Film Review - "Spider-Man: No Way Home"

Spider-Man: No Way Home
Directed by Jon Watts
Starring Tom Holland, Zendaya, Benedict Cumberbatch, etc.

Before the Marvel Cinematic Universe took off, I think most of us grew up following three major superheroes: Superman, Batman, and Spider-Man. For a long time, I think arguably they were the most popular superheroes in the media. However time has a way of changing things, and heroes like Captain America, Iron Man, Wonder Woman and others have taken a fair share of the spotlight.

Personally for me, Spider-Man: No Way Home made me remember how much I loved the webhead. I think it's one of the best Spider-Man films to date.

It's hard to talk about this one without dipping into some spoilers, so here's your warning. But I think at this point everyone knows what's going on here.

Picking up after the events of Spider-Man: Far From Home, No Way Home finds Peter Parker (Holland) dealing with the fallout of Mysterio (Taylor Swift Muse Jake Gyllenhaal) revealing his identity. Amidst legal troubles and public prosecution, Peter, his girlfriend MJ (Zendaya) and best friend Ned (Jacob Batalon) are struggling to find out what they're going to do after high school graduation. It turns out being Spider-Man or his accomplices doesn't look good on college applications.

Out of options, Peter asks Doctor Stephen Strange (Cumberbatch) if he can cast a spell to make everyone forget he's Spider-Man. Unfortunately the spell backfires, cracking open the multiverse and bringing villains from other series-I mean, universes into their own. Villains that know "Peter Parker is Spider-Man" like Doctor Otto Octavius/Doc Ock (Alfred Molina), Max Dillion/Electro (Jamie Foxx), and Norman Osborn/Green Goblin (Willem DaFoe).

First of all, this film does have a lot of fan service, but it's not Spider-Man: No Substance At All. Quite the opposite. Everything done in this film is in service to Tom Holland's Peter Parker's character arc. I've enjoyed the first two MCU Spider-Man films but they've never been my favorites. I tend to agree with the notion that those films have felt less like Spider-Man films, and more like Avengers spinoffs. No Way Home squashes that notion in a grand coming-of-age story for Peter Parker. We can now see this trilogy has functioned on a whole as the origin for the MCU Spider-Man.

As one could expect from a Spider-Man origin story things can get a bit heavy. This is definitely the darkest film of the Home trilogy. There are some truly suspenseful sequences and plenty of emotional moments. You'll feel scared, and you'll cry. But it's not all gloom and doom. There is a lot here to enjoy as a Spider-Man fan and a Marvel fan. You'll cheer. You'll cry...This film's a bit of an emotional rollercoaster!

The action sequences are vibrant and a delight to watch. Each of them are distinct from one another and take full advantage of the film's colorful character roster. Of course everything is elevated by Michael Giacchino's epic score. Seriously when this dude composes he goes all out...also he's now written music for Doctor Strange, and another film co-starring Doctor Strange. That's a little fun fact for you.

I can't go through the whole cast but Tom Holland bring his A-Game to the film, embodying all the hope and the tragedy of Peter Parker. Peter is put through the ringer in No Way Home, and Holland handles it all so well, proving again and again that he is leading this film. Zendaya gives some of her best work as MJ, bringing plenty of heart and humor to the film. She's so much more than a comic relief this time, and her relationship with Peter comes to full fruition. That's probably no small part in due to the fact that Tom Holland and Zendaya are dating but hey, art imitates life. Benedict Cumberbatch continues to own the role of Doctor Strange. Marisa Tomei gives her best performance as Aunt May yet.

Willem DaFoe is an absolute terror and treat to watch once again as Norman Osborn. He actually may even be more terrifying than he was in the original Spider-Man. DaFoe's Green Goblin would make Josh Brolin's Thanos scared. Alfred Molina is a delight to see as Doc Ock again, pouring so much heart and charisma into what is probably his most iconic role. Jamie Foxx gets his second chance to play Electro from The Amazing Spider-Man 2, and he doesn't waste it. This time Foxx is played to his strengths, and it's much better the second time around.

...Maybe skip the next two paragraphs if you haven't been paying attention to the internet the past year.

Alright here we go. One of the worst kept secrets in Hollywood history...to see Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield return as their Peter Parker(s)/Spider-Men is nothing short of awesome. And they're not just cameos. They're full-on supporting players in this film and again, are there to help progress Tom Holland's Peter's narrative. I thought they both came back into their roles seamlessly. Tobey was never my favorite Spider-Man but when he worked, he worked. He plays this perfect older brother/mentor to the other Spider-Men, and has the same heart and charm he did in 2002. Andrew Garfield, I always thought he was a great Spider-Man. I liked The Amazing Spider-Man, and I know the second one isn't perfect, but he was consistently great throughout the duology. It's nice to finally see his Peter Parker getting the recognition he deserves from audiences (About damn time...) and he absolutely stole the show. Seeing Maguire and Garfield back, and together with Holland is such an exhilarating, emotional thing. Like literally watching cinematic history in the making.

Side-note, could you imagine if Tobey and Andrew's appearances didn't leak? Imagine if we all went into this film having absolutely no idea...the collective storm of minds being blown...oh well.

Not since 2011's The Muppets has my love for a property been so reinvigorated. Spider-Man: No Way Home is peak Spider-Man. It's fun, it's heartbreaking, and it's Avengers: Endgame level-epic. It's nearly twenty years of film history culminating in something that's never been done before, while also paving the way for a bold and intriguing future for MCU Spidey. I cannot wait to watch it again (safely because you know, Big Rona) and buy my copy of the Blu-Ray. It should go down as one of the best superhero films of all time (Have I said that about an MCU film before? I don't care).

...And let's give Andrew Garfield his The Amazing Spider-Man 3...just not exactly the one they were planning in 2014 because whoa boy...

Yeah...About Spider-Man Joining The MCU

If I may quote John C. Reilly in Guardians of The Galaxy, "This may not be the best idea…"

There was a time when Spider-Man was one of the most popular superhero characters brought to film. Back then though, we had nowhere near as many superhero film franchises on the screen that we do now. Back then, we probably only had Spider-Man, Superman, and Batman with a few failed attempts at The Hulk and Fantastic Four scattered in between.

Let's focus on the mid-to-late 2000's. In 2005, Christopher Nolan began his Batman series with Batman Begins, but the world had yet to see how much this series would shake up the system. They would have to wait until 2008 for that, with the very successful sequel The Dark Knight.

In 2006, Superman made a mediocre to return to the screen with Superman Returns. The film failed to get the franchise going again, and fans would have to wait until 2013 for sadly another mediocre, successful reboot of the character in the form of Man of Steel. 

Then in 2007, came Spider-Man 3, making the web-slinger the first of the three to complete a…ahem, successful, trilogy of films at the time (By the way, we're ignoring the Christopher Reeve Superman films, and any pre-Nolan Batman right now).

Now we all know what became of Spider-Man 3, and frankly all of Sam Raimi's original trilogy hasn't aged too well. So while the world would wait for a Spider-Man 4 (and never get it), Superman would return to film-development purgatory, and Batman would continue to soar under the direction of Nolan.

The very same year The Dark Knight came out, Robert Downey Jr. walked up to a podium and said "I am Iron Man", and something truly special began. Of course I'm referring to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. A franchise of films produced by Marvel Studios themselves. These films soon gained a huge fan base, and gave heroes like Iron Man, Captain America, and Thor who weren't well known by the general public, a chance to shine.

After Phase One of the MCU came to a ground-breaking conclusion with The Avengers, the franchise continued to grow. Phase Two would give Iron Man, Capt, and Thor more to do, while taking a gamble with Guardians of The Galaxy. A gamble that turned into one of the most successful films of the year. Marvel was at a point where it seemed like they could do no wrong. The MCU is poised to raise the bar again this summer with Avengers: Age of Ultron, and end Phase Two with an introduction to another lesser known hero in Ant Man.

"Okay what about Spider-Man?" you ask? Well, in 2012 the franchise was rebooted with The Amazing Spider-Man. I myself have often heard mixed reactions to the film, but personally I find it better than the entirety of Sam Raimi's trilogy. Last year, its sequel was released. You'll remember I gave my own review of it, but the general consensus was The Amazing Spider-Man 2 was no good.

Sony Pictures began trying to fix their mistakes. The Amazing Spider-Man 3 was thrown into limbo, and the Sinister Six spinoff was pushed up a year. There was talk of another spinoff featuring all of Spidey's lady friends (Black Cat, Spiderwoman..), and another spinoff about…Aunt May??

Meanwhile, Marvel Studios showed their hand, and revealed the entirety of Phase Three. All of it. A third film for Captain America and Thor. Introductions to more lesser knowns like Doctor Strange, Captain Marvel, and Black Panther. And a culmination of everything that has come before, with a two-part event, Avengers: Infinity War. The world went nuts, while a certain Spider-Man, a character that was once one of the most popular superheroes out there, was taking a backseat to the likes of Rocket Raccoon and Hawkeye, and becoming as big a joke as a George Clooney Batman.

It was clear, Kevin Feige and Marvel were very confident in this plan that had been laid out, and couldn't wait any longer to reveal it to their fans. One has to imagine a plan like this had been years in the making, and carefully thought out.

(Alright. History lesson over.)

Then, a few days ago, what was only a pipe-dream for many fans became a reality. Sony agreed to play nice with Marvel, and Spider-Man was announced to be joining the MCU. After the initial shock, and letting more information get released, I've decided to voice my thoughts on all of this.

First off, I don't have a problem with Spider-Man joining the MCU. I want to make that clear. He's one of Marvel's most popular characters and he deserves to be back home, and under their supervision. My problem is how they're bringing him in. A new Spider-Man solo film has been announced for July 2017. The hardcore-nerds will remember that is when Thor: Ragnarok was supposed to come out. As a circumstance of the new Spider-Man film, the back two-thirds of Phase Three have been shuffled around.

Here's Phase Three pre-Spidey:

• Captain America: Civil War
• Doctor Strange
• Guardians of The Galaxy 2
• Thor: Ragnarok
• Black Panther
• Avengers: Infinity War Part 1
• Captain Marvel
• Inhumans
• Avengers: Infinity War Part 2

and here's Phase Three with Spidey:

• Captain America: Civil War
• Doctor Strange
• Guardians of The Galaxy 2
• New Spider-Man Film
• Thor: Ragnarok
• Avengers: Infinity War Part 1
• Black Panther
• Captain Marvel
• Avengers: Infinity War Part 2
• Inhumans

I've spared the release dates, but as you can see, everything after Guardians 2, with the exception of Infinity War Part 1 and 2, has been pushed back a slot to make room for Spider-Man. This seems really confusing. Why was everything pushed back but Infinity War? The supposed grand crescendo of the MCU (Assuming whatever Phase Four is, if it even is). Black Panther, which was our last film before Infinity War began is now sandwiched between the two parts, and Inhumans has gone from being in-between the Infinity War's to now becoming the official(?) end to Phase Three, much like how Ant-Man  and Age of Ultron swapped spots in Phase Two.

So my question is, do Panther, Marvel, and Inhumans really have that little effect on Infinity War? I can't imagine so, except with maybe Inhumans. I see that one being like Guardians, off doing its own thing while The Avengers take care of everything on the other side of the universe. Safe money is on all of these characters getting in on the action in The Infinity Wars, just how and when has changed.

Now while I'm sure they already have a storyline/timeline planned for Phase Three, I think it's safe to say scripts for all of these films are still being written (or re-written if Spider-Man's really changing things up). Will what they had in mind for Captain Marvel or Black Panther back in October be completely different to what we'll see in a few years? Most likely. Was this plan for Phase Three not as concrete as originally perceived? Perhaps.

Ask for Spider-Man himself, well he will no longer be played by Andrew Garfield, which is sad. Garfield was a perfect Peter Parker, and unfortunately fell victim to a bad script and studio direction with The Amazing Spider-Man 2. It almost feels like unjust punishment to the poor guy, who was such a huge fan that he dressed up as Spider-Man at Comic Con many years ago, at The Amazing Spider-Man's panel. Reports say they're recasting someone younger, and looking to bring Spider-Man back into his high school days. One can deduce from that the continuity of The Amazing Spider-Man 1 & 2 is being thrown out the window. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 wasn't flat-out terrible. It had its moments, and part of me wishes Sony would finish what they started, but que sera.

So where's the beef? Well, look at it like this. Imagine every year at Thanksgiving dinner, your cousin, let's call him Marvin, got the best seat and say grace. Then he went to go work in some other country, and so gradually you took his seat at the table, and you got the honor of saying grace. Then wham. One Thanksgiving, Marvin finally comes home, and you know what? He took back his seat, and is saying grace. The seat and privilege you earned after he just went and left it, and he just took it back. You're a punk Marvin…anyway…

That's kind of what bringing Spider-Man into the MCU is feeling like. A lot of fuss is being made over the return of this one character, and everything is being changed for him. Captain America, Thor, even Groot, characters that by all accounts weren't expected to have become this mainstream, and dare I say earn their popularity, seem to be getting the shaft because cool kid Spider-Man's back in town.

Then you have Panther and Captain Marvel, who fans have been demanding to see on film for years, poised to finally get their chance to shine, are now getting put on a back burner for Spider-Man. Black Panther is set to appear in Captain America: Civil War, and supposedly so is Spider-Man, set to make his debut appearance in the MCU. I can't bring up too much issue with this. Spider-Man is a key player in the Civil War storyline in the comics, and Black Panther really wasn't, so we'll be getting a more faithful adaptation. Panther's appearing in Civil War before his solo film, and I'm betting we'll get a glimpse of him in Age of Ultron, so it's not like this character is disappearing into Spider-Man's shadow. Let's just hope he doesn't fall to what I'm going to call now "The Thanos Effect", meaning we'll only see one or two glimpses of him for years until his own film comes out.

But back to the likes of Captain Marvel, which brings me to my final point. If you asked me if I wanted to see another Spider-Man film or a Captain Marvel film…I'd pick Captain Marvel. I honestly think we've seen enough Spider-Man for awhile. If it were up to me, I'd save him for Infinity War, ushering him in as a key player in Phase Four or whatever the MCU becomes once Phase Three ends. I like that Marvel keeps giving us new characters to fall in love with, new heroes to root for. Spider-Man…I think we need a break from him. It's like Batman. Not a few weeks after Nolan's trilogy had ended, rumors of another reboot of The Dark Knight was coming. Now it's pretty much here with Superman Vs Batman: Dawn of Justice next year (A new solo Batman film has yet to be announced). Then there's the show Gotham, but another topic for another day.

I am not a studio executive or Hollywood insider. To self-depreciate for a moment, this is nothing more than the ramblings of a cranky nerd. I'm well aware that everything is still in a stage of "what if". Scripts are probably still being written, actors are probably still being cast, and this deal was probably months in the making. Feige and Marvel probably had this as a Phase Three-Plan B if the deal with Sony ever went through. Call it the result of the North Korean/hacking of Sony awhile back, or the failure of The Amazing Spider-Man 2, but this is now happening. Perhaps Spider-Man joining the MCU will have a barely noticeable change to Phase Three. I mean as of right now, the shifting of Ant-Man appears to have had no effect on Phase Two, so who knows. Only the people at Marvel and Sony know. For now, I remain cautiously optimistic.

One thing that can be certain, is we can expect to see a fresh and superior take on everyone's friendly neighborhood Spider-Man in a few years. Welcome Home, Spidey.