Film Review — Spider-Man: No Way Home

Summary

Spider-Man: No Way Home is a pivotal film in the MCU's Spider-Man series, concluding the "Home" trilogy while leaving the door open for future stories, balancing fan service with a focus on character development and moral dilemmas.

Abstract

Spider-Man: No Way Home is not the end of Tom Holland's Spider-Man in the MCU but rather the end of a particular chapter. The film picks up after the previous installment's credits, where Spider-Man's identity is revealed, leading to a crisis for Peter Parker and his friends. Peter's attempt to undo this with Dr. Strange's help results in chaotic consequences. The narrative maintains a strong focus on Peter, MJ, and Ned, exploring Peter's moral compass and youthful flaws, while also incorporating well-executed action scenes and visual effects. The film is reminiscent of classic Doctor Who stories in its themes and structure, and while it may not top the original Sam Raimi films in the reviewer's personal ranking, it stands as a solid and entertaining entry that offers a grand conclusion to the trilogy.

Opinions

The reviewer praises the film for not relying solely on meta, self-referential fan service, despite the potential for it.
The central theme of second chances is handled with humor and heart, true to the essence of Spider-Man.
The plot, while having some nonsensical elements if scrutinized too closely, is not meant to be over-analyzed and should be enjoyed for its storytelling and thematic exploration.
The reviewer suggests that the film's enjoyment might be enhanced for fans of classic Doctor Who stories, hinting at thematic similarities.
No Way Home is appreciated for its character-driven narrative, with the visual effects complementing the story rather than overshadowing it.
The reviewer expresses a preference for the high school-centric themes of the previous two films, Homecoming and Far From Home.
No Way Home is seen as providing a grandiose closure to the "Home" trilogy while maintaining the potential for future Spider-Man films.

Does the third MCU standalone Spidey spectacle satisfy?

Credit: Marvel/Sony/Disney

Spider-Man: No Way Home represents a culmination of sorts for the series. However, it is not, as some have erroneously claimed, the ultimate end for this iteration of Tom Holland’s Spider-Man as a regular fixture in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. This film brings the curtain down on a certain chapter of his life, but there remain intriguing potential paths the character could take in films to come.

I’ll say very little about the plot for fear of spoilers, suffice to say it picks up from an event depicted in the mid-end credits scene of the previous film, wherein Mysterio has one last sting in his tail by revealing to the world Spider-Man’s identity (via JK Simmons’s belligerent J Jonah Jameson, an alt-right conspiracy theory broadcaster in this version of the story). As a consequence, Peter Parker finds himself at the centre of controversy, with some believing him hero and some villain. In addition, his girlfriend MJ (Zendaya) and best friend Ned (Jacob Batalon) find themselves guilty by association, as all three have their college applications rejected. Desperate to fix this, Peter turns to sorcerer-not-quite-supreme Dr Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) to cast a spell that will wipe the world’s collective memory of his secret identity. Needless to say, things go pear-shaped and there are some pretty catastrophic consequences.

Without getting into spoilers, it would have been very easy for No Way Home to degenerate into meta, self-referential fan service. Whilst there is some of that, and it is well-deployed (particularly in the final act), the film never loses focus on its central trio. The story takes some unexpected turns, providing interesting insight into Peter’s essential decency and desire to do the right thing, whilst still exploring his flaws and inexperience in the manner of all great Spider-Man stories. The cast are all very good, including certain actors I cannot mention, again for fear of spoilers. Visual effects are well up to scratch, and there are a few eye-popping action scenes well worth catching on the big screen. However, these are not overdone. Director Jon Watts and screenwriters Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers ensure the characters drive the narrative, without feeling the need to throw in huge fights just for the sake of it. Michael Giacchino’s score is another plus, as it has been for all three recent Spider-Man movies.

I need to see this again to decide where it ranks in my table of favourite Spider-Man films. My number one and two positions remain the first two Sam Raimi/Tobey Maguire entries respectively. However, this isn’t a Spider-Man film that can be seen without having seen the others. I also think I preferred the John Hughes-inspired high school-based shenanigans of Homecoming and Far From Home. By contrast, No Way Home most resembles a certain kind of (enjoyable) Doctor Who story from the classic 1963–1989 era, but I can’t cite episode titles, again for fear of spoilers. Suffice to say, Doctor Who fans of a certain age will understand what I’m getting at when they see the film.

In short, Spider-Man: No Way Home is a solid, satisfying, entertaining entry in the series, providing a suitably grandiose closure to one set of films (those with “Home” in the title), whilst keeping the door open for more. Yes, there are flaws in the fairly nonsensical plot, if you think about it too hard, but why do that? My suggestion is to go with it, as the film delves into its central theme of second chances with humour and heart, in the best traditions of Spider-Man.

This article was originally published at Simon Dillon Books. For more about me and my writing on Medium, please click here. For a list of my published novels and other works, please click here.