By Caleb Tiedemann
MAJOR SPOILER WARNING!
Spider-Man: No Way Home was one of the most hyped-up and anticipated Marvel movies to come out this year. All of this was primarily thanks to the rumors and the advertisements that Marvel practically forced down your throat until you could not go anywhere without hearing or seeing it. After a year of average Marvel, I was starting to feel burnt out and hoping the future would be b6etter. Little did I know that Jon Watts was going to drop one of the best Marvel films of all time right into my lap, to cap off 2021. I arrived home for Christmas break and caught church and breakfast with my friends. Then we went to the mall and mentally prepared ourselves for better or worse. Two and a half hours later, we all came to the same conclusion, “WOW!” I do not think it is too far to claim that Spider-Man: No Way Home is nothing short of a masterpiece.
No Way Home picks up right where Far From Home left off: Mysterio revealing Spider-Man’s identity to the world. With Spider-Man/Peter Parker’s (Tom Holland) friends and family at risk, he seeks help from Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch). When Strange tries to cast a spell that makes the world forget Peter Parker is Spider-Man things go horribly wrong and dangerous foes from alternate dimensions appear to put him to the test. In the end, Peter learns the true cost of what it means to be Spider-Man.
Similar to the other movies I review, there are many amazing details to go over. Let’s start with the elephant, or elephants in the room, the names that everyone wants to hear. The appearances that made the people in my theater scream, clap, cry and shout: Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield. The appearance of these characters sent me into an insane frenzy of love and joy. Being one of those 2000s kids, I grew up with Maguire and Garfield, and seeing them back in their titular roles was jaw-dropping and nostalgic. Their intro was not superb but I loved it way too much to be annoyed. Tears and shouts of joy filled the theater on that day. A moment and feeling that cannot be matched. I felt young again, I felt nothing but joy to see them back in action.
You could tell that Maguire and Garfield were both thrilled to return to their roles as they both acted with all their heart, making it seem as if they never left. Tom Holland gives his ultimate performance in this film as Peter is driven to the edge of his sanity, broken and beaten, by trying so hard to be the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. Alfred Molina’s return as Doc Ock is another smile-inducing moment. When he is turned good, he is so wholesome and happy, being able to truly be Alfred Molina instead of Ock. Then there’s the other villains: Rhys Ifans’ Lizard, and Thomas Haden Church’s Sandman. Both get further personality development and fun moments as classic villains. Jamie Foxx’s Electro also stood out as an awesome performance. Despite not being blue or balding, Foxx was given a great opportunity to make amends for the previous butchering of Electro.
Now, we get to talk about the MVP- Green Goblin. Willem Dafoe returns as the titular Spider-Man villain, the one who started it all. Dafoe’s performance was nothing short of legendary. He truly brought his crazy back without a second thought. I personally loved him so much more through this movie as he adopts a very similar personality to that of Heath Ledger’s Joker. The way Goblin tanks punches all while smiling and laughing is one of the most bone-chilling scenes. It gives off the Batman/Joker interrogation scene vibes from the Dark Knight. Instead of having an ulterior motive, the Goblin just wants to break Spider-Man in any way he can, and he almost does. He kills one of the people closest to Peter, driving him nearly mad with grief and instilling vengeance within him. Similar to how Maguire and Garfield had to learn to deal with the grief of losing Uncle Ben and Gwen, so must Holland. Due to the Goblin, Peter is brought to the edge of his sanity, almost losing who he truly is along the way. This was one of the most heartbreaking, surprising, and emotionally well-done things in this movie.
Visually, this movie is stunning. The CG is believable and works well. The Doctor Strange fight is beautiful. Getting tossed back into the mirror dimension is always a visual treat. The cinematography is jaw-dropping. The humor was also fantastic. The interactions between the villains are funny, and the interactions between the three Spider-Men are hilarious. The movie does an excellent job of balancing humor with heart. The humor never feels out of place and never overstays its welcome. Small little details can be revealed in the shortest of sentences. They even got Willem Dafoe to say, “I’m something of a scientist myself,” again. I mean, come on, how could you not like this movie?
Now, for the plot. Previously, the Spider-Man movies have been nothing but fun and adventure, with no real stakes and no real character. . This does not mean they are bad by any means, but it makes them lesser than, especially if Peter is the exact same after six movies. In this movie, there are stakes and so much development, and not just development for Peter, development for a whole cast of characters from the last twenty years! For once, Spider-Man can’t just get out of trouble by swinging away and making a quip. He is stuck, trying to help everyone and balancing the weight of the world on his shoulders. In the end, he has to make the ultimate sacrifice and let everyone forget he is Spider-Man to save the universe. The ultimate sacrifice that really cemented his reign as a legendary hero.
Grade: A+