Rating (2.5 out of 5)

Summary: The introduction was way too long. Spider-Man (Tom Holland) and Dr. Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) create the whole problem, which is the premise for the movie. The least you could do is give me a real villain. Once the film passes the long, tedious setup, the pace slowly improves as we finally get some true villains. But even then, the movie drags while we talk about doing the right thing. We really don’t hit an entertaining stride until over an hour and a half into the movie, and we get the other two Spidermen.

At 2 1/2 hours, this movie is slow. It lacked the humor and spunk of the previous film until we get the other Spidermen. The banner between the 3 Spidermen was good, even though Tobey Maguire lacks charisma.

Here are other issues I have. One, Spiderman avoided the “with great power comes great responsibility” line. The lack of the classic line separated this series from the prior films. The disappointment when the line was rolled out was huge. Two, Every problem was of their own making. That probably was the most frustrating portion of the movie. The answer to saving the universe is killing Spiderman and Dr. Strange. Three, don’t telegraph everything. Ned using the sling-ring was telegraphed at least a 1/2 hour before it happened. Aaagh

Perhaps because I watched it home. Perhaps because I am tired of superhero films. Perhaps because I enjoyed the first film a lot. A lot of “perhaps.” “Spiderman: No Way Home” perhaps isn’t a great movie. Only watchable if you feel like you have to follow everything in the Marverlverse.

Plot: Peter Parker asks Dr. Strange for a favor, which turns into a multiverse problem, and villains and heroes alike are pulled into Peter’s world.