SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME review by Mark Walters – Tom Holland & Benedict Cumberbatch spell trouble

SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME review by Mark Walters – Tom Holland & Benedict Cumberbatch spell trouble

In the last SPIDER-MAN movie, Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal) perished in the final battle, but managed to strike Spider-Man (Tom Holland) with a devastating blow by outing him to the world as Peter Parker, and in a major twist this info was delivered by none other than J. Jonah Jameson, played by Sam Raimi’s SPIDER-MAN trilogy star J.K. Simmons! In SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME, the highly-anticipated third installment of director Jon Watts’ trilogy, Peter Parker is now reeling from being blamed for killing Mysterio, and being outed as a “murdering” superhero. So he pays a visit to none other than Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), hoping the Master of the Mystical Arts can undo this skewed revelation by casting a spell that will make it so no one knows Peter Parker is Spider-Man. But he realizes a little too late that his wish comes with risky consequences, and also unleashes a “Multiverse” paradox… which brings back some familiar characters. This is the basic synopsis of the latest Spidey adventure, one of the most ambitious solo superhero films ever made.

Director Jon Watts opens the new movie exactly where the last film left off, giving us the sense that these characters never even had time to process their last incredible adventure before this new drama unfolded. The first twenty minutes or so of the plot deals with how Peter Parker (Holland), MJ (Zendaya), and Ned (Jacob Batalon) handle the shock of their newfound infamy, even leading to Peter temporarily moving himself and his Aunt May (Marisa Tomei) into the sprawling apartment of the late Tony Stark’s right hand man Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau). It isn’t until Peter reaches out to Doctor Strange that the film really feels like it gets going. I’m going to avoid major spoilers here, but I will talk about some of the things shown in the trailers, so consider that a small warning – I swear I am NOT spoiling any major events that take place later in the film. Strange’s botched spell fractures the multiverse enough for a few familiar Spider-Man villains to slip through, though familiar to US and not Holland’s Spidey. Doc Ock (Alfred Molina), Green Goblin (Willem Dafoe), Electro (Jamie Foxx), Sandman (Thomas Haden Church) and The Lizard (Rhys Ifans) all turn up and attack Spider-Man before accepting he’s not THEIR Spider-Man. At this point Peter realizes he’s faced with a difficult choice, as are they… he can either send them back to their respective fates in their own universes (meaning death), or attempt to “fix” them and perhaps change their destiny for the better. Doctor Strange doesn’t think Peter’s idea is sound, and insists there is only one possible solution, and it’s not pleasant.

SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME seems like it’s struggling to find its most interesting plot point. The idea behind Peter, MJ and Ned having to adjust to Jameson’s slander could easily have filled an entire movie, and perhaps made for a fascinating character study and engaging challenge for the three leads. When Peter visits Doctor Strange hoping to fix things, the plot shifts strongly to the villains and their destinies, and what Peter’s meeting with them could mean. And then there’s yet another shift in story when Peter creatively traps Doctor Strange away from the action, and Cumberbatch pretty much disappears from the second half of the film for a large period of time. I was initially excited at the idea of a Spidey and Doctor Strange team-up, not unlike the “Marvel Team-Up” comic books of the good old days, but was kind of surprised at how sparsely Strange is ultimately used here. I suppose much of that was for the sake of the story moving forward, but it was nonetheless a little jarring.

The middle portion of the film focuses on Peter’s interactions and struggles with the villains now in his world, and while it’s cool seeing these now classic characters all together, it also makes the film itself feel at times over-packed. The stakes in this outing definitely feel higher and more personal, not to mention closer to home, and there are some bold choices made for the sake of story and Peter’s character development. All in all it’s a very entertaining and fun ride, while at times VERY emotional, and should be quite satisfying for fans of the beloved character. Tom Holland gives his strongest performance to date as Peter Parker, which is impressive given the heavyweight actors he’s sharing the screen with this time. Out of the villains, Willem Dafoe feels the most natural and effective, while some of the others at times make the film seem like it is overdoing things a bit. Zendaya and Jacob Batalon also find new depths with their respective characters, and it’s quite easy to feel for these folks when things get tough. The action sequences are strong and intense, really testing the limits of all the characters involved. We very much get the sense that Peter is being pushed to his limits here, and looks realistically exhausted after some of the fights.

The final act of the film is packed to the gills, bordering on being excessive while still being powerful and entertaining. The ending scenes will undoubtedly be very divisive with fans, and might leave some quite angry. I admire the filmmakers for taking some big risks here, and never losing sight of what makes ALL of these characters tick. In many ways this third chapter reminds me a lot of Daniel Craig’s final James Bond outing NO TIME TO DIE, which was also fairly controversial with fans due to its daring and somewhat shocking ending. While I can say I liked SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME, and I’d even call parts of it incredible and masterful moviemaking, I can’t help feeling that there are sections of it that are noticeably disjointed and awkward. The film’s run time, which is just under two and a half hours, does give it a bloated feeling, but I’m not sure what could or should have been cut other than maybe one or two less villains to clutter the plot. I’ll put it this way – if you love this movie, I fully understand why… and if you hate it, I kind of get that too. I feel like some of it may not age well, but what does work makes up for the shortcomings. There are three to four moments I recall immediately where I got choked up and realized just how much I had grown to love these characters, and after so many attempts at Spider-Man on the big screen, there’s something to be said for yet another Spidey film having that kind of effect. If nothing else it does make me excited for DOCTOR STRANGE AND THE MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS, which the events of this film will likely play a big part in, and that may also be because I miss seeing Doctor Strange on the big screen. Make sure to stick around through the credits for not one but two stingers, the second of which is worth the price of admission all by itself.

SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME hits theaters on December 17, 2021

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About the Author

Born and raised in Dallas, Mark has been a movie critic since 1994, with reviews featured in print, radio and National TV. In 2001 he started the Entertainment section of the Herorealm website, where he contributed film reviews and celebrity interviews until 2004. After three years of service there, he started Bigfanboy.com, which has become one of the Dallas film community's leading information websites. Bigfanboy hosts several movie screenings in the Texas area, and works closely with film and TV studios and promotional partners to host exciting events and contests. The site also features a variety of rare celebrity and filmmaker interviews, and Bigfanboy.com regularly covers the film festival circuit as well. In addition to Hollywood reporting, Mark has worked for many years as an advertising and sci-fi/comic book artist. Clients have included Lucasfilm Ltd., Topps Trading Cards, The Dallas Mavericks and The Dallas Stars. From 2002 until 2015 he managed the Dallas Comic Con, Sci-Fi Expo and Fan Days events in the DFW area. He currently catalogs rare comic books and movie memorabilia for Heritage Auctions, and runs the Dallas Comic Show conventions, but remains an avid moviegoer and cinema buff.