Superhero movies come out all the time these days … but only a handful actually feel like events. For me, the 2021 sequel “Spider-Man: No Way Home” is the only live-action superhero movie from the first half of the 2020 decade that really felt like a special event and still holds up as one of my new favorite comic book movies. This was of course one of the first live-action films to utilize a “Multi-Verse” concept as a means to have a stand-alone film series crossover with other unrelated movies, which was certainly a novelty with this first outing, but quickly got repetitive with follow-up comic book movies like “The Flash” and “Deadpool & Wolverine”. While post “No Way Home” “Multi-Verse” films were enjoyable on some surface level, I feel “Spider-Man: No Way Home” goes beyond being a novelty item and can still be viewed as a great superhero movie, with emotional beats, meaningful character arcs and a proper use of fan service that’s abundant … without distracting from what really makes this film shine. In case you care, spoiler warnings ahead!
Following immediately after the events of the 2019 sequel “Spider-Man: Far From Home”, Spider-Mans enemy Mysterio was defeated, but before his death, he revealed to the whole world that Peter Parker is his identity behind the mask, and also that Spider-Man’s a criminal responsible for murder and theft of weapons technology.
Thus, for the first time ever in the Spider-Man franchise, we get the novelty of seeing the whole world aware of Spider-Man’s secret identity, with masses of people split on how to view him, which puts immense pressure on both his normal life, and the lives of his friends. This set-up alone would have been enough to sustain a whole film, but things take a wild turn when Peter approaches the mystical wizard Doctor Strange for help and see if he can return things back to the way they were before Mysterio revealed his big secret. The spell goes wrong, and suddenly both villains and heroes from other Spider-Man universes (specifically from previous movies) arrive in this Peters reality. Naturally, everyone needs to be returned to their respected universes, kicking off a venture to find and collect all the newly arrived villains. Further conflicts arise when this realities Peter discovers that most of the villains die in their worlds, and thus, our hero aims to help them with their mutations and prevent them from dying before they can be sent back home ... a decision that will have devastating repercussions on our web-swinging hero.
I knew I was in good hands when the marketing held-back on showing off most of the big crossover characters and focused mostly on our main hero and his struggles. Thankfully, that’s just the movie I got, because it takes a while for any big universe characters to appear, and I didn’t feel their absence once, because the main characters from this series more than hold their own. Right from the opening, this movie is bursting with energy and excitement, and that momentum is still felt when these characters have quiet moments to talk and reflect. For my money, Tom Halland as Peter Parker/ Spider-Man, Jacob Batalon as best friend Ned Leeds, and Zendaya as girlfriend “MJ” are my three favorite leading characters from any of the Spider-Man films, and I loved watching how they each grew, changed and bonded leading to this film, in which these characters are at their peak. After appearing in six films, this is when Tom Halland really felt like he’d grown into a “man” and was ready to take on the responsibility his superhero life required.
The villains need no introduction, and for the most part, it was extraordinary to see so many great actors back in their signature villain roles. Aside from the returning cast, it was just cool to see these villains together and interacting with each other in a live action film.
However, for me, all the shortcomings with the Sandman are easily balanced out with the return of Willem Dafoe as the Green Goblin, who absolutely steels the show, and more than ever earns his status as Spider-Mans greatest enemy.
While Willem Dafoe was always great in this portrayal, I feel this film gave him even more to work with, including more creepy faces that aren’t buried under a silly looking mask. He also plays up a sympathetic side to his alter ego Norman Osborn and subsequently made his character more interesting than he was in the original. All these villains together almost make a perfect Sinister Six, but there’s still one missing, which brings me to Venom. Prior to the release of this film, I didn’t watch the 2021 film “Venom: Let There Be Carnage” and was unaware that movie ended with a set-up of Tom Hardy’s Venom arriving in Tom Hollands Spider-Man universe, so I personally wasn’t put off by him being reduced to a mid-credit cameo. That being said, I wouldn’t blame anyone else for being upset with this, and while I certainly would have liked to see Venom get a big role in this movie, I also couldn’t imagine him working with all the other characters present.
Of course, once Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield arrive on the scene as their respected versions of Spider-Man, the film shoots through the roof and builds on an already strong foundation, without feeling like cheap fan serves.
The film is also very clever in bringing subtle closure to both the previous franchises, without taking too much attention away from Tom Halland's Peter Parker and his narrative. The love that our first meeting between these three is a subtle and emotional bonding sequence that’s very well acted, and afterwords, we get the fun quippy interactions and thrilling action one would hope for. The three also have extraordinary chemistry with each other and feel like three lost brothers who just found each other. My favorite detail of all is seeing Andrew Garfield's Spider-Man rescue MJ from falling to her death, giving him emotional finality to where his story left off. Again, this big crossover is saved for the final act, delivers everything I could want in this short window, and isn’t the driving force of the film, as there’s still other great character arcs and strengths in the film to focus on.
Marisa Tomei returns for a third time as Aunt May Parker, and this is unmistakably her movie to shine. While she’d been an okay presence beforehand, this is when she becomes a meaningful character in Peter’s journey, conveying the morals he needs that will shape him into the man he becomes, and her surprising death at the end gives the film an emotional anchor that’s very much earned.
Benedict Cumberbatch returns as Doctor Strange, and has his own subtle arc, as he gradually learns to care for Peter, despite all the problems he caused, and so much of it is conveyed through Cumberbatch’s performance. All the other holdover characters, and crossover characters again do their part, without overstaying their welcome. It’s wonderful to see J. K. Simmons back as J. Jonah Jameson, although I wish he could have interacted with more of the characters. Charlie Cox cameo reprise of Matt Murdock was outstanding and gives me hope for a potential Daredevil and Spider-Man movie.
The action scenes are extraordinary, bursting with energy and imaginative creativity. While Spider-Man has had fights on a bridge with cars hanging over the side, his bridge battle with Doctor Octopus still feels fresh, featuring two characters with four mechanical limbs in combat, and it’s awesome. Spider-Man also gets into a memorable fight with Doctor Strange in a mirror universe and has to use his mathematics and intellect to win. I also like that it's a battle of ethics and ideology laced with the action, as Doctor Strange doesn't want to risk changing fate, while Spider-Man believes he has a responsibility to help his enemies, and make their worlds better. The scene also features the most striking visuals and is arguably the reason this film was nominated at the Academy Awards for Best Special Effects … but understandably lost to “Dune”.
Speaking of noteworthy action, it’s hard to top a final battle with three live action Spider-Men on the scene fighting multiple villains at once. I will admit, I didn’t care for the yellow, nighttime presentation of this climax, but the battle itself is still a sensational way to close out the film. The real meat of this conflict is Tom Halland’s Spider-Man versus the Green Goblin, as we really see our hero being pushed into a dark place. When Tobey Maguire arrives on the scene to set things right, it leads to some of the best acting I’ve ever seen in a superhero movie, as the silent stare down between the two Spider-Men says more than words ever could.
While the weakest part of the film is the initial wizard spell going wrong, the payoff at the ending I feel makes up for it, as there’s no happy or predictable reset button, and while our hero saves the day, Spider-Man himself still faces some emotional repercussions.
He succeeds in curing the villains and sending everyone home, but in order for everything to get set right, the world has to forget who Peter Parker and Spider-Man are, leaving our hero more alone than he’s ever been in this whole franchise. It’s also a great book end to where the film started, in which he was branded the most popular person on the planet.
The touching goodbye at the end is perfect, and even when presented with an opportunity to reunite with his friends, he chooses to be content on his own. The final scene of him swinging off into the snowy night is outstanding and is the first time this version of the character really felt like a man. Before I forget, there was a special extended cut of the film, which was released in cinema for a short time, and is available on streaming, but just like with the previous "Spider-Man: Far From Home", it's hard to find this special cut on physical media. It's not required viewing over the theatrical cut, but it's nice to see select conversations and action scenes playout all the way through, without anything missing. It's certainly satisfying to see the final battle in full, but then there's extended high school scenes that hurt the pacing, so you can either enjoy the extended cut for what it is, or stick with the original presentation, either way, you get a great film.
In the end, “Spider-Man: No Way Home” was personally my favorite movie going experience of 2021, and I was ready to sing the films praises right out the gate. However, I wanted to give it time and see if my feelings were still the same after the novelty and hype began too subtle down.
Five years later, this film still holds up as one of my favorite superhero movies, and as one of Spider-Mans absolute best films … top three easy! While the novelty of the Crossover Universe characters is a big draw for the film, I feel there’s so much more to it than just the fan serves. There are thoughtful character arcs, engaging on screen chemistry, emotional highlights, high stakes, sensational action and the courage to go all the way with ideas and consequences. I can’t make any argument that it’s a perfect movie all around, as there are still details to pick at … but for me, the positives far outshine the negatives, and unlike so many other franchise universe crossover movies, I feel this film has so much more to offer then simply it’s cool fan service.
Thanks for
reading my review of the 2021 Superhero movie “Spider-Man: No Way Home”
… and continue to enjoy the movies you Love!
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