spider-Boy has run its course.