Spider-Man: No Way Home

 

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

Ever since the advent of movie trailers, the Internet, word of mouth, smoke signals, and mental telepathy, the concept of "hype" for movies is extremely real. Producers want people to flock to the cinema and fill up every seat so their movie can be a huge blockbuster success, and will more often than not pull out all the stops to create hype, excitement, and anticipation for their final product. More often than not, the hype is not real, and audiences leave the theater feeling they were duped into watching something fantastic when it reality it was a fantastical dud ("Suicide Squad," "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull," and ironically "Spider-Man 3" come to mind). Yet there were other films so incredibly hyped that not only was it real, but somehow managed to exceed even the loftiest, highest expectations and transcend into something more than just a movie - but turn into an experience, a film that resonates to your very soul and latches itself into you, refusing to let go, and transforms how you feel about cinema and even the world as a whole. While "Spider-Man: No Way Home" had the hype built up for literally years now, some people were concerned that the hype would far exceed the reality - but just the opposite happened. It turned into an experience. A once-in-a-lifetime moment that can never be duplicated, a rare film that you wish you could go back and watch for the first time all over again.

After his identity was revealed to the world, Peter Parker (Tom Holland) struggles with the instant fame and scrutiny that comes with it, as people equally see him as hero and villain, the latter due to the constant mockery of Daily Bugle's J. Jonah Jameson (J.K. Simmons). This impacts not just his life, but the lives of his Aunt May (Marisa Tomei), girlfriend MJ (Zendaya), best friend Ned (Jacob Batalon), and Happy (Jon Favreau), and he wishes that everyone would forget he is Spider-Man. He gets an idea to visit Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) and have him cast a spell to make everyone forget, but in the middle of the spell he balks and worries that his friends and family will also forget, leading to the spell not working and unleashing a multiverse threat as bad guys from different universes have now converged in Spider-Man's universe bent on destroying the Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man.

The story of Peter Parker is not new to anyone who's ever read a comic book, as he's up there with the likes of Superman, Batman, and Thor as some of the most famous comic book superheroes of all time. What sets him apart from others is the fact that he's just a kid - a teenager who got bit by a radioactive spider and immediately gained spider-like powers. He keeps his identity secret because he worries about his friends and family getting caught in the cross-hairs, and it's an incredibly heavy burden to be placed on a teenager. Yet, as Uncle Ben said so famously in the first "Spider-Man" film: "with great power comes great responsibility." Parker never relented on doing the right thing, and even tried to see the good in the bad guys he was fighting, hoping to find some sort of redemption for them and not view them simply as bad for the sake of being bad. He does all this with a youthful glee and biting sarcastic wit that also makes him endearing and lovable - even though he messes up (often), he tries to fix it and make everything right. After all, he's just a kid, still learning the ropes of juggling being a superhero and also trying to get into a good college, make friends, and maintain a healthy romantic relationship.

Spider-Man has gone through three different iterations on the big screen, starting with 2002's "Spider-Man," featuring Tobey Maguire in the titular role. That franchise spawned three films and the first two are still hailed as some of the best examples of superhero films of all time, while the third proved that sometimes too many villains over-clog the system and retains lackluster returns. In 2012, Spider-Man was rebooted into "The Amazing Spider-Man" with Andrew Garfield as the role, and that franchise only saw two films before audience approval waned. Finally, the MCU brought in their own Spider-Man with 2017's "Spider-Man: Homecoming" and introduced the world to Tom Holland, who would go on to represent the best of all the Spider-Men that came before him (although that's up for vigorous debate). By including Spider-Man in the grand scheme of the MCU, he was allowed to do something that other Spider-Men before him couldn't: be a part of a team. He was with the Avengers in the fight against Thanos, was brought in by Iron Man to fight on his side against Captain America, and even gained a mentor in the billionaire playboy philanthropist. In most respects, this Spider-Man got off easier compared to the others, but again - great power, great responsibility.

"No Way Home," in a sense, serves as Peter Parker's graduation. He's forced to move on from a somewhat jovial existence to being thrown into the social spotlight and treated like a pariah, and witnesses how it negatively effects those he loves around him. Eager to make things right, he inadvertently makes things far, far worse when he messes up a spell cast by Doctor Strange, sending several Spider-Man villains from other universes to his world. To this end, "No Way Home" is much, much more than a solo superhero outing, but turns into...as a certain villain once said...an Avengers level threat. The cinematic response to this was an Avengers level response: a once-in-a-lifetime experience where practically the whole audience was cheering, shouting, clapping, standing, waving their fists, and even crying and sniffling. To anyone who thinks superhero films are a lesser medium, I challenge you to watch this film and not be incredibly moved by the story.

Director Jon Watts had a seemingly insurmountable task in front of him: bring in some of Spider-Man's most notorious villains and do so in a way that still crafts a story worth telling, unlike Sam Raimi's "Spider-Man 3" that was met with a loud international groan of pain from the audience. Not only did he manage to avoid that pitfall, but he must've used some magic spells of his own, because while the film was littered with bad guys, he still managed to tell a story worth telling, sending the characters we've come to know and love into deep emotional depths that we never saw before, all the while paying homage to a Spider-Man franchise that's as fractured as the multiverse itself - spanning twenty years of Spider-Man films into one epic, shining, perfect moment.

Tom Holland deserves all the praise as he must face a more personal threat than he's had before, as the likes of Doc Ock, Green Goblin, Electro and others set out to kill him, while a general populous sees him as a vigilante villain. This can be too much for a grown adult, but Spider-Man isn't even out of high school yet, and Holland perfectly balances the super-heroics with the mental stress he endures with the world literally crumbling around him.

Likewise, his girlfriend and best friend, MJ and Ned, also have moments to shine that they haven't had the opportunity to before. Zendaya plays MJ as not your typical behind-the-scene girlfriend, but takes an active role in helping Peter through his problems, and she once again shines with effortless charm. Jacob Batalan's Ned serves more than just the comedic relief (although there's a lot of those moments) but becomes a more full-fledged hero in his own right, despite his limitations of, you know, not being bit by a radioactive spider. Benedict Cumberbatch plays a much different mentoring role than Robert Downey Jr.'s Iron Man did, as his dry sarcastic wit and more intimidating tone makes Doctor Strange more a man thrust into a teenager's life than actively taking on the role, but yet also shows that he truly cares about Peter and wants the best for him, but knows that he'll have to go through pain for it to happen.

The fighting in the movie is also incredibly well-choreographed, filmed, and performed - something the MCU has been known to dial in with other films. We all know superhero films end with a huge, climactic showdown, and this is easily one of the best I've ever seen in my entire life. It's simply chilling, and I got goosebumps on more than one occasion (I could actually count the number of times I didn't have goosebumps in this film, that number is a lot lower). Yet the other fights also hold their own weight, especially the first battle on the bridge between Spider-Man and Doc Ock.

Yet this is much more than a fighting film, as the story becomes much more darker and serious than most "Spider-Man" films, and Holland once again exudes his acting confidence as he's not afraid to break down and show true vulnerability, resulting in more than one tear-jerking moment. There's also the concept of mental illness and how it affects people in different ways, and the topic of redemption: can anyone be saved? Or are some people too far gone? I never thought a film like "No Way Home" would involve such an existential philosophy, but here we are.

This film is a true rollercoaster adventure of emotions, one that needs to be seen on the big screen, and one that needs to be seen with people you care about - it's an experience, an event, a moment that you will never, ever forget.

Much like the idea that "Spider-Man: No Way Home" didn't need a trailer to create the hype, there really doesn't have to be a review as to the importance of this film - it's one for the ages, a cinematic masterpiece, an unforgettable experience, and the entire review could've been summed up in three little words: SEE THIS FILM!

The Score: A+