‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ is a Multiverse Worth Visiting– Spoiler-Filled Review
Spider-Man: No Way Home wraps up the trilogy started in 2017 in spectacular fashion. It’s a comic book movie, and that’s a great thing.
The fans have been waiting not-so-patiently for No Way Home to arrive for quite a while. Especially with the cloak0-and-dagger way Marvel has marketed it. We were left guessing up until things showed up on the screen. The villains were on full display, but the movie has even more (fantastic) surprises up its sleeves.
“For the first time in the cinematic history of Spider-Man, our friendly neighborhood hero is unmasked and no longer able to separate his normal life from the high-stakes of being a Super Hero. When he asks for help from Doctor Strange the stakes become even more dangerous, forcing him to discover what it truly means to be Spider-Man.”
Massive spoilers below the trailer. Haven’t seen the movie yet? Check out our spoiler-free ‘No Way Home’ review instead!
Is Spider-Man: No Way Home Good?
The Story
No Way Home puts its entire focus on Peter and what it means for him to be Spider-Man. Peter goes through so many life-shaping moments in this movie before he chooses to have everyone forget him.
He’s exposed to the world, and his friends are negatively impacted by his identity. Aunt May, his only family, dies during a battle with the Green Goblin. He finds love with MJ and ultimately loses it.
Peter goes through extreme emotional turmoil and comes out with a better understanding of life and his standing. This is the most emotionally powerful and honest Spider-Man we’ve seen on screen. Holland proved himself to be the best choice for the job yet again.
via Sony Pictures
The plot around saving the villains’ lives fits into something Peter would do. I’m not sure how fixing them changed outcomes in the other multiverses, but that’s not really the point here. The action of giving them a second chance to be people that aren’t tortured and evil is.
It’s the ‘with great power, comes great responsibility’ part of Spider-Man in full force. Also: how great was it to finally hear that line in the MCU?!
Overall, this is a Spider-Man movie. Not a part Avengers part Spider-Man movie. I’m thankful for it.
How About That Cast!?
That Charlie Cox cameo was fun. I hope we get some more of that.
There were a lot of theories about whether or not the previous Spider-Men would be in No Way Home, especially with their villains being confirmed. I’m glad they went all out and that the two actors were game to come back.
There were whoops of joy and clapping when they showed up in Ned’s house. The conversations about their unique and shared spider abilities and experiences were just fantastic. The three Peters felt like a trio of brothers.
I appreciate the work it took to get everyone back; some of the actors took convincing. Alfred Molina, Willem Defoe, Jamie Foxx, Thomas Haden Church, and Rhys Ifans are just as big of a part of this as the Peters. If they weren’t there, this would have quickly fallen apart.
via Sony Pictures
The Okay Things
My main issue is the fact that this movie followed the brilliant Into the Spider-Verse. While No Way Home has its own unique features, it feels like an echo of the animated multiverse with its multiple Peters. It the biggest detractor for me.
I was excited to see Toby McGuire and Andrew Garfield back on screen, and really enjoyed the chemistry between all three actors. It was a hair away from being gimmicky, though.
I’ve seen some complaints/confusion about how the multi-verse timeline works. But I’m just going to throw that into the ‘this is a comic book movie, stop thinking so much’ bucket of thought.
The movie isn’t claiming scientific accuracy. There’s a wizard and a guy made out of sand, for frack’s sake. Same idea applies to magic’s ability to wipe MCU Peter out of living memory across the multiverse and still allow him to have the documents needed to rent an apartment.
Stop thinking so much.
via Sony Pictures
Easter Eggs and Theories
The ending and inclusion of Daredevil makes it feel like Spider-Man being brought to street level. It’s effective, especially after starting his story in an intergalactic battle in the MCU.
Sony and Marvel have stated that they want to keep going with Holland. Holland has said he doesn’t want to be Spider-Man after he’s 30. This gives them maybe one more movie if the actor is up for it. My hope is we’ll get live-action Miles out of it.
The the mid and post credit scenes have a lot going on, too much to add here.
Check out our detailed break down of the ‘No Way Home’ post-credits scenes!
Some nice touches I noticed include:
- The Rogers The Musical billboards from Hawkeye (which is after on the timeline)
- Happy keeping Dum-E in his condo
- They made the pointing meme real
- McGuire’s back problems
- Garfield getting to save the girl
What are your thoughts on the twenty-sixth MCU movie?
Spider-Man: No Way Home is in theaters now.
