The Marvel train just won’t stop running. After a nice year-long break from the over-indulgence of non-stop Marvel flicks, the frequency of these new entries serve as a reminder of what dominates the box office these days. Black Widow was an entirely average prequel that felt far too delayed for any real impact, Shang-Chi was a nice change of pace from the usual affair and Eternals was a messy, but bold, venture into something genuinely unique. So with the year coming to an end, we must rely on the much more familiar Spider-Man to cap off this daunting influx of over-exposure. I’m a huge fan of the MCU as is, but far above that, I’ve always had a great love of the wall-crawling arachnid hero since I was a very young child. Not dissimilar from many other millennials, I grew up with the Sam Raimi directed trilogy that ran throughout the 2000’s; flawed but charmingly campy pieces of nostalgia. I initially enjoyed the two “Amazing” films, but over time, I really grew to see them as incredibly flawed attempts at trying to make a grittier version of a character that never really exudes grit. When Spidey was added to the MCU, my inner child couldn’t wait for the possibilities. I enjoyed both of the solo films that were decorated by the over-arching impact of the MCU, but they never quite reached that personable quality of the original trilogy. There’s been nothing but pure excitement for this next entry, but the worry, for me, came from the idea that the use of villains from previous universes were nothing more than nostalgia-baiting. Whatever the case, there was still that inner child that couldn’t wait for the idea of seeing the combination of three different generations of Spider-Man universes coming together. This is Jon Watts’s final entry in the trilogy, Spider-Man: No Way Home.
Starting directly where the previous film, Far From Home, left off, Peter (Tom Holland) has had his identity revealed to the world and has been branded a murderer by the villain Mysterio. Peter’s superhero life begins to impact his loved ones, like his girlfriend, MJ (Zendaya) and his best friend, Ned (Jacab Batalon), with the three of them failing to get into universities due to the controversy. Left feeling desperate, Peter decides to visit fellow hero, Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) who agrees to create a spell that will erase the memories of everyone who knew Peter’s identity. Peter consistently tries to tamper with the spell by making exceptions, but this almost causes the universe to rip apart. The spell was unsuccessful, so Peter tries his best to make amends with the university. But as soon as he can try, a visitor from another universe has made his way in: Doc Ock (Alfred Molina) arrives, mistaking him for his Spider-Man. After a battle on a bridge, Strange informs Peter that other universes have made their way over due to the failed spell, with villains like Green Goblin (Willem Dafoe) and Electro (Jamie Foxx) also arriving. Peter learns that these villains must return to the universes, but must also suffer the fate of dying at the hands of their Spider-Mans. Peter can’t accept that and decides to formulate a plan to cure the villains of their gained powers, trapping Strange in a mirror dimension, so he can’t interfere.
Reiterating my initial worries, there was that nagging thought that this film would be too focused on calling back to previous films than trying to develop this iteration of Spider-Man. I do enjoy the concept of re-visiting these villains, but there’s also a cynical side of me that values character growth. I was happy to see that the film still maintains the focus on Peter’s progression. The film manages to remind us that Peter is still a kid and often makes mistakes that can come across as selfish, but we see that constant desire to help others start to take priority. This film is like a constant struggle for Peter, and watching him desperately seek out the good in even the most evil of people is something that has always been admirable about the character. Peter wanting to brainwash reality into forgetting him is something that goes from unknowingly selfish to something that defines the best qualities of the character. This re-enforces that relatable human side that makes this character so endearing. As much as the previous MCU entries may not have grabbed my admiration as much the original trilogy, it’s hard for me to imagine anyone else more suited to the essence of the character than Holland’s portrayal; he combines the best qualities of the two predecessors and we see a fully formed version of this by the end.
An element that has been much more prevalent in these Spidey outings is the presence of more supporting characters. MJ and Ned are fantastic additions to the dichotomy of Peter’s story, adding so much more than just goals for Peter to save. Aunt May (Marisa Tomei) hasn’t always been the strongest version of the character for me, but she’s always had a more unique and “fun” approach, you really feel the weight of a later emotional scene in the film. The villains toe this line between the typical MCU brand of evil and feeling as though they’ve been ripped from the respective universes. The Raimi and Webb films are so tonally different from the MCU entries that it can sometimes feel as though we’re seeing different versions of the characters. Dafoe feels elevated in this, however, with a much more sinister portrayal, being able to flex his facial expressions. Foxx was given a much more gratuitous portrayal compared to the complete joke that was his Amazing Spider-Man 2 attempt, but he doesn’t feel anything like that version of the character. It was great to see Molina return to the role, being my favorite villain from previous films, but I felt as though he was written far close to the tone of the MCU, he works so much better within the campness of Raimi’s universe. Both Sandman and Lizard have smaller roles in this, but work well to flesh out the multiverse elements, though having them constantly in CGI-form was disappointing, having the actors return in voice form was still nice.
Something that has been noticeably lacking from this iteration of Spider-Man is the sense of real tragedy. The biggest aspect of this character is how tragedy always follows him, and previous versions of the character have often suffered. This film definitely does this aspect with more justice, we watch Peter’s identity being revealed impact everyone he cares about and we watch him lose things that can’t be recovered. I really enjoyed how the villains all contributed to this aspect, especially with Green Goblin. Norman’s role in this not only perfectly encapsulates the split personality that the original film balanced quite perfectly, but manages to capture that genuine fear and unpredictability that defines the original character from the comics. He’s the catalyst of Peter’s limitations in trust, Peter can see the scared human side of him more so than the demonic personality that pops up from time to time.
Regardless of all the deep analysis I can pour into this review, this isn’t a film that desires too much introspect. The nostalgic callbacks can be quite hit or miss. Some lines from the Raimi trilogy are re-iterated here that feel more pandering than charming and the character just describing scenes and plot-points feel like contrived attempts at catching newcomers up to speed, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t left with a massive grin on my face from time to time. Seeing Dafoe and Molina above Foxx, Ifans and Church returning to the roles was great, as if they’d never left. I do feel as though some of the dialogue and specifically the humor can be a little dense and often forced at times, Sandman’s reason for turning to villain again is super-rushed, but this isn’t exactly new for the MCU. This film definitely celebrates the legacy of the character of Spider-Man, but still feels attached to that MCU blanket. This isn’t necessarily a major issue, but it does become apparent when you’re trying to meld together three universes.
This film has managed to attain quite the uproar. Seeing this compared to the universally loved Spider-Man 2 and Into the Spiderverse was quite shocking for me, before I watched it. There’s a lot to enjoy with this film, from it’s great narrative of really testing Peter’s limitations to the not-to-egregious fan-service to the surprisingly dynamic cinematography and wonderful score, full of callbacks to the likes of Elfman and Zimmer’s previous compositions. There’s rarely ever a dull moment, and without spoiling anything (it’s hard to decide what dictates it with this jam-packed film) the final act is pure, unadulterated fun for any Spider-Man fan. While some of the dialogue is overly forced, there are too many scenes where I was just so happy that those issues felt tiny in comparison. Just watching the villains share dialogue about there experiences or the numerous action scenes that are never entertaining is something that continues to remind me why I love superhero movies so much. I can come across as quite cynical when I review superhero movies, but I do enjoy them, and this one excels above most of the MCU line-up. It’s not perfect, and I still much prefer films like Spider-Man 2 and the definitively superior Into the Spiderverse, but it certainly left a lasting impression. If you’re a Spider-Man fan, this is definitely the best timeline we’re living in. Check it out.
Written review by C. Johnson.