Tom Holland recently admitted he’s been having a pre-midlife crisis and may give up acting. If that’s the case, it would be a crying shame.
His new film, Spider-Man: No Way Home, is easily his best outing as Marvel’s web-slinger since he first arrived in Captain America: Civil War.
While he returned to help his fellow superheroes defeat the purple-headed, planet-crusher Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, he was one of many.
In his first two solo outings, 2017’s Spider-Man: Homecoming and Spider-Man: Far From Home, the adventures were fun but felt like they were building to something more significant.
No Way Home is exactly that.
The third Spidey movie to be directed by Jon Watts, it embraces the multiverse which, if you saw 2018 animated film, Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse, you’ll be familiar with – a world of infinite possibilities and parallel universes.
No Way Home takes that idea and runs – or should that be swings? – with it.
It picks up directly after its predecessor, when Jake Gyllenhaal’s Mysterio revealed Spider-Man’s real identity: high school pupil Peter Parker.
His anonymity blown, Parker suddenly becomes “the most famous person in the entire world”, which might sound like fun but is anything but.
Lambasted by The Daily Bugle news site as a troublemaker, Parker’s exposure sees not only his life turned upside down, but that of his friends, girlfriend MJ (Zendaya) and best mate Ned (Jacob Batalon).
Their applications to study at MIT are all turned down because of the controversy, with many believing Parker was responsible for the death of Mysterio.
In desperation, he turns to Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), the Sorcerer Supreme who joined Spider-Man and the rest of the Avengers in the battle against Thanos.
By comparison, Peter’s request is simple. He wants an incantation to ensure everyone forgets that he’s Spider-Man.
But just as Strange is conjuring the spell, Peter starts making requests, so that MJ, Ned and his Aunt May (Marisa Tomei) will still know who he is.
Messing with the good Doctor’s magic is not advisable, and before he knows what is happening, there is a villain from an alternate dimension attacking him on a New York bridge wedged full of traffic.
The filmmakers requested no spoilers are revealed, so it might be easier to cease the synopsis here.
But while the trailer shows that this bridge-bashing foe is Doctor Otto Octavius (Alfred Molina) – aka Doc Ock, who appeared in 2004’s Spider-Man 2 – suffice it to say, he’s not the only returning character from earlier iterations of your friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man.
All can be found on the internet if you look – this plot has not exactly been a closely guarded secret – but where’s the fun in that?
The script, by Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers, is an absolute riot, with myriad nods back to films that came outside the MCU but very much inside the Spider-Verse.
You’ll also find references to everything from Star Wars Lego to a certain classic Hanna-Barbera cartoon.
The writing is frequently funny, mining humour from the absolute chaos and confusion of characters colliding in this way.
Of course, any film that makes callbacks to previous generations could be accused of stunt-storytelling, but this a film that comes deeply embedded in the MCU.
As any fan will know, Marvel’s tapestry of stories is interwoven tighter than one of Spidey’s webs.
No Way Home feeds into the coming Doctor Strange sequel (the title Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is a bit of a giveaway there. That it’s directed by Sam Raimi, who helmed the first three Spider-Man movies, starring Tobey Maguire, is also intriguing).
Yet No Way Home is more than just a gateway to another Marvel movie.
Holland’s performance is his most mature to date, as he realises he needs to sacrifice everything that’s dear to him to save the universe from fracturing.
That oft-quoted chestnut “with great power comes great responsibility” gets trotted out, but it’s more than just a slogan here, as Peter Parker tries to find the good in everyone.
Spider-Man: No Way Home
Director: Jon Watts
Stars: Tom Holland, Zendaya, Jacob Batalon
Rating:*****
The visual effects are utterly splendid, notably the de-ageing techniques that have been used on Molina and others, far outstripping the work that was done on Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman just two years back.
A kaleidoscopic trip into the multiverse is also dazzling, with Watts and his supreme team of VFX wizards – every bit as magical as Doctor Strange – pulling off some truly wondrous tricks of their own.
As is customary now with Marvel, the film finishes with two post-credit stings – both of which feel like essential viewing as the Spider-Verse throws its web ever wider.
In a year of Dune, No Time to Die and Venom: Let there be Carnage, No Way Home might just have trumped them all. It’s this season’s blockbuster to beat.
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
Surianah's top five jazz artists
Billie Holliday: for the burn and also the way she told stories.
Thelonius Monk: for his earnestness.
Duke Ellington: for his edge and spirituality.
Louis Armstrong: his legacy is undeniable. He is considered as one of the most revolutionary and influential musicians.
Terence Blanchard: very political - a lot of jazz musicians are making protest music right now.
What sanctions would be reimposed?
Under ‘snapback’, measures imposed on Iran by the UN Security Council in six resolutions would be restored, including:
- An arms embargo
- A ban on uranium enrichment and reprocessing
- A ban on launches and other activities with ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, as well as ballistic missile technology transfer and technical assistance
- A targeted global asset freeze and travel ban on Iranian individuals and entities
- Authorisation for countries to inspect Iran Air Cargo and Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines cargoes for banned goods
IPL 2018 FINAL
Sunrisers Hyderabad 178-6 (20 ovs)
Chennai Super Kings 181-2 (18.3 ovs)
Chennai win by eight wickets
Company%20profile
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The Buckingham Murders
Starring: Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ash Tandon, Prabhleen Sandhu
Director: Hansal Mehta
Rating: 4 / 5
War 2
Director: Ayan Mukerji
Stars: Hrithik Roshan, NTR, Kiara Advani, Ashutosh Rana
Rating: 2/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
EPL's youngest
- Ethan Nwaneri (Arsenal)
15 years, 181 days old
- Max Dowman (Arsenal)
15 years, 235 days old
- Jeremy Monga (Leicester)
15 years, 271 days old
- Harvey Elliott (Fulham)
16 years, 30 days old
- Matthew Briggs (Fulham)
16 years, 68 days old
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Company profile
Date started: December 24, 2018
Founders: Omer Gurel, chief executive and co-founder and Edebali Sener, co-founder and chief technology officer
Based: Dubai Media City
Number of employees: 42 (34 in Dubai and a tech team of eight in Ankara, Turkey)
Sector: ConsumerTech and FinTech
Cashflow: Almost $1 million a year
Funding: Series A funding of $2.5m with Series B plans for May 2020
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
Salah in numbers
€39 million: Liverpool agreed a fee, including add-ons, in the region of €39m (nearly Dh176m) to sign Salah from Roma last year. The exchange rate at the time meant that cost the Reds £34.3m - a bargain given his performances since.
13: The 25-year-old player was not a complete stranger to the Premier League when he arrived at Liverpool this summer. However, during his previous stint at Chelsea, he made just 13 Premier League appearances, seven of which were off the bench, and scored only twice.
57: It was in the 57th minute of his Liverpool bow when Salah opened his account for the Reds in the 3-3 draw with Watford back in August. The Egyptian prodded the ball over the line from close range after latching onto Roberto Firmino's attempted lob.
7: Salah's best scoring streak of the season occurred between an FA Cup tie against West Brom on January 27 and a Premier League win over Newcastle on March 3. He scored for seven games running in all competitions and struck twice against Tottenham.
3: This season Salah became the first player in Premier League history to win the player of the month award three times during a term. He was voted as the division's best player in November, February and March.
40: Salah joined Roger Hunt and Ian Rush as the only players in Liverpool's history to have scored 40 times in a single season when he headed home against Bournemouth at Anfield earlier this month.
30: The goal against Bournemouth ensured the Egyptian achieved another milestone in becoming the first African player to score 30 times across one Premier League campaign.
8: As well as his fine form in England, Salah has also scored eight times in the tournament phase of this season's Champions League. Only Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo, with 15 to his credit, has found the net more often in the group stages and knockout rounds of Europe's premier club competition.
MANDOOB
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Spider-Man: No Way Home
Director: Jon Watts
Stars: Tom Holland, Zendaya, Jacob Batalon
Rating:*****
