Tom Holland Calls SPIDER-MAN 3 "The Most Ambitious Standalone Superhero Movie Ever Made"

Tom Holland Calls SPIDER-MAN 3 "The Most Ambitious Standalone Superhero Movie Ever Made"

Though he didn't go into any specifics, Tom Holland did hint at big things ahead for the Wall-Crawler, referring to Spider-Man 3 as "the most ambitious standalone superhero movie ever made."

By MarkCassidy - Feb 04, 2021 09:02 AM EST
Filed Under: No Way Home

Tom Holland has gained a reputation for letting spoilers slip over the years, and while he managed to avoid dropping any major plot points during a new interview with Variety, he did give fans plenty to talk about by making a rather bold claim about Spider-Man 3.

While the Multi/Spider-Verse elements still haven't been confirmed, it definitely sounds like the Far From Home follow-up is going to take Spidey - and his solo franchise - to some exciting new places, and Holland has now backed that up by referring to the threequel as "the most ambitious standalone superhero movie ever made."

"You sit down, read the script, and see what they’re trying to do, and they’re succeeding," he added. "It’s really impressive. I’ve never seen a standalone superhero movie quite like it. And I’m just, you know, again, that lucky little shit who happens to be Spider-Man in it. We got a lot more shooting to do. We started before Christmas and shot for like seven weeks. We stopped for the Christmas break, and then we’re starting again. I’m just as excited as everyone else to see it, let alone be a part of it."

The still untitled Spider-Man 3 has been confirmed to feature Benedict Cumberbatch as Doctor Strange, Spider-Man 2 actor Alfred Molina as Doctor Octopus, and TASM 2's Jamie Foxx as Electro , which certainly suggests that we are heading into uncharted waters here.

Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield (among others) are expected to return as their respective takes on Spidey, but that's yet to be made official.

Let us know what you hope to see from the movie in the comments, and you can find out where Far From Home placed in our ranking of all previous Spider-Man movies below.

Simply click on the VIEW LIST (ONE PAGE) button below!

The Amazing Spider-Man 2

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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"

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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 there's potential there. Maybe we'll finally get to see Spider-Man, because Spider-Boy has run its course.
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MahN166A
MahN166A - 2/4/2021, 9:43 AM
We’ll see about that. Waiting for the next moment you use Stark Tech or have to mourn and lament Stark again.
mastakilla39
mastakilla39 - 2/4/2021, 10:41 AM
@satsuinojxa - Yeah I'm pretty sure the villain is going to be some random guy who was in the back in Iron Man 1-3 again. Marvel just doesn't want Spider-man villains unless they are rewritten to be formal Stark haters.

Watch the multi-verse open because someone wants to bring back Tony or wants to kill Tony themselves....
MahN166A
MahN166A - 2/4/2021, 1:40 PM
@mastakilla39 - I swear to god, if I see one more plot arch involving Tony Stark with these Spidey films, I am walking out of that COVID filled theater.
Or turning it off my TV.
I give props when props are due, but can we just move on already??

I already have a hard time accepting these MCU Spidey films since he doesn't know how to guard his secret identity properly but if you just make it about Stark, in every film.
I watched AoU a few days ago, and just, all these films revolve around Stark when it comes to these crossovers.
MosquitoFarmer
MosquitoFarmer - 2/4/2021, 9:43 AM
If it's following the events of Far From Home, it couldn't be standalone anymore than Captain America: Civil War is.
Nerdman3000
Nerdman3000 - 2/4/2021, 9:43 AM
Should we take that a confirmation that it’s Spider-Verse then? Can’t exactly get more ambitious than that.
DaHyro
DaHyro - 2/4/2021, 9:53 AM
@Nerdman3000 - Its happening. The same guy who reported that Tobey/Andrew/Kirsten/Emma are coming back is also the guy whose WandaVision leak was confirmed by last week’s leaked clips.

He also said DD is back!
Nightwing1015
Nightwing1015 - 2/4/2021, 9:58 AM
@DaHyro - If that is true, imagine all those Marvel insiders feel. They've been saying Feige will never bring those Netflix versions back and it looks like it's actually happening.
DaHyro
DaHyro - 2/4/2021, 10:11 AM
@Nightwing1015 - Just thinking about it gets me so excited.. we haven’t seen them in like 5 years within the MCU timeline. So much could be different.. Matt & Danny could have their suits, Luke & Jessica could be expecting, etc.
Tonic24k
Tonic24k - 2/4/2021, 10:21 AM
@DaHyro - We've technically never seen them in any MCU timeline. As much as I like Cox as DD and. Bernthal as Punisher, it's just not the MCU proper. I hope Feige establishes something soon tho so all this "is it/is it not" mess can be put to rest.
RegularPoochie
RegularPoochie - 2/4/2021, 11:33 AM
@Nightwing1015 - feige loved dd and punisher
Hulkh8liars
Hulkh8liars - 2/4/2021, 2:22 PM
@Tonic24k - fiege has only ever said that the marvel netflix shows(as well as the marvel shows from other networks) are mcu proper. Even that inhumans show happened in the mcu but it will be a tv show in the mcu
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