Spider-Man has been on the screen for many years and has had several different interpretations. Most recently, he's been a part of the MCU, and it's this iteration of the character that I have the biggest connection to. The films in this version have definitely been good; Homecoming has unfortunately got worse for me with time though it is still solid, and Far From Home is still as awesome as it was when I first saw it. But, now, the character is back, and it's bigger than ever, in No Way Home. Obviously, I was really excited for this movie. The possibilities of what could unfold in this were just insane, and I could not wait to witness what was in stall. I haven't been this excited for a new film since, well, probably Avengers: Endgame.
In the film, after having his secret identity revealed, Peter Parker's life is turned upside down. He seeks Doctor Strange for help but, after attempting to cast a spell to fix things, an array of characters from all over the multiverse start to arrive.
This movie was ridiculously good. I'm afraid I cannot discuss my thoughts without going into spoilers so do not read ahead if you haven't seen the movie. If you want to know my overall opinion though, you can safely skip to my conclusion as that won't contain any specific plot details. So, SPOILER ALERT!!!
There's so much that works about No Way Home, I don't actually know where to begin. I think what's best about it is that it takes this iteration of the character to places we haven't seen before. This film is dark, and it takes a lot of what happens very seriously, and best of all, it has actions that have consequences. With the ending of Peter accepting that he has to let everyone forget who he is, it would've been so easy and so Marvel for the filmmakers to act as if it's a great big sacrifice but promptly undo all the consequences in favour of a sweet ending. But, no, they take a very mature route by having Peter accept what he's had to do because it's his responsibility, which ties into the core idea of Spider-Man, that being that with great power comes great responsibility.
Obviously, one of the more exciting aspects of the film is seeing a bunch of characters from previous iterations of Spider-Man in film making a return, and boy was this awesome. Most significantly, the Spider-Men played by Tobey Maguire from the original Sam Raimi trilogy and Andrew Garfield from the Amazing Spider-Man films are back, as we all hoped. When they entered, my audience erupted into applause and cheering, which is the sort of thing I love in cinemas, and was especially amazing here considering it was ten o'clock in the morning! The way they interacted with Tom's Peter was too perfect, whether it be in comedic ways such as comparing all the things they've encountered while being Spider-Man, or in dramatic ways when they offer some of their wisdom and guidance to prevent him from making mistakes they made. I honestly could not have asked for more in this aspect of the film.
The villains are also many from Spider-Man past, including Alfred Molina's Doc Ock and Willem Dafoe's Green Goblin, and they were all very entertaining and satisfying to see back on screen once again, and the way they also interacted with each other and MCU characters was tons of fun. The action scenes in this movie were also just awesome; the first encounter with Doc Ock (which parts of have been shown in the trailer) was so smooth and flowing alongside some dialogue interaction that was such a joy. The sequence set in the mirror dimension was also really cool, placing us back in a really inventive setting we haven't seen much of, and throwing Spider-Man in there too. The climax was also just as terrific, and the sight of seeing all three Spider-Men working alongside each other and quipping with their familiar enemies was simply marvellous, if you'll pardon the pun.
My one issue with the movie was the second act, specifically the section where Peter attempted to cure all the villains. This part was a little uninteresting because you know that they'll eventually turn on him so you're just sat waiting for that moment, which I was. However, I am willing to look past it as the way it tied into the rest of the narrative was highly appropriate, and it led to the beautifully heartbreaking scene that was Aunt May's death, which I honestly didn't see coming. It was really great to hear her deliver the iconic great power comes great responsibility line too.
I'm kind of lost for words. Spider-Man: No Way Home was just absolutely magnificent. It blew me away with how perfectly it executed each and every aspect of this story, so much so that I don't really think it could have done it any better way. Sure, it has its flaws, but none that I'm unwilling to overlook as they still enable this masterpiece to function as it does. Overall, the best MCU film ever except for Avengers: Endgame, which I do have some more issues with but I feel had a much harder task to pull off and thus is a bit more impressive, though only by a small degree. This is also the best Spider-Man film ever aside from Into the Spider-Verse, just because that is obviously a bit more audacious. A remarkable piece of work for sure and the best film of 2021 for me.
I'm going to give Spider-Man: No Way Home a 10/10
Yeah, I rarely give a perfect score to a film on my first viewing, and this isn't perfect, but I don't care. I'm too stunned.
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