Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) Review

 

Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)

No Way Home follows Peter, who after his identity is revealed to the world, seeks out Dr. Strange to make everyone forget. When the spell gets botched however, villains from all over the multiverse that know Peter is Spider-Man begin to roll in, where he must then find a way to send them back home. 

We had heard in the build up to this film that No Way Home would be the Endgame of Spider-Man movies and in many way, this somehow surpasses that notion. This is a movie 20 years in the making, where 3 generations of heroes and villains collide in what can only be described as everything I ever could have wanted out of a Spider-Man movie, as we see the return of Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield as Spider-Man, but also see Tom’s version discover the true cost and sacrifice of being a hero and how it affects those he loves. He finally takes that leap from young, hopeful hero to a man who knows pain and loss and despite it all, remains good, while also becoming his own hero, all alone in the end. It’s a deeply moving progression for this MCU Spider-Man and having the previous 2 Spider-Men there to guide and shepherd him into this new era only feels fitting, in what is a literal passing of the torch for Tom to be THE Spider-Man. 

And boy does it get it all so right, with beautiful callbacks to previous films, redemption for both heroes and villains, and an epic scale that caps off Spidey’s MCU trilogy in mind-blowingly intense fashion. It balances the tender and heartbreaking moments of May’s death, of which it takes it’s time to let Peter grieve and wallow in his own self-doubt, with the grandiose action of Goblin’s turn and the Statue of Liberty finale in a way that never misses a beat and feels so real, as Peter must finally come face to face with the consequences of trying to live two lives. It shows that Peter has finally come full circle, living up to his first lines to Tony in Civil War, coming out the other side a hopeful but pragmatic young man who has made the greatest sacrifice one can make and that's distancing himself from those he loves in order to keep them safe. 

We get a phenomenal cast as well, starring Jon Favreau, Thomas Haden Church, Rhys Ifans, Jacob Batalon, Marisa Tomei, Jamie Foxx, Zendaya, Alfred Molina, Willem Dafoe, Andrew Garfield, Tobey Maguire, and Tom Holland. Even with the inclusion of previous Spider-Men, Maguire and Garfield (!!!), who are so, so good and bring so much heart, humor, and levity to the film, this is without a doubt Holland’s movie, fully cementing him as a more mature Spider-Man moving forward, as this may be some of his finest acting in the suit yet. Also, wow…Dafoe has definitely still got is as the Green Goblin, proving once again why he will go down as one of the best Spidey villains of all time. 

No Way Home, directed by Jon Watts, is a monumentally epic cap to the MCU Spider-Man trilogy, branching 20 years of stories, Spidey’s, and villains and telling a darkly brutal  tale of the consequences of being a hero that ultimately allow Peter to grow into the hero he was always meant to be, with a fresh start ahead of a new trilogy of films.

9.7/10