My review of Spider-Man: Far From Home mentioned that sequel plans existed before Spider-Man: Homecoming. Unfortunately, plans stalled when Disney wanted to expand their deal with Sony, but neither could agree on the terms. Because of this, Sony announced that Spider-Man would no longer be part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which upset fans. Thankfully, Tom Holland met with Disney CEO Bob Iger and Sony Pictures chairman Tom Rothman and convinced them to renegotiate. With the business handled, filming on the third installment started in October 2020, with the original cast and crew returning. Soon, reports began surfacing that many characters from previous Spider-Man movies would be returning, including Doc Ock and Electro. Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, the film’s release was delayed from July to November to December 2021. With tons of hype built up, Spider-Man: No Way Home finally hit theaters on December 17, 2021.
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Synopsis
After his secret identity is revealed, Peter Parker (Tom Holland) has his life turned upside down. He’s labeled a murderer by conspiracy theorist J. Jonah Jamieson (J.K. Simmons), and people keep hounding him. After his friend Ned (Jacob Batolon) and girlfriend MJ (Zendaya) are rejected from MIT, Peter decides to try something extreme. He visits Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) and asks if there’s a way that he can make everyone forget his secret. Strange starts performing an incantation to erase the world’s memory, but Parker has second thoughts and accidentally ruins the spell. While trying to appeal to the dean of MIT, Peter gets attacked by Dr. Otto Octavius (Alfred Molina). It turns out that people from alternative dimensions who have ties to someone named Peter Parker have entered our world. Peter and his friends have to round up any other villains who’ve arrived, but they’ll need some help.
Review
After being hyped for several months, I’m happy to report that Spider-Man: No Way Home lives up to its expectations. First off, this is easily Tom Holland’s best performance as Spider-Man since debuting in Captain America: Civil War. While he still acts like the kid he did before, there are some emotional moments where his character grows. You feel just how the weight of his actions and what’s happened in previous movies has affected him. Jacob Batalon and Zendaya are given more to do, and their characters feel more fleshed out than before. Benedict Cumberbatch works great off of Holland as the voice of reason who gets more annoyed as Peter screws up. The action sequences are well-staged and exciting to watch, especially how they incorporate each of the villains. Additionally, each of the villains gets their moment to shine and doesn’t feel like unnecessary additions.
My only major gripe with this film, which I’ve had with other MCU movies, is the lack of consistent tone. While most of the jokes land, there are times where they’ll ruin an otherwise dramatic moment with some awkward humor. Admittedly, the use of characters from older Spider-Man films might come off as fan service, which is understandable. Thankfully, the fan service doesn’t feel forced or like it’s added in to appeal to the hardcore fans. Unlike some of the fan service featured in the Star Wars sequel trilogy, it’s handled much more respectfully here. While the movie is long at roughly two and a half hours, it never feels boring or stretched out. Issues aside, this is still another excellent MCU movie that opens up tons of possibilities for future installments. Overall, Spider-Man: No Way Home is easily the best MCU movie of 2021.
Buy tickets to Spider-Man: No Way Home from Fandango: https://fandan.co/3dEKJRD.
