Shelby Kernisant '23
For all the conversation-sparking and imagination-filling media that 2021 brought us from all differ
ent genres and mediums, especially from the MCU, as it seemed intent on making up for the lack of content during 2020, it seems that Spider-Man: No Way Home was always a standout. For one thing, Spider-Man as a character has always been immensely well-loved and popular. The everyday friendly neighborhood web-slinger who still faces everyday challenges like paying rent, caring for his elderly aunt, and dealing with demeaning bosses and relationships all while being blessed with spectacular ability. For many, Spidey has always epitomized a sense of normality and relatability in an otherwise wholly unrelatable world, the quintessential everyman who can joke and quip his way through the toughest of circumstances, and embolden us all a bit more as he does. Considering this, it was no surprise that the new Spider-Man film had people talking since it was announced, but there was something distinctive about this film that couldn’t be said for any other. As many reading this may know, the MCU was hardly the first big franchise to grab ahold of Spidey and wave him around as their cash cow. This is the third Spider-Man film franchise in 19 years, and, at the time of my writing this, there have been 9 major Spider-Man films released (8 if you don’t count Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse), with the titular role of Peter Parker being helmed by three different actors over the course of that time. From the beginning, this film seemed intent on being something different, something more ambitious and far-reaching than previous MCU properties had been, which leads us to the central question. Did it succeed?
No Way Home is coming out at a particularly formative time in the development of the MCU. Seeing as the film is set after Avengers: Endgame, the stakes have become a lot higher, with the threats no longer being universal with the likes of Loki and Thanos, but instead multiversal in nature. This film sees Peter come to his own reckoning with the consequences of the multiverse as other Marvel properties like Loki and Marvel’s What If… previously had, with more to come in 2022 for characters like Dr. Strange and Wanda Maximoff. Except this would be different, because while the consequences of toying with the multiverse would serve to turn Peter’s life upside down, they would absolutely stun, shock, and delight longtime Spidey fans. When the first trailer released revealed new refreshed looks at villains from previous Spider-Man franchises, the internet lit up like a match. Immediately, the nostalgia wave began to hit and it was consuming everything in its path. No one could contain their hopes of expectations for the film and how good it would be, and, as tends to be the case with films as popular as these, with those hopes came a deluge of speculation. In the second trailer, after Doctor Octopus pins Spidey against a concrete pillar, looks him over and remarks “You’re not Peter Parker”, which lit a meta-textual bonfire across the web (no pun intended), the immediate question everyone was asking was “Will Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield appear in No Way Home, and in what capacity?” This question became the subject of an overwhelming amount of internet conversations, as many were trying to contemplate the massive popularity that Spider-Man has maintained, and the mind-boggling implications of seeing the three icons come together in a first-of-its-kind tribute to fanservice in film.
To begin, I’m going to discuss the main plot, so as not to dive into spoiler territory straightaway. I know there are still lots of people out there who want to see this movie, and so I’ll be sure to give them a heads-up before I begin delving into specifics. For anyone in need of a refresher, this film promptly picks up where the previous film, Spider-Man: Far From Home had left off, with Peter Parker having his secret identity being exposed, effectively bringing his worst nightmare to reality, and dropping a bombshell on him that leaves him entirely defenseless and clueless as to what to do. In a sense, Peter seems totally alone and unprotected. His beloved mentor Tony Stark is dead, and the Avengers are more or less defunct post-Endgame, which leaves Peter without many options. Through it all though, he has his love interest MJ, his best friend Ned, his Aunt May and Happy Hogan backing him up. Even so, as Peter begins to see that him being exposed is negatively affecting the people he cares about, he decides that he needs a certain doctor to alleviate the situation, which, as you know if you’ve seen the trailers, goes horribly wrong, leading to the entrance of all the multiversal villains.
The film doesn’t immediately start off in a weighty and overly-dramatic fashion, as there are many endearingly bizarre and fun moments that Peter entertains before the plot kicks into high-gear, giving us a light-hearted and cozy tone to begin with. The film gives us plenty of time to reflect on the value of the main trio of Peter, MJ, and Ned, and their friendship. Since 2017, we’ve watched these characters grow and experience so much, from convoluted handshakes during science class, and the snap/blip, to bashing illusion drones with medieval maces.Their unbreakable bond is definitely the emotional core of the film, and a major source of tension. There’s also the fact that, aside from Doctor Strange, this film isn’t overly reliant on the idea of the Avengers. Where Far From Home was very much focused on Peter grappling with his mentor’s death and still somewhat working in his image, here Spider-Man is allowed his own story, with his own core cast, in his own friendly neighborhood, all styled in a very down-to-earth and welcoming manner. This notion goes incredibly well with the core themes of the movie: Focusing on the future, letting go of the past, and coming into maturity. At this point, our main trio are all seniors in high school looking at college, steadily moving away from childhood and into adulthood. Peter himself has been through a great deal, but this is where all his development, beginning in Captain America: Civil War, comes to a head. In this film, Peter finally has to face the truth of reality: He can’t have everything he wants all at once, and his choices have consequences. With this revelation, though it comes through tragic means, he is finally able to fully embody the quintessential figure he’s been to so many for so long. Even as he gains and loses things, his kind heart and indomitable will remain, as does his steadfast determination to keep being Spider-Man. Not because of Tony Stark, or the Avengers, but because…wait, I’m getting ahead of myself. Now it’s spoiler time.
What I’m hoping isn’t lost on all of you is the fact that the film is called No Way Home for a reason, as it represents massive, irreversible changes for Peter Parker. From here, we are headed into straight-on, no-holds-barred spoiler territory. This is a warning to all of you, if you have yet to see this film and still want to, stop reading where you see the spiders!! They will mark the beginning and end of the spoiler section, so you know what to skip. If you’re still on board, let’s get started.
Yeah, this film is a total thrill-ride, from beginning to end. Off the bat, Peter’s exposure and subsequent mass-maligning by many in NY (run of the mill stuff for Spider-Man) leads to a fantastic cameo by Charlie Cox as Matt Murdock/Daredevil, taking on the role of Peter’s public defender, and now officially a part of the larger MCU after his groundbreaking Netflix TV series. This is incredibly exciting and fortuitous, especially considering how good Daredevil is as both a character in the comics, and as a past MCU franchise. I won’t lie, his momentary appearance here has me ecstatic at the prospect of seeing him again in properties like She-Hulk in 2022. Moving forward, Peter and his friends try to continue with day-to-day life and finish high school in one piece, which they quickly find will be all but impossible. This also ends up boding badly for their college prospects, as their initial hopes of all attending MIT together (whoo lord, these high achievers) end up being dashed all because Peter is Spider-Man. Peter refuses to accept that his friends’ lives will be ruined because of him, so he goes for the most extreme option, visiting Dr. Strange and harmlessly entertaining the idea of changing the fabric of the universe itself to make everyone on Earth forget his secret. As the spell is being conducted, Peter’s hasty and thoughtless changes end up corrupting it, which Dr. Strange heartily derides him for, then getting more upset upon learning that Peter never bothered to call MIT back to make a case for his friends (which is…not an actual thing you can do. Ms. Bond, Mr. McDonald, and I had a great talk on the ride home, you can ask them for details). In any case, once the villains arrive, the real fun begins. While Peter runs along the highway, accosting an unfortunate MIT rep who’s driving home, Dr. Ock emerges, attacking Peter and generally making a mess. After he uses Stark Tech to incapacitate Otto, Peter is summoned back to the underbelly of the sanctum, where Dr. Strange is holding the Sandman and the Lizard. Strange explains that these villains being here is Peter’s fault because the people who knew Peter Parker’s identity were all summoned through the spell into this reality before he could contain it. Soon enough, more villains join this motley crew, specifically the likes of Electro and Green Goblin. When Peter first meets these villains and learns of the fates that await them, he decides that he wants to cure them of their afflictions and evil inclinations, so that they can be sent home to survive and live decent lives. Dr. Strange completely doubts this plan, leading to a confrontation between the two of them which takes on delightfully trippy imagery in the mirror realm. In any case, Peter manages to defeat Strange with the power of MATH (...*sigh*), and takes his sling ring from him, leaving him stranded for several hours. At this point, with the help of Aunt May and Happy, Peter gets down to business. Eventually, he creates cures for all the villains and plans to utilize them, but not before the Green Goblin rears his ugly head, convincing all the other villains to give up on redemption and attack Peter outright, which they do. This leads to one of the most shocking moments of any Spider-Man film I’ve seen, and honestly, this film’s defining moment in multiple ways. The Green Goblin kills Aunt May, leaving Peter without his heart and soul, and the constant source of wisdom in his life, but not before she gives him the iconic speech, “With Great Power, There Must Also Come Great Responsibility.” Peter is broken after May’s death, blaming himself for not sending the villains back sooner, but at this point, a much greater joy has entered the film to brighten the atmosphere. To answer the question from before, yes, Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire are indeed in this film, and both reprise their roles incredibly graciously, lending themselves to many heartfelt moments with MCU Peter, as well as tons of hilarious fanservice with each other and their villains. The whole final battle of this film is a non-stop joyride, with great moments like the 3 Spideys swinging and posing together, the older Spideys learning about the Avengers, TASM Spidey saving MJ in an endlessly significant moment considering his failure to save Gwen Stacy in The Amazing Spider-Man 2, and Electro acknowledging that he had thought that TASM Spidey was Black, alluding to a certain other Spider-Man in the multiverse (I don’t know why I’m being so coy, I screamed his name when that line happened. YESSS MILES MORALES FOREVER!!). In any case, just before all the villains can be cured, Gobby decides to pull one last trick, unleashing the ravenous and uncontainable spell Dr. Strange cast. He warns that the spell will pull through all beings who know Peter’s identity, effectively flooding the Earth with infinite people from infinite worlds. Before that happens though, Peter decides to make the ultimate sacrifice, and begs Strange to make everyone forget his existence, even MJ and Ned. After an absolutely heart-rending goodbye, Peter leaves his friends behind and lets the spell take effect, effectively severing his ties to everyone that he’s ever had in his life. At this point, as far as the world is concerned, Peter Parker never existed. He’s entirely alone, but even so, he carries on with the resolve that one day he’ll return to the people he loves and make them remember him, but before that, he’ll continue to thrive as Spider-Man, because like his Aunt told him, “With Great Power, There Must Also Come Great Responsibility.”
I don’t think it's any exaggeration to say that this film’s clear passion for the previous Spider-Man films, as well as its dedication to adapting its characters faithfully for the MCU is the best thing about it. This passion is incredibly well-focused on when it comes to the villains, as my definite favorites were Dr. Ock, Electro, and Green Goblin because of how refreshed and revitalized they felt. In Electro’s case, the decision was made to majorly improve his design, and give him a more fleshed out personality and comedic presence. His powers also get a major visual upgrade, making Jamie Foxx a real standout in this cast. Alfred Molina’s Doc Ock is as fantastic and hilarious as he ever was. Once he arrives, he is so sneering, and so entirely full of himself that he just can’t face it when his arms are incapacitated by a child and he’s thrown into wizard jail. He derisively picks at everything about the world he’s in, and how absurd and nonsensical it all is, being a consistent source of hilarity and the heart of the villainous bunch in a big way. In any case though, we must discuss the magnum opus of Spider-Man’s villains, the man who would help begin this worldwide fascination all the way back in 2002, Willem Dafoe as the Green Goblin. To say that he’s good in this movie is an unforgivable understatement, and doesn’t do the blistering performance he gives justice. Even though he’s almost two decades removed from these films, he falls back into the role of a businessman haunted by his darker side effortlessly, portraying such a raw barbarism and cruelty that he makes everyone around him almost look inconsequential by comparison. He almost breaks Peter down completely in rage and grief, to the point where he is willing to kill. Truly, no other villain ever had Spider-Man so beaten down and bloodied, and the Green Goblin by no means serves as a disappointment or disservice to die-hard fans of the original films. But the villains are hardly the only characters given much love by the screenplay, as Tobey and Andrew’s long-awaited to their roles was met with so much genuine emotion and affection. In a way, it almost felt like a passing of the torch, as the two great cinematic Spideys of the past give Tom Holland their blessing to continue on and create a lane of his own. In one scene, right after May dies, all three Spideys encounter each other and a beautifully poignant scene ensues, when TASM Peter talks about losing Gwen Stacy and Raimi Peter talks about losing Uncle Ben. They talk about how they became darker versions of themselves, letting their wrath overtake their goodness, in wonderfully faithful callbacks to their original films. They help Peter face the anger he feels, and plead with him to maintain his kind and good-hearted nature instead of becoming defined by revenge. I felt this moment so deeply because of how much we saw of all of these characters and how much we know the depths of their sincerity in the face of their multiversal brother’s loss. They both still have their Aunt Mays, but they are both so determined that MCU Peter not make the same mistakes that they did. It feels incredibly familial and warm, to the point of drawing tears from many in my theater. Having them as a part of this film felt like such a genuine love letter to Spidey fans young and old, and makes the experience feel so much like a heartfelt celebration despite the intense tragedy.
With that, I have more or less concluded my review for this film, but I’m still going to sum it up. Is the film perfect? No, of course not, no film is. Is it the best live-action Spider-Man film? Possibly. Is it the best Spider-Man film period? Absolutely not, Into the Spider-Verse remains supreme, although this is a close second. Personally, as a person who’s not only a dedicated fan of Marvel but who also took the time out to experience all the previous live-action Spider-Man films before watching this one, even the Raimi films which I had never before seen, this film is definitely worth your time. Joy of an adventure and a faithful tribute to longtime Spidey fans, Spider-Man: No Way Home truly has something for everyone to enjoy.
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