Sometimes you just have to ‘Marvel’ at what the aptly named Cinematic Universe has done. Like any so-called franchise, it has had its ups and downs, but kudos are justly deserved for efforts like Guardians of the Galaxy (after all, who throws 170 million at a story revolving around a talking raccoon, a tree that only has one line, a very literal E.T., a green female alien with anger issues, and a sarcastic self-professed Star-Lord), or how everything was brought beautifully together to create a most cinematic experience with Avengers: Endgame. And the newest laudable effort to add to the list – 2021’s Spider-Man: No Way Home, directed by Jon Watts.
A movie that must be experienced firsthand, this is going to be a very short and as close to spoiler free review as possible. Tom Holland’s third outing as the friendly neighbourhood superhero, it picks up nearly right after the second feature finished. Peter Parker has been outed as Spider-Man by vanquished villain Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal). . . meaning that his beloved girlfriend, MJ (Zendaya), attached at the hip best bud, Ned (Jacob Batalon), mother-figure Aunt May (Marisa Tomei), and adult assistant Happy (Jon Favreau) are also feeling the squeeze of the ever-present public eye. Leading to repercussions in all of their lives (college, privacy, and beyond), Peter turns to Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) for some advice. . . and that’s about all I’m going to say on the plot.
Though this one does not match the original Holland Spidey in regards to comedy (quite the combination of hits and misses here), it does something very different – heightens the stakes and focuses the lens on what a burden it is to be a superhero. It finds the humanity beneath the masked-suit, and the dangerous amounts of phony love and vitriol that come your way as a scrutinized person in the public eye. Nothing is truly your own, every past decision analyzed (and boy can that still haunt you), your present stalked. . . loved ones targeted, while peace and quiet is utterly unattainable.
Carrying with it a poignant pathos (though that might echo a bit redundant – it should), we have been in this comic book movie phase for over two decades now – X-Men coming to the screen in 2000 and the original Tobey Maguire Spider-Man in 2002, and this really is the first feature that provides a serious sense of nostalgia. . . it is still hard to believe that it has been that long.
A true spectacle to be experienced (especially for fans of this New York web slinger), Spider-Man: No Way Home is a true feat of cinematic marvel. It twists and turns, the same old story but somehow different. It meanders through time and space, leading to unforseen consequences. And it asks many intriguing questions, leaving a number of them to linger long afterward. So, enjoy this most unique motion picture, somehow it feels like you get three movies for the price of one.