In order to be in compliance with Sony and Marvel Studios' request to not leak big spoilers from SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME, I will speak very vaguely here in a way that this is more of a short review than a full review of the film.
So you've seen the trailers and television spots and you know Tom Holland's Spider-Man is facing villains from past Spider-Man movie franchises dating back to director Sam Raimi's first SPIDER-MAN movie in 2002. With the help of Benedict Cumberbatch's wonderful portrayal of Doctor Strange, our friendly neighborhood Spidey sets out to make the world forget that he is Peter Parker, as revealed by Mysterio at the end of the last movie, SPIDER-MAN: FAR FROM HOME.
No Way Home picks up right where the last film left off and it's instantly chaos for Peter, MJ, Ned, Aunt May, and Happy Hogan. They are detained and questioned about Mysterio's claim that Spider-Man killed him. Of course, this is a lie, but one that divides Spider-Man fandom worldwide. Some hate him and believe Mysterio, others think Spider-Man is innocent and being set-up. This plays out for the first act of the movie with some enjoyable moments and one that will have many Marvel Cinematic Universe fans smiling with the biggest grin on their face.
Then Parker has the revelation to go seek the help of Strange to set a spell to remove the chaos Mysterio's lie has created for Parker. Parker does this not for himself, but for those closest to him who are also being affected by the reveal of his secret identity. But you also know this from the trailer and TV spots, too.
What you don't know is what happens after Strange's spell goes wrong and it has everything to do with Parker becoming the truest version of Spider-Man that MCU fans have yet to see. This movie is all about the growth of Spider-Man and many things joyous and sad happen to him along the way. All so Peter Parker and Spider-Man are no longer under the shadow of his late mentor Tony Stark.
No Way Home is about becoming an adult, taking responsibility, protecting loved ones closest to you, and learning to be the superhero you are meant to be. By the end of the movie, Parker is the Spider-Man all fans will now love, as we all should know by now that Holland has been confirmed to be returning for another trilogy of these films by Sony and Marvel Studios. Yes, there is set-up for the new trilogy, as well as set-up for DOCTOR STRANGE 2, but in ways I thought impossible to pull off going into my press screener yesterday. How Sony and Marvel Studios accomplish this is really a testament to Marvel CCO and studio head Kevin Feige's long-form, inter-connected storytelling mastery.
Oh... so you want to know about the villains a little bit? Okay, I'll tell you that Willem Dafoe and Alfred Molina steal every one of their scenes. They are both de-aged to better resemble their younger self, but the technology is so advanced now there was not one thought that crossed my mind the de-aging tech looked bad. And you can tell both Dafoe and Molina are loving their respective returns to their past roles of the Green Goblin and Doc Ock. Even Jamie Foxx gets in on the fun as Electro and has a couple one-liners that are funny, and yes it is explained quickly and succinctly why he is no longer blue as he was in THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2.
Too much fan service? No way. When it is used it is used in a way that will surely make you smile as it is not overblown or too campy as fan service can be at times.
The film's pacing is fantastic as its two and a half hour runtime went by so fast. Which is remarkable since there was so much packed into this movie.
The loyal SPIDER-MAN 2 fans who still to this day say it is the best Spider-Man live action movie made should be reconsidering that claim because this looks to be everyone's new favorite Spider-Man live action movie made yet.
And let me not forget about the mid-credits scene because I need to remind one of my closest friend's that after he sees it that I called it a few weeks back.
Go see this movie once, twice, three times because it is worth multiple re-watches. The future of Spider-Man in the MCU is brighter and more exciting than ever before.
Reviewed by Daniel Wolf, Founder & Publisher
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