★★★★★
Picking up hot off the heels of Spiderman: Far From Home, after having his secret identity revealed by Mysterio, Peter Parker must adapt to life where the world knows he is Spider-Man. When Peter begins to face the repercussions of being framed for murdering Mysterio and for the drone attack in London, he turns to Dr. Strange for help. But when Strange’s magic spell goes awry, Peter is faced with new multiversal threats.
Spider-Man: No Way Home was the perfect Spider-Man movie. And by that, I mean anything a fan could possibly dream, it had it. Now, it’s extremely difficult to delve into discussing this movie without spoilers, but I can say without a doubt it was the best Spider-Man movie I’ve ever seen, as well as one of the best Marvel Cinematic Universe, rivaling even Avengers: Endgame. A big part of this praise was the energy in the theater at key moments, similar to when the excitement of seeing Captain America finally lift Mjolnir. I’m sure most people have already seen No Way Home given the crazy records it has been setting, but if not, I’d highly recommend seeing this movie in the theater and as soon as possible to get the full experience.
Tom Holland gave his best performance yet, bringing his A-game as Peter. One of the reasons he shined so bright, however, was his co-stars Zendaya and Jacob Batalon. These three have had fantastic chemistry since Homecoming, and their bond really shows here with each of them elevating each other’s performances to the next level. Director Jon Watts brought his flavorful balance of comedy, action, and heart – all of which are necessities in crafting a great Spider-Man film.
Now, I don’t believe these are spoilers since they were revealed in the trailer, but I thoroughly enjoyed seeing Alfred Molina’s Doc Ock and Willem Dafoe’s Green Goblin return to the big screen. Having seen them battle Spider-Man almost 20 years ago, it was such a treat and a fan service to see them return in their supervillain duds.
Something loved about the movie was that it was all about second chances. Doc Ock and Green Goblin died fighting Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man, so when they were brought to the world of Tom Holland’s Spider-Man, instead of just sending them home to be killed, he made an effort to cure them of their madness. To give them a second chance so they wouldn’t have to be sent back home to die. I can’t think of a more fitting theme for Spider-Man than to give someone a second chance.
Maybe I’m still just caught up in the excitement, and maybe my opinion will change when I rewatch it sometime next year, but I have to give this movie 5/5 stars. It did and had everything I could have possibly wanted from a Spider-Man movie, and I still almost can’t believe it happened, it was so good. No Way Home is definitely my favorite movie of 2021, and I believe most everyone seeing it would agree.