Disclaimer – This is a non-spoiler review, but there will be some events that happened in the trailers which will be touched on. If you haven’t seen any of the trailers, skip to the end of the review. Otherwise read on this non-spoiler review.
Chances are that Spider-Man No Way Home is going to be critic proof against any sort of criticism in its judgement as a complete film. And to be fair, if you are watching it in a theater with cheering and exulting fans as every entrance occurs in the movie, you are going to be swept up by the joyousness.
Directed by Jon Watts with a script by Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers, No Way Home opens immediately after the events of 2019’s Far From Home. Peter Parker’s identity is out in the world, and we follow his life as he is both equal parts revered and reviled as Spider-Man. His family, his girlfriend and his best friend’s life are slowly being devoid of privacy, and normal events like getting into a college of your choice, is getting hampered by the events of the world related to Spider-Man. Guilt-ridden as he is want to, Parker takes the help of Doctor strange, to cast a spell to make sure that the whole world forgets that he is Spider-Man, but as is want to happen , the spell goes awry and villains from other universes who have fought Spider-Man, starts to appear in this universe.
The previous two movies have always been light-hearted, capturing the fun and friendly neighborhood vibe of Spider-Man, even as the basic conceit of Spider-Man’s suit and upgrades because of the presence of Iron Man, has been the cause of criticism.
While the second movie dealt with that thread of Parker carving out his own identity, No Way Home really strives to lean in hard on that, to give legitimate consequences to the events occurring.
This makes for a film very much at odds with each other. The first half with the appearance of each villain, complete with three of them getting to face-off against Spider-Man is well done, but is bogged down by the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s penchant of humor and heavy focus on jokes and self aware references.
It makes for funny and light-hearted moments, but it does almost threaten to reveal itself as a movie with very minimal stakes. That wouldn’t be a problem but considering the villainous characters we are dealing with here, especially Willem Dafoe’s Green Goblin or Alfred Molina’s Doctor Octopus, light stakes would almost be a disservice.
Which is why, the second half of the movie shifts as the villains, especially Dafoe’s Green Goblin starts to take center stage.
Dafoe is terrifying throughout the movie, and the intensity he manages to capture between his interactions with Holland’s Spider-Man and himself truly drives home the meaning of consequences in this film.
The second half too becomes a much more balanced affair, both in balancing many key characters in the movie, as well as delivering a plethora of nostalgia, while also delivering on said nostalgia with satisfying payoffs utilizing key moments of interaction and conversations to deliver said payoffs.
It’s no secret that movies with multiple villains tend to feel overstuffed and get completely derailed till the end. 2007’s Spider-Man 3 or 2014’s The Amazing Spider-Man 2 are prime examples of that. Spider-Man No Way Home however manages to avoid falling into that rigmarole. As a movie though it is in service to what came before, both in the MCU and in service of the older Marvel properties, but it also doesn’t forget itself to be a Spider-Man movie. This is very much the movie of Tom Holland’s Spider-Man, and even with all the character interactions, the movie doesn’t stray away from that.
Peter Parker’s life and the life of Spider-Man must always be at odds with each other, and Peter Parker must suffer from guilt and responsibility – these are the two edicts that any good Spider-Man movie must have, and No Way Home’s portrayal of showcasing Peter trying to help his antagonists, as well as suffering from consequences are at the heart of what makes it a quintessential Spider-Man movie and Holland is at his best here. He is always good at the light hearted moments, but here he really flexes at those acting muscles in the emotional scenes, and it breaks your heart.
The core cast of Zendaya as MJ and Jacob Batalon as Ned Leeds too are trusty additions, but its Benedict Cumberbatch as the elder statesman Doctor Strange who manages to steal every scene he is, and as his involvement in the overall scheme of the tapestry of the MCU becomes clearer, this performance makes you excited for his next solo movie.
Its both new but returning villains who steal the show. While Dafoe and Molina carry the versions of their characters from their Raimi films, their addition in this universe, and character interactions give them differing layers of humor and pathos.
Similarly Jamie Foxx’s Electro too has a screen presence, even though Foxx is basically playing another version of himself, and not Max Dillon from that universe but that isn’t really a hard sell.
No Way Home is going to give you moments of huge dopamine high, nostalgia and happiness is going to hit you if you are a Spider-Man fan. More so because the nostalgia for the most part is done very well and not relegated to 5 mins of fan service, but with satisfying payoffs.
The action scenes are mostly fantastic, especially the fight with Doctor Strange, and the final fight.
It’s not a perfect movie, the first half’s wobbly foundation is too hard to brush off, but it is at its core a quintessential Spider-Man movie, multiverse shenanigans and all. I was there with all those cheering and exulting fans and enjoyed every moment of it in the theater.
Watch it in a theater if you can, but please take the necessary precautions and wear a mask. There are two post credit scenes both pertaining to the greater Spider-Man Universe as well as the overall Marvel Cinematic Universe, and if you have been invested in this universe so far, don’t miss them.
Rating – 3.5/5
Spider-Man No Way Home is currently playing in theatres.
