'Spider-Man: No Way Home' Review

Sony and Marvel Studios finale to Tom Holland’s first Spider-Man film franchise has arrived, but did it live up to the grand expectations bestowed upon it? We are happy to report without any spoilers it most certainly does.  Since the announcement of Spider-Man: No Way Home, theories and “leaks” hounded the film, pushing expectations through the roof. No Way Home is the first film outside of Disney+ and Marvel Studios’ original series to tackle the idea of the multiverse and the implications that follow when it is being messed with and the sacrifices that Parker must make to be a superhero. Director Jon Watts flawlessly executes both things in the epic conclusion to the trilogy. No Way Home picks up immediately right after Far From Home after Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal) framed Spider-Man brilliantly, making it seem like he was responsible for his “death” and the massive drone attack using Stark Tech in London. Immediately the fallout hits with Parker’s girlfriend, M.J., brilliantly played by Zendaya (his real-life boo) and best buddy Ned (Jacob Batalon), learning being friends with Spider-Man is a hassle. After being exposed as Spider-Man, Peter Parker realizes this but truly resonates after he and his friends fail to get into MIT because of the drama surrounding him.

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Unlike Parker’s now-deceased mentor Tony Stark who happily revealed that he was Iron Man, Paker thinks it would be a great idea if the world didn’t know he was Spider-Man. To make that happen, he decides to enlist the help of Doctor Strange. Parker convinces the former Sorceror Supreme to cast a spell to help him and his friends out. While conjuring up the powerful spell, Parker ruins it when he keeps making requests while Strange is casting the spell, almost leading to it getting out of control, but the wizard manages to contain it, or so he thought. After comically finding out from Doctor Strange there was another way Parker could have helped his friends, we quickly learn that visitors from other universes managed to sneak through. The film wastes no time revealing Dr. Octopus (Alfred Molina) and Green Goblin (Willem Dafoe) Electro (Jamie Foxx), Sandman (Thomas Haden Church), and Lizard (Rhys Ifans) are back to wreak havoc. Source: Sony Pictures / Disney/Marvel Doctor Strange tasks Spider-Man and his friends to “Scooby-Doo” the situation and recapture villainous visitors from the other Spider-Man film franchises taking our favorite web-swinger on his most significant journey yet without The Avengers. With the arrival of  No Way Home, the biggest concern was if this movie would fall under the weight of expectations and be too bloated with all of the material it tries to mesh together in this film. Watts manages to tell a story that you can easily compare to a fantastic comic book that will have you turning pages wanting more as well-paced 2 hour 28 minute trudges along.

No Way Home delivers Holland’s best performance as Peter Parker/Spider-Man as we get to see a more emotional and darker version of the usually happy-go-lucky teenage superhero who has to deal with implications on a much grander scale.

In the first two movies, also directed by Watts, we see Peter Parker trying to balance life as a young teenager and a superhero. In No Way Home, we finally see Peter Parker forced to grow up due to unavoidable circumstances and learn firsthand that “with great power, comes great responsibility,” while trying to fix the big problem he created. Something fans have been pounding their desks demanding to see. The villains from both Sam Raimi and Marc Webb’s films don’t turn No Way Home into a mess like Spider-Man 3, a film that buckled under the weight of featuring a trio of bad guys. Instead, they provide Spider-Man: No Way Home with something notoriously hit or miss about Marvel Studios’ films, great villains. No Way Home delivers Holland’s best performance as Peter Parker/Spider-Man as we get to see a more emotional and darker version of the usually happy-go-lucky teenage superhero who has to deal with implications on a much grander scale. Where No Way Home ends up on the list of MCU films will be debated for a while, but make no mistake, Spider-Man: No Way Home is undoubtedly one of the best Spider-Man films ever made. You can peep more early spoiler-free reactions (resoundingly positive) in the gallery below. Photos: Sony Pictures / Disney/Marvel

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