Rating: 4 (Out of 4 Stars)
Immediately following the events of Spider-Man: Far From Home, Jon Watts’ latest addition to the MCU’s/Sony’s live-action Spiderverse challenges Peter Parker in new ways that will eventually threaten his moral code. I must admit that there was a part of me that feared that this movie, and all that it promised to offer, would fall victim to the usual trappings that often derail other epic superhero/comic book movies of this scope. However, that is not at all the case with this new installment. Spider-Man: No Way Home takes on this challenge of storytelling and succeeds winningly in ways this Spidey franchise hasn’t quite accomplished previously.
After Peter Parker’s (Tom Holland) battle with Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal), his true identity gets revealed to the world when Mysterio leaks this information to the conspiracy theory-laden “news” website The Daily Bugle. Panicked and distressed, Parker must deal with the aftermath of this potentially cataclysmic event which will not only affect his life, but also the lives and futures of everyone close to him. Desperate to fix this problem, Peter turns to an Infinity War colleague, Dr. Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), who has the ability to change the events of the past. However, as Peter knows little about spells and sorcery, his desire to maintain some semblance of his ideal life disrupts Strange’s memory spell and creates a crack in the multiverse that makes matters tremendously worse.
Written superbly by Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers, Jon Watts’s Spider-Man: No Way Home delivers an epic Spidey movie that entertains and thrills, with genuine emotional gravity. It is an incredible emotional roller coaster of action, excitement, comedy, and morality that demands real growth on the part of Peter Parker/Spider-Man. While Spidey has faced some amazing challenges in his past adventures, this movie presents a much more personal journey which threatens all that makes him special and admirable.
Now, of course everyone, who hasn’t seen the movie, will want to know if the movie delivers on all of the promises and rumors that have been hinted since the basic plot was revealed. I refuse to spoil all of the goods in this movie, but can confidently say that most fans of this trilogy should be pleased with the end result. As for those either lukewarm or negative on the first two entries, most of these people will ultimately admit that this huge third movie succeeds where the others have failed.
In addition to the returning leads (Tom Holland, Zendaya, Jacob Batalon, Marisa Tomei, etc.) The new cast members, a lot of whom appeared in other Spider-Man movies and franchises, all reprise their old roles exceptionally. Some of them actually perform way better than they did previously. Another welcome newcomer to the MCU’s Spidey franchise is Benedict Cumberbatch, who once again portrays sorcerer Dr. Stephen Strange as great as he usually does.
Now, I cannot say anymore or elaborate any further on this movie, because I would hate to spoil all of the fun, joy, excitement, and emotions that this movie unleashes on its audiences. Spider-Man: No Way Home is an exceptonal celebration of what makes the Marvel Comic character great, loved, and admired by many, and is sure to be lauded by critics, fans and future generations.