The beloved web-slinger is back and dealing with the multiverse and all the problems that come with messing with it in Marvel’s action-comedy/drama, Spider-Man: No Way Home. The film opens on the heels of the last Spider-Man film, Spiderman: Far From Home, which ended with Mysterio revealing to the world that Spider-Man’s real identity is Peter Parker (Tom Holland). The fallout from disclosing Spider-Man’s true identity is bigger than anyone could have expected, with the public and the media invading his personal life and the authorities investigating Parker for being a vigilante.
The revelation is also making life more complicated and difficult for Peter’s best friend, Ned Leeds (Jacob Batalon), and Peter’s girlfriend, MJ (Zendaya). The threesome can’t seem to ever have a private moment and are being rejected by colleges – including MIT – due to their association with Spider-Man.
Desperate to find a way to fix all of this, Peter visits Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) to see if he can cast a spell to make everyone forget that he’s Spider-Man. Strange wants to help his young friend out and agrees but when he’s creating the spell, Peter interrupts him. Peter asks Doctor Strange to make it so MJ, Ned, and Happy remember he’s Spider-Man, which leads to the spell spiraling out of control. Luckily, Strange is able to get it back under control and kicks Peter out.
Not long after his visit with Doctor Strange, Peter’s confronted by Doc Ock (Alfred Molina) as well as The Green Goblin (Willem Dafoe) who are both looking to kill him. After a few superhero battles with the supervillains, Peter’s pulled back to Doctor Strange who informs the very confused Spidey that the botched spell opened a hole in their world and brought deadly villains who have fought Spider-Mans in other universes (aka the multiverse) to this world.
“They are a danger to our universe,” says Doctor Strange before sending Peter out with a special device to portal the villains, who also include Sandman, Electro, and The Lizard, back to Strange’s dungeon so he can send them back to where they came from. In order to set things right, Peter will need the help of MJ, Ned, his Aunt May (Marisa Tomei), and two surprising, unexpected, and powerful new allies.
Of the three Spider-Man films starring Tom Holland as the web-slinger, Spider-Man: No Way Home is without a doubt the biggest, boldest, and most stirring of them all. It’s an epic superhero adventure with a wonderful cast and amazing action scenes. The film also has plenty of humor, yet also carries with it an emotional intensity and punch which has been absent until now.
Tom Holland delivers his strongest performance as Peter Parker who, while trying to fix his life as well as the lives of his closest friends, has endangered the universe. Holland, who has successfully portrayed both the cocky web-slinger and the geeky, good-hearted Peter, adds even more depth to the character by having him grow and mature during the film. Holland has some very powerful, emotional scenes and delivers a truly memorable performance.
Benedict Cumberbatch steals almost every scene he’s in as Doctor Strange, Peter’s powerful friend who only wants to help Parker but ends up making things much worse. The chemistry between Cumberbatch and Holland on-screen is solid and adds to the film’s levity.
Zendaya also delivers her best performance as MJ, Peter’s girlfriend who sees them as a true team and hopes they can attend college together. Holland and Zendaya, who have never actually confirmed they’re a couple in real-life, have strong on-screen chemistry together.
The return of Willem Dafoe as the Green Goblin, Alfred Molina as Doc Ock, and Jamie Foxx as Electro raises the film to an even higher level. All three actors portray the characters they originally brought to the big screen just as vividly and larger-than-life as they did years ago. This is not a quick gimmick or cameo but a return of classic villains now threatening Holland’s Spider-Man and his world.
The film isn’t wall-to-wall action but when the superhero fights do occur, the action scenes are thrilling and the special effects are remarkable. The look of the film and the sets are among the most impressive of any of the Marvel films to date.
With a perfect cast, exciting action sequences, wonderous special effects, and some heartfelt moments, Spider-Man: No Way Home is a remarkable superhero film and one of the best films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It’s the best Marvel film to hit theaters since Avengers: Endgame.
GRADE: B+
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for sequences of action/violence, brief suggestive comments, and some language
Release Date: December 17, 2021
Running Time: 2 hours 28 minutes
Directed By: Jon Watts
Studios: Columbia Pictures and Marvel Studios
