Before the advent of the MCU, Spiderman was by far the biggest superhero belonging to Marvel comics, followed by the X-men and the Fantastic Four. In a universe chock full of characters capable of feats beyond your wildest dreams, from beings who devoured entire planets for breakfast, to those whose ambitions spanned across the cosmos, a friendly neighbourhood Spiderman struggling with rent and classes proved relatable to the vast majority of Marvel’s readers. Hence, the massive popularity.
The MCU began with Iron Man, who, for all intents and purposes was not an A-lister for Marvel. It is a testament to the brilliance of the MCU that a B-tier superhero spawned the juggernaut that we all know and love today.
Spiderman is quite possibly the only character present in the Marvel pantheon who can have a solo movie rivaling Avengers: Endgame, a movie with a decade of buildup. It is a testament to the sheer power Spiderman holds over the hearts of the common man. You don’t need a billion dollars. You don’t need a title of royalty. All you need is the moral compass to look out for the little guy.
Spiderman: No Way Home had incredible expectations to meet. It would’ve been so incredibly easy to create a campy, fan-servicey movie that had certain scenes for the sake of having them. It’d have been so easy for the creators of the film to trawl through online forums and create a checklist and just present them on the big screen, making hundreds of millions in the process.
Suffice to say, Spiderman: No Way Home meets every single expectation you could have going into it, and it absolutely smashes it out of the park. It is a rollercoaster from start to finish that’ll leave you smiling through the tears, because at the end of the day, it is a loveletter almost twenty years in the making.
Prior to viewing this, most people would’ve listed Spiderman: Into the Spiderverse as their favourite Spiderman, or even favourite superhero movie. They’d not be wrong. In my eyes, that is a piece of content that has changed the medium of animation and storytelling. Spiderverse drove home the message that anyone can be a superhero. No Way Home, more than any other previous Spiderman movie, drives home the identity of Peter Parker. At the end of it all, beneath all the struggles and angst, Peter Parker is someone who will always, always look out for those less fortunate. Doesn’t matter the cost to him personally. Because that’s what he does.
When Tom Holland was casted as Spiderman I remember being remarkably underwhelmed. I was one of those Tobey-purists, who felt that no one could replicate his charisma and modesty on the big screen. Over the years, as the movies have kept coming, Tom Holland has slowly proved me and a lot of others wrong. He truly comes into his own in No Way Home, acting like his life depended on it. From the trailer alone you can surmise that No Way Home has a TON of content crammed into 2.5 hours, and Holland brings his A-game to every single scene. He absolutely nails the “beaten down but still determined” face Spiderman is so well known for. I don’t know how Marvel found him, but the decision has paid off in spades.
Benedict Cumberbatch proves time and again he’s capable of stealing the scene, even in a movie not dedicated to him. After the events of Endgame, the faces of the new leads of the MCU were shrouded in mystery. No Way Home puts those doubts to rest, showing that Dr. Strange and Spiderman are capable of that role. Zendaya and Jacob Batalon are much better utilized in this movie too, showcasing their ride or die attitude towards their best friend who’s had his entire life flipped upside down due to recent events.
Okay, enough about the good side.
No Way Home is also a homage to the many foes Spiderman has battled on the big screen over the years. It isn’t just a homage to the characters, it is also a homage to the actors who played those roles. The villains had to share screen time, despite which they almost seemed to be better written this time around than in movies dedicated solely to them. Jamie Foxx’s Electro is a notable example of this. He genuinely seemed to be enjoying himself on screen, while being way more menacing than he was in the Amazing Spiderman 2.
Alfred Molina’s Dr. Octopus proves to be a timeless classic, with him having some of the most unexpectedly cathartic moments in the movie. He shows that despite the time gone by since his last appearance, he is still just as dangerous, destructive, and versatile, proving to be more than a match for his new adversary. Underneath his villainous exterior he displays the soul of a brilliant scientist corrupted while trying to do good.
Every year brings new Marvel movies. Every new movie sparks a debate regarding the best villain the MCU has brought to the big screen. No Way Home puts down those debates for good, reminding the audience that the best MCU villain already made his debut 20 years ago.
Willem DaFoe’s Green Goblin.
Few actors can portray the batshit insanity of Green Goblin as well as DaFoe. He comes back with the intention of reminding us who grew up watching Spiderman why we were terrified of him, and oh boy does he deliver. In a few short scenes he almost manages to make the movie all about him. His voice, his expressions, his body language, absolutely everything he brings to the screen is terrifying. A crazy old man on a glider has more of an impact on Spiderman than a purple alien with the power of the universe in his hand. DaFoe showcased a visceral, brutal villain who is the absolute antithesis to our protagonist, bringing chills down your spine everytime he spoke.
Although honestly, I had chills the entire time so what do I know?
There are of course other villains present, but they had a relatively minor on-screen presence as compared to the above.
The movie reminds you in quick fashion that despite multiple villains, across multiple franchises, it is after all a Spiderman movie, and it does so in style.
It isn’t perfect if you look at it from a writing point of view. I have a few minor gripes here and there with it but for what it’s worth… this movie deserves all the love you can give it. You’d be willing to overlook these flaws because they seem almost minuscule in comparison to all the elements it nails.
Of course it has fan-service in it. Like I said, it is a loveletter 20 years in the making. Despite this, every scene, every cameo, every line… feels earned. I like to think of the fan-service in this movie as being emotional, as compared to the fan-service in Endgame, which was a bit more on the action side of things. I’m not saying that this doesn’t have the latter, but you’ll understand what I’m saying when you watch it.
This is why No Way Home is one for the history books. This is why No Way Home will have you glued to the screen, witnessing the spectacle in front of you through bleary eyes. This is why Peter Parker is so incredibly endearing, no matter the medium used for his story.
This is why you owe it to yourself to watch it.
Side note: I was cheering quite loudly at the very first cameo that lasts for barely a minute, so you can imagine the state of my being for the rest of the movie.
