Sony Pictures
Most people’s anticipated film of 2021 was Spider-Man: No Way Home. It was easy to anticipate a film that connected all 3 Spider-Man series of films. By bringing in actors such as Jamie Foxx and Willem Dafoe, fans started to question if Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield would appear in the film as it seemed it would be a celebration of all things Spider-Man. The marketing for the film, the secrecy behind it, and the trailers drew in large numbers of people to make it one of the biggest openings of all time, despite the state of the world we live in. That shows how excited and curious fans were for the film.
Tom Holland stars once again as Peter Parker in the third collaboration between Sony and Marvel Studios. When we last left Parker, his identify was revealed by Mysterio in Far from Home released in 2019. This sets in motion the main plot of the film as Peter is struggling to live in a world where everyone knows that he is Spider-Man. It is affecting his relationship with MJ (Zendaya) and his best friend Ned (Jacob Batalon). He seeks out Doctor Strange to help him erase the memory of everyone who knows that he is Spider-Man, which would include Happy, Aunt May, MJ, Ned, and more. As the spell is being conjured up by Strange, Peter interrupts him, setting in motion the opening of the multiverse and allowing anyone from other universes who know Peter Parker as Spider-Man to enter the current universe. That brings in Doc Ock, the Green Goblin, Sandman, the Lizard, and Electro, all from previous Spider-Man films.
Spider-Man films with a large number of villains have rarely succeeded. Spider-Man 3 with Tobey Maguire offered three villains and if you ask me, that is one of the worst Spider-Man films. The same thing occurred with The Amazing Spider-Man 2 that once again offered three villains, even if some of them hardly had any screen time (The Rhino). Luckily, No Way Home doesn’t suffer the same fate of those two films. It brings back these villains in a meaningful way that makes this one of the cleverest comic book films I have seen. Nothing about the film feels gimmicky. There were several moments of nostalgia when it came to introducing the characters, but there was a chance for each character to grow in their own way. As a fan of the previous Spider-Man installments, I was able to see the characters for who they were but also acknowledge the fact that they were moving away from how they were in the previous films. Marvel Studios has done a fantastic job lately crafting villains in a way that they are misunderstood and that is how each villain in the film is.
This is by far one of the most emotional MCU films. With two previous Spider-Man films, I felt connected to all the characters introduced so far. These are all likable characters and I cared about everyone’s outcomes. Throughout the film, Peter is tested on what it means to be Spider-Man and the cost it comes with. He is tasked with caring for several people throughout the film and not everyone makes it out okay. There are moments that feel reminiscent of Maguire’s and Garfield’s Spider-Man characters and by doing that, we get to watch Peter grow into a more mature character. After the emotional scenes, seeing the choices Peter makes is what really drew me into the character. The previous two installments felt fluffy and fun with little emotional connection or dramatic moments, but No Way Home dials in on that and gives us key moments that make Peter one of the best MCU characters to date.
With having so many villains in the film, there is plenty of action to marvel over. Each character brings their own unique style of fighting to the film that tests Peter. The marketing for the film has focused a lot on Doc Ock and the Green Goblin and they lead a lot of the big action scenes in a way that feels familiar but new as well. Even before the film was released, we’ve seen almost every moment of the bridge scene involving Peter and Doc Ock. Even though we’ve seen most of it, it still was thrilling to see one of the best Spider-Man villains fight against Peter.
There are so many secrets and big reveals in the film that made the theater and me cheer. Fans have had so many questions going into No Way Home, and it delivered everything we could ask for. The film exceeded my expectations and gave me what I wanted since they teased the multiverse. I can’t imagine any upcoming Spider-Man film topping what happened in this film, but it opens so many possibilities for what they can do with previous installments since the multiverse is open and going to be used again. I am excited to see what they do next and even see how they manage the multiverse in the upcoming Doctor Strange film. Spider-Man was the superhero that got me into comics and as a lifelong fan, this was perfect in every way possible.
Planning to see Spider-Man: No Way Home? Click below to see the movie, and be sure to come back and tell us what you thought!
Spider-Man: No Way Home has a run time of 2 hours 28 minutes and is rated PG-13 for sequences of action/violence, some language and brief suggestive comments.
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