SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME Review - Peter Parker Comes Of Age In Emotional, Fan-Pleasing Finale

SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME Review - Peter Parker Comes Of Age In Emotional, Fan-Pleasing Finale

Spider-Man: No Way Home hits theaters this weekend, and Sony Pictures' exciting trilogy capper finally allows Tom Holland's take on Peter Parker to grow into his big-boy webs. Check out our review.

Review Opinion
By MarkCassidy - Dec 15, 2021 01:12 PM EST
Filed Under: No Way Home

This is a spoiler-free review, but if you haven't watched the trailers and want to go in as fresh as possible, best come back later!

Amid a seemingly endless array of rumors, speculation, and several pretty major leaks, Spider-Man: No Way Home is finally with us (or will be this weekend in the U.S.). Though other recent superhero films have certainly given rise to their share of online theories (Avengers: Endgame, for example), it's hard to recall a time when fans were thwhipped up into as much of a frenzy over the mere prospect of what they might see in a movie.

Under the weight of such massive expectations, No Way Home was hard pressed to deliver. Fortunately, a few minor missteps aside, Sony Pictures' latest (final?) solo Spidey adventure lives up to the hype.

The story picks up immediately after the events of Far From Home's shocking post-credits scene, with Spider-Man (Tom Holland) forced to deal with the fallout of the entire world learning the identity of his civilian alter-ego. Peter attempts to adjust to the situation, but when his new-found fame/infamy begins to impact the lives of his girlfriend MJ (Zendaya) and best pal Ned (Jacob Batalon), he decides to enlist the aid of fellow Avenger Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch). The former Sorcerer Supreme (Wong now holds that title!) casts a spell to make the whole world forget that Peter Parker is Spider-Man, but when things go awry, some very dangerous individuals emerge from the Multiverse - and they all hold a grudge against Spider-Man.

Reluctant to send these villains back to their own realities to face certain death, Peter instead decides to attempt to help them. But the resulting conflict with Strange leads to dire consequences which force the young hero to make some impossible choices.

Spider-Man: No Way Home Release Date, Tickets, Review, Cast, Trailer, and  More | NDTV Gadgets 360

Since this is all that's been revealed in the trailers, it'd be unfair to delve much deeper into the story - but even if you think you have a fair idea of how things are going to play out, rest assured, the movie still has a few surprises in store. 

Adding a bunch of new elements to the mix while wrapping up a trilogy in a satisfactory manner is no easy task, and director Jon Watts and screenwriters Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers deserve credit for keeping so many plates spinning over the course of the film. The bad guys aren't just there as a nostalgia boost for old-school Spider-Man fans, with Willem Dafoe (Green Goblin), Alfred Molina (Doc Ock) and Jamie Foxx (Electro) given room to build on their previous iterations of these characters in some very interesting ways. Dafoe, in particular, is a joy to watch as he struggles with both sides of Norman Osborn's personality, giving a genuinely menacing, at times even creepy performance. Lizard (Rhys Ifans) and Sandman (Thomas Haden Church) are given less to do, but still have an important part to play, and Zendaya, Batalon, Marisa Tomei (Aunt May) and Jon Favreau (Happy Hogan) all offer fine support.

With everything going on, there was always a danger of Spidey getting lost in the shuffle of his own movie, but Peter's arc actually proves to be one of the most enjoyable and rewarding aspects of the film. It made sense that Parker would be a little naive and inexperienced when he first debuted as a teenager, but despite going through some serious, life-altering experiences over the course of his MCU journey, the character was never really allowed to grow up. No Way Home finally sees Parker graduate from Spider-Boy to Spider-Man, and the hero is taken to some emotional, surprisingly dark places. This gives Holland a lot more room to stretch his acting muscles while bringing something to his take on the Webhead we haven't seen before, and he's never been better in the role.

As the story moves towards its final act and all the pieces converge, things do get a little messy, and Marvel Studios' "default to humor" setting results in some tonal inconsistencies. The movie is frequently hilarious, but a couple of dramatic moments could have used a little more room to breath before we're hit with the inevitable gags. There's also a protracted scene involving two characters which isn't quite as amusing as the movie seems to think it is.

These are really just nitpicks, though, because No Way Home works on so many levels that the things it does right render any minor issues immaterial. If you're a Spider-Man fan, you are going to get a lot out of it, and if you happen to love this latest incarnation of the wall-crawler, you'll likely be crying tears of joy by the time the credits roll.

Peter Parker comes of age in the MCU's best Spider-Man movie yet. No Way Home is a fun, exciting, occasionally intense love letter to Spidey fans past and present, which takes the iconic hero - and The Marvel Cinematic Universe - to some surprising places. If this is the last we see of Tom Holland's web-slinger for a while, it's a more than fitting farewell.

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kylo0607
kylo0607 - 12/15/2021, 1:02 PM
Seeing this in 2 hours.

Everywhere I read online, people seem to be LOVING this!

I am SO HYPED!
MovieMonster
MovieMonster - 12/15/2021, 1:06 PM
Me dodging spoilers for this movie:

GhostDog
GhostDog - 12/15/2021, 1:07 PM
A lot of people are calling this the first ACTUAL SPIDER-MAN movie in the MCU and a genuinely GREAT SPIDEY FILM.

As much as I don’t like how we got here (or the multiverse stuff), if this can be a good spider-man film at the very least, I’m game. Going tomorrow night.
MCUKnight11
MCUKnight11 - 12/15/2021, 1:23 PM
@BlackBeltJones - What's funny is that multiverse was always the plan and Kraven was the backup.
GhostDog
GhostDog - 12/15/2021, 1:51 PM
@MCUKnight11 - when we didn’t know we were getting the multiverse I thought a ramification of his identity coming out was someone like Kraven wanting to hunt him. I didn’t like FFH but revealing Peter’s identity was an issue that could open so many interesting dangers.
MCUKnight11
MCUKnight11 - 12/15/2021, 2:19 PM
@BlackBeltJones - I thought so too. Hopefully Kraven is in the next one.They probably thought: how do we make Peter's life worse? Have him clean up a multiversal mess whilst having to come to terms with having everyone forget him.
Nerdman3000
Nerdman3000 - 12/16/2021, 2:28 AM
@BlackBeltJones - Having seen it, I can say it might actually be better than Into the Spider-verse and Raimi’s Spider-Man 2. It’s that good.
Alejandroid
Alejandroid - 12/16/2021, 2:51 AM
@BlackBeltJones - I had to tell myself “you’re a 31 year old man, you can’t get teary eyed in a theatre”. Twice actually. Spider-Man No Way Home was just that good. It felt like quintessential Spider-Man and rewarding decades of long-standing fandom
MikeDrop1
MikeDrop1 - 12/16/2021, 2:55 AM
@BlackBeltJones -

Well I disagree with those statements, I do think this is the best spiderman movie thus far. But I had no issue with the previous two movies, I like the approach they took with Tom Holland spiderman.

This trilogy really solidified why Tom Holland is the best spiderman/Peter Parker in any live action.

The next set of movies in the new trilogy can explore him older, with more traditional spiderman aspects.

But the steps in which they took to get there, imo will add to mcu spiderman having one of the best character journeys in the mcu.

Because I think he is going to have the most movies/most development when it's all said and done for a singular character.
GhostDog
GhostDog - 12/16/2021, 8:44 AM
@Nerdman3000 - damn
GhostDog
GhostDog - 12/15/2021, 1:10 PM
@THEDARKKNIGHT1939 - people who got first row tickets
THEDARKKNIGHT1939
THEDARKKNIGHT1939 - 12/15/2021, 1:23 PM
@BlackBeltJones - Lmao! The front row is such a major design flaw that should have been rectified decades ago.
snoopytrek
snoopytrek - 12/15/2021, 1:16 PM
.. might be a story trilogy but Tom just signed for 3 more
JonC
JonC - 12/15/2021, 7:48 PM
@snoopytrek - haven't seen that for a fact yet, Amy Pascal walked back on her comment about a new trilogy.
MCUKnight11
MCUKnight11 - 12/15/2021, 1:22 PM
Tomorrow at 3:45 Pm.
SnideCut
SnideCut - 12/15/2021, 1:24 PM
I'm at the theatre now. 30 torturous minutes left
McMurdo
McMurdo - 12/15/2021, 4:08 PM
@SnideCut - let us know what you think Snidey
ModHaterSLADE
ModHaterSLADE - 12/15/2021, 1:30 PM
I think Holland's Spidey flicks got better with each new installment. Sounds like this continues the trend.
MCUKnight11
MCUKnight11 - 12/15/2021, 1:37 PM
@ModHaterSLADE - If this sticks the landing might be another great CBM trilogy like TDK and Captain America.
Thing94
Thing94 - 12/15/2021, 1:30 PM
Seeing it this weekend
McMurdo
McMurdo - 12/15/2021, 4:09 PM
@MCUKnight11 - let’s not be hyperbolic. Those trilogies will always be above this trilogy based on the first two films in this trilogy alone
MikeDrop1
MikeDrop1 - 12/16/2021, 2:44 AM
@McMurdo -

I disagree at least none of the mcu spiderman movies, have a dark knight rises stinker.
Thing94
Thing94 - 12/15/2021, 1:31 PM
***SPOILERS***

GWILDOR from Masters of the Universe destroys the universe with cosmic key at the end.
ANewPope
ANewPope - 12/15/2021, 1:34 PM
Tomorrow at 10:30pm for me!
BRING IT!!
AmazingFILMporg
AmazingFILMporg - 12/15/2021, 1:37 PM
Good review...


Stating off the site until I see the film.




I'm a psycho for even commenting🤦
regularmovieguy
regularmovieguy - 12/15/2021, 1:44 PM
@AmazingFILMporg

Bought the Halloween Kills extended cut yesterday.
inkniron
inkniron - 12/15/2021, 2:11 PM
@regularmovieguy - Is there any improvement? How many more times do they say "Evil dies tonight!" in an extended cut? Inquiring minds want to know.
GoofBallAbe
GoofBallAbe - 12/15/2021, 6:35 PM
@inkniron - 😂😂😂
regularmovieguy
regularmovieguy - 12/15/2021, 10:00 PM
@inkniron

No improvements, just a lot more violent.
MCUKnight11
MCUKnight11 - 12/15/2021, 1:40 PM
Between this and the Batman kicking off next year's slate, as a fan I feel truly blessed to witness all this greatness.
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