Spider-Man: No Way Home Brings It All Home
Marvel Studios has had quite the year between its many successes on both the small and big screens. And it seems like they keep upping the ante with each project, which raises the question: How well does our friendly neighborhood Spider-Man round out 2021? Does he stick the landing, or is it a web swing and a miss?
Find out below in this review, free of spoilers aside from what you would see in the trailers.
Spider-Man: No Way Home takes place directly after the events of Spider-Man: Far from Home – Peter Parker’s (Tom Holland) identity as Spider-Man has become known to the world, and it’s made life difficult for himself and those closest to him. And to make matters worse, in an attempt to fix this mess with the help of Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) he’s created a whole multiverse of new problems.
Now, I’m sure plenty of you are sick of superhero films, and if that’s the case No Way Home is not gonna change your mind.
However, there is a lot to love about this movie, whether you are a MCU noob or a Wall Crawler aficionado like myself.
For starters, it’s a good-looking film. The use of the more surreal shots akin to the Doctor Strange movie really gives No Way Home a great sense of visual integrity. Director Jon Watts has definitely done his homework with all the visual details. However, that black and gold suit should never be used again.
This star-studded cast was filled to the brim with familiar faces and while no performances stood out per se, Tom Holland has proven his mettle as everyone’s favorite web head and has a bright future in the role.
Alfred Molina and Jamie Foxx give solid performances as Doc Ock and Electro respectively. Molina is without question Otto Octavius; he doesn’t miss a beat as he reprises the role. Jamie Foxx was allowed to act as a dignified Electro, not the walking ball of angst that Marc Webb made him out to be in The Amazing Spider-Man 2. This is only helped by his phenomenal acting chops.
The music was pretty good for MCU standards, capturing the spirit of the Spider-Man mythos.
Overall, No Way Home has serious Endgame vibes; It plays like the greatest hits of almost two decades of Spidey content. The first half is standard MCU schlock, but the latter half feels like a true Spider-Man experience.
The hype for this one is real, but if you have lingering questions, I suggest you grab a face mask and check it out.
I give Spider-Man: No Way Home (Columbia Pictures and Marvel Studios, PG-13, 2hrs 28mins) a 4 out of 5.
