“Spiderman: No Way Home” is the latest entry in the Spiderman film franchise and the third installment in the Jon Watts-directed trilogy. This has been one of the year’s most anticipated films and I can confidently say that it more than lives up to the lofty expectations that were set upon it. Because of the sheer amount of surprises in this film, I will keep the synopsis VERY vague and cover nothing more than what has been seen in the trailers.
This film takes place in the broader MCU and picks up right from the end of 2019’s “Spiderman: Far From Home”. If you recall, by the end of that film, Spiderman’s true identity of Peter Parker has been revealed to the public and has caused quite the predicament for our web slinging hero. Because of publicized attention and scrutiny he and anyone associated with him is now receiving, Peter desires for a way to somehow remove his revealed identity from the subconsciousness of the masses and make them forget who he truly is: Enter Dr. Strange.
Peter asks the Sorcerer to cast a spell that will somehow make people forget his true identity that was revealed. After some persuasion, Dr. Strange agrees to cast a spell for this purpose but there is a mishap in its execution. This mishap unknowingly leads to the opening of other universes which leads to the arrival of a certain group of villanous characters from the previous two Spiderman film franchises aka the multiverse. Spiderman now finds himself confronted against a set of mysterious villians he has no knowledge of but who all appear to be very familiar with him. After being transported into the MCU as we know it, this set of villians begin to wreak havoc, chaos and ultimately force Peter to confront and embrace what it truly means to be “Spiderman.”
I found “Spiderman: No Way Home” to be an amazing “event level” film that brings together the Spiderman film franchises in a much greater way than I ever imagined! With so many unique elements, characters, and concepts to juggle, it would have been easy for this film to feel convoluted and jumbled. However, director Jon Watts found a way to make this film feel very streamlined with elements of rich storytelling, strong character development, heartfelt emotion, stunning action, nostalgia and more! The movie has a lengthy 2.5 hour runtime, but the time honestly seems to fly by as the engrossing story keeps you invested as it builds to its amazing third act crescendo.
In terms of the performances, the recoccuring cast of characters from the previous two films step their game up here and are given much more to do. Zendaya’s role as Peter’s love interest, “MJ”, carries much more weight in this film and Marissa Tomei is also given a much more substantial role as “Aunt May”. Jon Favreau returns as ‘Happy” and to the delight of many long time fans, the great J.K. Simmons reprises his role of “J. Jonah Jameson” from the Sam Raimi trilogy. However, the film’s lead, Tom Holland, is the true anchor of the film and continues to excel in the role of “Peter Parker/Spiderman”
“No Way Home” finds Holland’s “Peter Parker” appearing much more grounded and mature in this latest outing. Holland’s performance here shows tremendous range and he completely rises to the occasion of handling the more darker and emotional aspects of the story. In addition, the chemistry he shares with his co-stars Zendaya and Jacob Batalon (“Ned”) has never been better and simply feels much more organic this go around. Lastly, the performances of the actors playing the aforementioned villians seen in the trailers are all excellent with one particular performance by a veteran actor of this Superhero franchise being the ultimate standout (you’ll know what I mean!). I wish I could say more about the film’s performances overall but some things are better left to be seen for yourselves!
If I had any criticisms to point out, it would be that sometimes the film’s intended humor was hit or miss. Other than that, perhaps the pacing of the film’s first act can seem slow at times as there is a lot of necessary exposition to set up the story. However, once the premise is set and we arrive at the film’s second act, the film’s intensity continues to increase which leads us to both a shocking & amazing action-packed third act finale!
Overall, the third entry of this trilogy is a fun, fulfilling and extremely rewarding Spiderman film that is sure to please audiences and die hard fans of this beloved character. The action set pieces are all well executed and the visual presentation of Spiderman heroics throughout are stunning to look at. With this entry, Director Jon Watts has delivered a CLASSIC Superhero film that also acts as the ultimate love letter and tribute to all of the previous Spiderman films that came before it. While there are many nostalgic moments to be found here with callbacks to the films of old, make no mistake about it, this film will also have lasting effects on the MCU and Sony’s “Spiderverse” going forward.
“Spiderman: No Way Home” honestly left me in awe and can certainly be viewed as the “Endgame” of this Spiderman Trilogy in terms of the story, scale, characters and sheer amount of spectacle and well earned fan service moments in its third act finale. Featuring a brilliant score by Michael Giacchino, heartwarming moments that will make you laugh & cry, breathtaking action, and high stakes throughout, this film is one entertaining thrill ride that comes HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! Also, be sure to stick around as the movie contains two post credit scenes which gives fans a glimpse and preview of things to come in the near future – Enjoy!
Editor’s note:
We can confirm this Henny swigging, Tim-wearing New York Spider-Man is not in the movie.
