Review: Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)
An ambitious romp through the Spider-Man mythos.
A little hype can be a dangerous thing and can turn any good project into a disappointment. Spider-Man: No Way Home, the final installment of the MCU’s Spider-Man trilogy, had so much hype behind it, that it seemed destined to buckle under the weight of its own expectations. Somehow, though, through what I can only assume to be a mixture of skill, experience, heaps of money and a bit of luck, the whole thing works surprisingly well. If you are even remotely interested in superheroes, you should watch it, preferably unspoiled.
So, be wary. ’Cause here be spoilers.
No Way Home starts off where Far From Home ended, with the secret identity of Spider-Man (Tom Holland) revealed to the world. While in most superhero stories this would trigger attacks from villains on his loved ones, here the problems are a lot more mundane, at least initially: warrants, hordes of fans, and mobs of detractors, but nothing life threatening. But when his girlfriend MJ (Zendaya) and best friend Ned (Jacob Balaton) can’t get into any colleges because of their affiliation with him, Peter decides to call in the help of fellow Avenger Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch). In what is no doubt a prime example of ‘with great power comes the ability to wield it frivolously and with no regard for the consequences’, Strange is all too eager to help his young friend by casting Mass Forgetfullness on the whole world. Peter remembers too late that not everybody should forget, and the spell is contained before it can take effect, but also not before it pulls in others from around the Multiverse. Others? Why yes, as the trailers made clear, No Way Home takes its villains from the earlier Spider-Man movies; not the Tom Holland movies, no, the earlier ones. So we get Doc Ock (Alfred Molina), Green Goblin (Willem Dafoe) and Sandman (Thomas Haden Church) from the Sam Raimi directed movies, and the Lizard (Rhys Ifans) and Elektro (Jamie Foxx) from the two Amazing Spider-Man movies. Shenanigans ensue, Peter tries to do the right thing, people get hurt and die, other Spider-Mans show up (yes, Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield reprise their roles as well, albeit older and somewhat more weary) and ultimately, our Peter Parker learns what it truly means to be Spider-Man: to be broke, alone and unloved. Good times.
No Way Home has a lot of ground to cover, and it does make some weird leaps, especially in the first half. But it is beyond surprising how well everything works, given how overstuffed it seems. Tom Holland probably does his best Spider-Manning here, providing an emotional core to the movie, in conjunction with Zendaya and Tomei. The characters from the other franchises are the real draw here, however, and they definitely deliver. Maguire and Garfield clearly enjoy their little victory lap, and it’s quite something to see the three of them together like this. A lot of praise has already been heaped on Dafoe and Molina, and rightfully so, but Foxx as the revamped Elektro is an underrated stand-out for me. He easily switches from menacing to jokey, and his comedy timing is really great.
At the end of the movie it becomes clear that the entire Home trilogy was really an origin story for this Spider-Man. No longer is he propped up by other Avengers, and he finally got his “With great power comes great responsibility” moment. The context is a bit different though. He doesn’t get it from uncle Ben who dies after Peter refuses to do the right thing; no, he gets it from aunt May who dies because Peter tried to do the right thing. In my view this makes it a whole lot more selfless and heroic, so props for that.
Look, No Way Home does make a few small missteps, mainly in its first and third act pacing, but these matter little against the sheer, unbridled joy of watching the whole thing play out, meme references and all. And sure, it doesn’t top Into the Spider-Verse, but few movies do. It does (for me) top all other live-action Spider-Man movies, and a lot of the MCU. Here’s to hoping we haven’t seen the last of this Spider Menace.
