‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ Review: You’ll Laugh, You’ll Cry, You’ll Love Every Minute Of This Home Run
Everyone has fond memories of watching their first ever superhero movie. For me, that has been Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man. From then on, the world has changed a lot, and so have my movie companions, Spider-man and his villains, and the franchises. And yet, there’s something about Spider-Man that still brings up emotions close to the heart. With Spider-Man: No Way Home, the fan expectations have been incredibly high, and it’s not just because the Multiverse is opening up, evidently, from the trailer, and the worlds of Marvel and Sony are colliding. Credit goes to director Jon Watts, and Tom Holland as Peter Parker, Zendaya as MJ, Jacob Batalon as Ned, Jon Favreau as Happy Hogan and Marisa Tomei as Aunt May, for giving us a truly enjoyable franchise with Spider-Man: Homecoming and Spider-Man: Far From Home, which naturally makes you look forward to what happens next with Peter Parker.
View this post on Instagram
Well, let me NOT tell you, because this is a spoiler-free review of Spider-Man: No Way Home, and there’s no way I’d spill deets, I am not Ned Leeds! But what I am going to do is talk to you about all the massive, Hulk-sized feels I had while watching this beautiful, emotionally charged and incredibly hilarious film!
Spidey 3 is directed by Jon Watts, written by Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers, with cinematography by Mauro Fiore, and editing by Jeffrey Ford and Leigh Folsom Boyd. The music is by Michael Giacchino. And it is produced by Columbia Pictures, Marvel Studios and Pascal Pictures. Along with the core cast, there’s also Benedict Cumberbatch as Doctor Stephen Strange, Benedict Wong as Wong, JK Simmons as J. Jonah Jameson, Alfred Molina as Dr. Otto Octavius aka Doc-Ock, Willem Dafoe as Norman Osborn aka Green Goblin, Jamie Foxx as Max Dillon aka Electro, Thomas Haden Church as Flint Marko aka Sandman, and Rhys Ifans as Dr. Curt Connors aka Lizard.
Now you already know from the trailer what to expect, no? Spider-Man’s true identity has been revealed by the Daily Bugle’s J. Jonah Jameson who brands him a villain who killed Mysterio, a hero. *rolls eyes* Chaos ensues. He goes to Doctor Strange (call him, Stephen) for help, bada bing bada boom, magic spell, something goes wrong, the multiverse is open for business and it’s open season on Peter Parker by Spidey villains from other universes. FUN.
Also Read: The First Full Spider-Man: No Way Home Trailer Is So Full Of Details, Our Brain Is Spinning!
Fun is essentially what I’ll use to describe Spider-Man: No Way Home, even though the sinister title (no, it is not a wordplay about the Sinister Six, don’t overanalyse) indicates things could get worse. But No Way Home is brimming with witty one-liners that are well-timed and carried perfectly by Jacob Batalon, Zendaya, Benedict Cumberbatch and a few other characters we shall not name. When I tell you I cracked up, I was literally at the edge of my seat, clapping my hands loudly and laughing.
What is possibly one of my favourite things about the current Spider-Man franchise is that it remains rooted in its core conflicts being born out of teenage issues, in keeping with young Peter Parker’s age. So sure, he fought some purple alien in space, but he doesn’t have an existential crisis, he has college admission issues. He doesn’t go to Doctor Strange because he can’t handle everyone knowing he is Spider-Man; he goes to him when his BF and his GF can’t get into MIT for college since they’re known associates of Spider-Man, Public Enemy No. 1. And he’s worried about his aunt and Happy’s dating life in the wake of his truth coming out. I love that!
This is perhaps the funniest, most emotional Spider-Man film, IMO, because there’s a lot of familiar character arcs being opened up along with the multiverse, and nostalgia being served by the gallon. In fact, Peter Parker himself delves deeper into the moral responsibilities of being a powerful hero. You could say he’s coming into what we’ve known is the ethos of Spider-Man as we’ve always known him. It’s a good thing that Peter has people like May and MJ guiding his moral growth. But at times, you do wonder if the whole ‘being morally right to the extent of foolishness and pointless sacrifice’ might be a good idea.
View this post on Instagram
Yes, that is my one misgiving with Spider-Man: No Way Home, where a confused Peter Parker with no Nick Fury or Tony Stark to guide him, is a bit too naïve and led on by the tiniest gleam of good in people, even villains. Sure, his tangle with Mysterio and now these villains, will harden him and prepare him for the tough times to come. But sometimes, I had to remind myself just like Strange had to, that Peter is only 17. And even that didn’t always help mitigate the issues I had over his decision making or the fact that none of the other Avengers or basically anyone in his whole-ass universe was trying to reach and help the poor kid out.
But no, come on, I won’t be docking any points for that! Because even with the little misgivings and loopholes that I am still wrapping my head around, I thought Spider-Man: No Way Home was an absolute frickin’ home run, and I loved every minute of it. I remember telling my fellow movie companion how Hollywood superhero movies seem to be taking a leaf out of our old Bollywood playbook where the heroes have enough time to fight villains while swinging in some emotional moments too. We saw that happen with Avengers: Endgame during the Portals scene, where you know shit’s about to get cheesy AF but you don’t care because the nostalgia is just too overpowering, emotions are running high, and it’s an epic, universe-altering moment that looks fantastic on that big screen.
Not to mention, you’ve got people around you screaming and cheering, just like you. How do you beat that? How does anything even matter after that?
Also Read: Spider-Man: No Way Home First Reviews Are Out, It’s Being Called “Best Spidey Movie To Date”
A few well-deserved nods
Tom Holland shoulders this great responsibility of playing Spidey really, really well and as much as I love Tobey Maguire (he the OG!) and Andrew Garfield, I think Holland is my favourite Spidey performance. The core cast does a great job, though I feel like Happy was AWOL for too long. We need more Happy, you guys! Jacob and Zendaya are hilarious, one with her deadpan deliveries and another with his expressions. And I LIVE for the way Holland looks at Zendaya every time like she is the sun herself. But I think this film belongs to the guest cast, from Cumberbatch’s Strange to Alfred Molina, Willem Dafoe and Jamie Foxx!
The action sequences are a delight to watch, coupled with Michael Giacchino’s music, inducing the right bits of euphoria, sadness, bittersweet feelings.
There’s lots more to talk about, including the many, many callbacks and references peppered through the film, as well as how it connects to MCU’s Phase Four. And ya girl is dying to discuss it all but alas, I promised, no spoilers!
Verdict
I mean, do you really need me to say it? Spider-Man: No Way Home is going to be one hell of an enjoyable experience for fans. It’s cheesy, takes a lot of things for granted, and might even make you sceptical about some of the plot points. But it is such an ambitious, intense swing down memory lane and with a home-like familiarity of 20 years worth of Spider-Man nostalgia, that there’s no way you won’t be smiling, laughing and even tearing up a little while watching the film. And might I add, mouthing some of the dialogues! It’s practically an event of epic proportions.
Spider-Man: No Way Home releases in theatres on December 17, 2022.
PS: There’s a mid-credits scene and an end credits scene. So sit yo ass down till the credits are done rolling, and feel free to applaud the hard work of all on the crew, including all the Indian names that I know you’ll be counting.
