Spider-Man: No Way Home Review

First off I have to say that this motion picture had to be the most surreal movie-going experience I’ve ever had as the audience was alive with joy and on the edge of their seats the entire time expressing their excitement via continual laughter and unrelenting applause. It's not something I will forget anytime soon to say the least. Spider-Man: No Way Home features the return of Tom Holland reprising his role as the web-slinger for the 6th time in the MCU with this film serving as the third entry in the Spider-Man: Homecoming trilogy and effectively the ultimate culmination of 19 years worth of Spider-Man films as well as truly being the Back To The Future of the Marvel universe. This is accomplished as the film swaps out Doc Brown for Doctor Strange and Doc’s time-traveling DeLorean for Strange’s spell which tears a rip in the fabric of the multiverse setting the stage for a sensational and timeless adventure/drama that keeps you guessing right up until the last minute. 

SPOILER ALERT - WATCH THE MOVIE FIRST!!! 

 

Picking up right after the events of Far From Home in which Peter Parker’s identity was revealed to the entire world after being framed by Mysterio the story begins with inescapable charm as Spider-Man evades a police chase with MJ swinging through the skyline of New York followed by a retreat home in the vein of a screwball 80s comedy such as Ferris Bueller’s Day Off as Peter desperately attempts to cover up the fact his identity has been exposed from Aunt May and Happy Hogan. The ruse doesn’t hold up for long however and Peter’s life is thrown into shambles as he must now navigate his dual life in front of the public as he begins his senior year of high school and he and his friends MJ and Ned actively work toward getting into their dream college MIT. Alas, the gang soon learns the controversy surrounding the infamous wall-crawler is too great a risk for MIT to accept, their admission into the esteemed institution denied. Peter, realizing he has ruined not only his life but the futures of his friends, seeks the aid of his old friend Doctor Strange asking him to help everyone forget that Peter Parker is Spider-Man and thus end this nightmare. Strange warns Peter of the dangers of such a spell but Peter’s resolution is final and Strange isn’t about to turn down a dear friend in crisis not after everything he's been through. Strange sets out to cast the spell to make everyone in the world forget that Peter Parker is Spider-Man only to be interrupted continually by Peter who is insistent some people still know which quickly grows to the inclusion of everyone who already knew prior to Mysterio’s outing him with Peter’s reckless tampering of the spell leading to a tear in the rip of the multiverse unleashing unspeakable forces on his world in the form of villains that Spider-Man has come face to face with… in other universes. 

 

 

Peter quickly learning about the ramification of his actions in the tampering of the spell with the arrival of visitors from other worlds in the form of the enigmatic Doc Ock and the sinister Green Goblin propels him into an adventure unlike any he has set out on before as Strange recruits Peter and his friends to round up the numerous foes and threats Peter has brought upon this world in order to send them back to their respective universes so that the safety of the multiverse might be ensured. This leads to a series of electric encounters with Jamie Fox’s Electro, Thomas Haden Church’s Sandman, Rhys Ifans’s Lizard, and the aforementioned Alfred Molina as Doc Ock and Willem Dafoe as Norman Osborn/The Green Goblin. Unfortunately, Sandman and Lizard are reduced to stock CGI characters with almost none of their human form shown onscreen as Church and Ifans lend their voices for the film but don’t actually appear themselves. This disappointing element aside the return of Electro, Doc Ock, and Green Goblin was handled perfectly as the actors brought them to life seamlessly with just as much conviction as they did years prior and the screenplay gives them ample material to work with in deepening and humanizing each of their characters respectively. And despite the absence of Church and Ifans’s human form, their ADR work was quite stellar with some great character moments peppered in for each of them complementing the trio of villains that received the most attention and were given the most prominence in Electro, Doc Ock, and Green Goblin. The level of in-depth characterization that was brought to the villains was quite surprising and didn’t follow the traditional super-hero formula at all following Peter’s stance against Doctor Strange in his insistence that they can’t send these guys back to die not until they’ve tried to help them echoing the moral obligation Aunt May tells Peter he has to do right by these men.

 

 

 Furthermore, the action takes us into a Stark safe house which serves as the primary setting for Peter’s crusade to cure his tragic opponents doomed to a fate of death without his intervention leading to so many great moments with this eclectic group from a sympathetic Norman Osborn to a power-raged Doc Ock to a Max who quickly comes to like the new and improved suave cool version of himself making the film at this point feel much more like a sophisticated 80s-styled drama in the vein of Rain Man rather than an action blockbuster with more of a focus on character rather than on spectacle which this picture hardly lacks by the way. 

 

 

However, things are never as easy as they seem and Peter’s reckless actions that have taken him on this multiverse quest have deadly consequences as the Goblin rears his ugly head having revealed himself to have been ever-present underneath the surface of the good Norman Osborn and not satisfied to let his “weaker half” take over. Chaos ensues and ultimately a house divided does not stand with Doc Ock now redeemed having been cured by Peter but his other cohorts standing against him and Peter led by the ominous and menacing Goblin. The spectacle kicks into high-gear with comedic levity by the reprisal of J.K. Simmons as J.J. Jonah Jameson reporting on the scene however the sequence comes to a most dramatic and tragic climax in a parking garage with Peter facing off against the Goblin in a fight that pulls no punches in its unflinching severity and sadly leads to the death of Aunt May just as she relays that so-important thematic mantra that “with great power comes great responsibility”. Here Jon Watts pulls off an incredible feat in making an old villain from a previous generation of Spider-Man films more relevant than ever to this MCU Spider-Man by making him the center of this defining moment in Peter’s life with Aunt May’s death serving as their version of the Uncle Ben death as if the death of Tony Stark wasn’t enough. 

 

 

Amazingly all this is only the first two acts of the film as the transition into the third act brings about previously thought unimaginable and inconceivable cinematic heights of fan service until now unprecedented and does in such a way to weave a rich and compelling narrative that brings 19 years worth of Spider-Man films full circle. I’m talking of course about the “surprise” introduction of Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire into the film when Ned opens up a couple of magic portals with Doctor Strange’s tech in search of Peter following his devastating battle with the Goblin. Only he found two other worlds’ Peter Parkers not his own bringing the previous Spider-Man actors onto the scene. It certainly is amazing to see Garfield back as the web-slinger especially considering his insistent denials that he wasn’t in the movie which made his entrance all the more sweet not to mention the fact that it instantly flooded my theater with applause when he unmasked before Ned and MJ following the Amazing Spider-Man’s wanderment through the inviting portal. 

 

 

 Tobey Maguire’s entrance was equally magical as well being the original Spider-Man though you can definitely tell it has been nearly two decades since Maguire first graced the screen as Spidey back in the early 2000’s. The chemistry between the two Peters works magically and transitions wonderfully into the dramatic shift in the film when Ned and MJ find Peter in despair as he grieves the death of Aunt May. This All is Lost moment in the film works so powerfully as Tom Holland’s Peter Parker meets the Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield Peter Parker from their respective movie universes with them serving as mentors and strong reflection characters in Peter’s emotional journey. The revelation of the shared mantra or code that “with great power comes great responsibility” rings so true thematically bonding the three Spider-Men together as it also affords the opportunity for Garfield and Maguire’s Peter Parkers’s characters to be delved into with Garfield revealing his failure to save Gwen and Maguire sharing about the loss of his Uncle Ben. This truly cinematic moment in history could have been played as a mere moment of spectacle but works so much greater than that on a deep level of character that really speaks to the overarching theme of the franchise over the past two decades and acts as a coming-of-age pivotal moment and turn for Tom Holland’s Peter Parker. 

 

 

The three Spideys resolve to take on the responsibility of curing the villains and sending them back to their world in order to set things right despite Tom Holland’s Peter’s vengeful hatred for the Goblin. This leads to a great sequence in a lab where the three Peters set off to work as the scientific geniuses that they are in creating the cures for their foes allowing the opportunity for so much humor and great character moments with all of the Peters. The dynamics between all of them is well-developed and rich in its execution which includes surprising revelations such as that Garfield’s Peter became bitter following the death of Gwen and stopped pulling his punches and Maguire’s Peter has a complicated relationship with MJ which just goes to show just how well-thought-out and fleshed out were Jon Watts, Kevin Feige, and Amy Pascal’s plans were in their development of this Spidey-verse crossover. 

The final battle at the Statue of Liberty between the three Spideys and all the villains not only includes great action but plenty of dialogue exchanges between the Spider-Men as they bond with each other and get to know each other better with moments like Tom Holland asking what are the craziest villains they have fought before with Maguire remarking he fought an alien once and Holland responding he fought a purple alien in space which leads to Garfield’s Parker to sulk in his realization that his doppelgangers are so much cooler than him with Maguire rebuking that assessment insisting how “amazing” he is. This is clearly a Spider-Man that is struggling with self-love so excellently portrayed by Garfield and Maguire conveys an emotionally-wise veteran Spider-Man ala the "really cool youth pastor" joke. That is just the tip of the iceberg with many more such moments including Holland telling his fellow Spider-Men about the existence of the Avengers which means nothing to the two heroes who both in their respective universes are the only superheroes in an otherwise ordinary world in stark contrast to the rather overpopulated world of supers in the MCU. And I can't very well review this film without mentioning how Garfield's Peter saved MJ after she falls off the Statue of Liberty, redeeming himself after his failure with Gwen with there even being a moment for Garfield to register the emotional whiplash of such a victory in the wake of so many years of pain that has plagued him for so long.

 

 

The final climactic battle between Goblin and Spider-Man is heart-breaking in its poetic novelty with Holland portraying a murderous rage so far unseen by this youthful exuberant kid onscreen so far to which the veteran Spider-Men know exactly what to do to stop him from making a mistake he will regret for the rest of his life. It is only fitting that Maguire stood in the way of Holland’s revenge with Maguire’s Spider-Man having been responsible for the initial death of the Goblin. However, shockingly Maguire was stabbed by Goblin in what seemed to be an imminent death scene of great tragedy to take place only for Maguire to remark that “yeah I get stabbed all the time.” Maguire stopping Holland from committing murder is able to get through to him with Holland's Peter channeling his rage into using the cure on Goblin.

 

 

The end that was not though, following Goblin and the rest of the villains being cured and rehabilitated and given a second chance as Doctor Strange returns to deal with the impending threat of the multiverse to which Peter realizes it's his responsibility to fix. So he implores Strange to make everyone forget Peter Parker exists therefore sacrificing what he wants for the rest of humanity. The aftermath of such a sacrifice on Peter’s part though is that as time marches forward and the world forgets Peter Parker he tries to make good on his promise to seek out MJ and Ned and remind them of who he is except when he does go to do just that at Christmas time he finds them happy and excited to attend MIT and perhaps better off without him even if it means Peter has to go on without his best friend and the love of his life. And perhaps that's the most heroic thing Peter does in this movie is putting the happiness of others before himself and what he wants. We see Peter move into a Spider-Man 2 style trashy apartment and proceed to see him stitch himself a hand-woven costume more in line with the style of the comic books, bringing him back to basics as he swings out into the skyline of New York with the beautiful backdrop of the Christmas season in full effect. 

 

 

This movie is a lot to take in for sure and it will be one that will be held in the conversation of the greatest Spider-Man films of all time next to Spider-Man 1 and 2 and its importance cemented by its ability to bring 19 years worth of Spider-Man films full-circle in such as beautiful and strongly thematic way all through the lens of Tom Holland’s Peter Parker as he completes his high-school journey and the tremendous character growth arc he has undergone for his so far 6 films set in the MCU. Moving forward it will be interesting to see how they progress the storyline as I’m sure that since the first three films dealt with Peter in high school the next trilogy will explore Peter’s college years and whether that includes Ned and MJ or moving on to new classic Spidey characters such as Gwen and Harry Osborn or even a combination of both it will certainly be an interesting ride for sure. Holland even spoke about how if they did proceed with another trilogy it would be in a very different vein than what the Homecoming trilogy has come to be:

"We were all treating [No Way Home] as the end of a franchise, let's say. I think if we were lucky enough to dive into these characters again, you'd be seeing a very different version. It would no longer be the Homecoming trilogy. We would give it some time and try to build something different and tonally change the films. Whether that happens or not, I don't know. But we were definitely treating [No Way Home] like it was coming to an end, and it felt like it.”

 

 

I do believe we will see Tom Holland back as Peter Parker for at least 3 more Spider-Man films and they will probably be more dramatic in the same vein as No Way Home and Maguire’s earlier films. Holland has remarked that he doesn’t know if he wants to play Spider-Man past 30 but there is certainly a case to be made for him to keep playing it until perhaps 40 or so. I say this because Maguire and Garfield are both approximately in that age range in No Way Home at ages 46 and 38 respectively with both of their Spider-Men both very actively committed to the cause of using their great powers to help those in need even at a more seasoned age lending credence to the idea Holland could be playing Spidey at that age too. At age 40 Holland would have been playing Peter Parker for over 20 years already and with his baby-faced looks, he could probably pass for early 30s easily at that point telling the story of an adult-aged Peter Parker still active as Spider-Man while raising a young family and perhaps working a day job as a school teacher or something along those lines. In any case, we have a whole Spidey-verse now with so many films in development beyond the Venom franchise with Tom Hardy already running and set to crossover with Tom Holland’s Spider-Man at some point and the upcoming Morbius with Jared Leto and so much more beyond that. And with the inclusion of Maguire and Garfield in No Way Home it certainly raises the possibility of seeing a Spider-Man 4 with Tobey Maguire directed by Sam Rami which could tell the story of a seasoned Peter Parker patching things up with MJ or even an Amazing Spider-Man 3 with Andrew Garfield seeing him move on from the death of Gwen and chart a new course forward in life. It doesn’t seem likely that Sony would want to have 3 competing Spider-Man franchises but anything is possible now that the multiverse has been introduced and No Way Home has shown us what is possible leaving endless possibilities open. And by the way just who didn’t have chills with all those awesome iconic soundtrack callbacks from the original films in No Way Home?   

 

 

 

In closing, Jon Watts has proven himself with three stellar Spider-Man films making his upcoming Fantastic Four reboot with Marvel an exciting prospect, to say the least. And who knows maybe he’ll spin a multiverse crossover between that cast and the old-school 2000’s Fantastic Four films as well? Say what you want about those films but that cast was phenomenal and who doesn’t want to see Jessica Alba back as Sue Storm and Chris Evans aka Captain America back as the Human Torch one last time? Spider-Man: No Way Home is certainly an ambitious movie that will no doubt stand the test of time not only with its cinematic-history making status but its emotional core in telling a deeply human and inspiring tale of coming-of-age and the responsibility that comes with the actions that one takes and the consequences it brings to oneself and those you love.