by Alice-Ginevra Micheli, Contributing Writer
With a review of this kind, I have to say something right out of the gate: there’s a significant amount of recency, and general Marvel lover, bias that my opinion will be framed by. I’ve made sure to take the time to consider, reflect, and discern my opinion, but as I’m only human [cue song here] some might still filter through.
Having said that, what did I think of Sony and Marvel’s most recent entrant into the MCU?
The truth is, 72 hours later, I still have no words.
However, as this review does take the written format, I will try, and muster some up for you.
Spider-Man: No Way Home sees Peter Parker (Tom Holland) asking Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) for help, now that his identity has been revealed to the world thanks to the events of Spider-Man: Far From Home. But when something goes wrong with a spell, Peter must rally and discover what it truly means to be Spider-Man.
This is as deep as I’ll go into any plot points, besides the obvious, as if you can go in blind for this film, you absolutely should. So now, with all of the premise behind us, this writer can honestly say that she thinks this film to be the best Marvel has ever produced.
An absolute triumph of storytelling, this two-and-a-half-hour film somehow manages to keep you engaged through every minute of its runtime. This isn’t just because it has fan service (which, don’t get me wrong, it definitely has buckets of), but because it somehow manages to toe the line between nostalgia that pulls on the emotions of anyone who has ever liked a Spider-Man property, and the present moment. That is to say, this film doesn’t rest on its laurels. It’s not just letting the fan service speak for itself. It’s in fact using those elements to bolster forth the characters and storylines that have been set-up for this movie from the outset.
In short, it never forgets its purpose. This isn’t just a film for all the fanboys; it’s one for anyone who has ever been to a superhero movie and felt the wonder of seeing a higher-than-human character triumph over evil. It’s for anyone who has always secretly hoped to be bitten by their own radioactive spider, and it’s for anyone who just loves to watch a film about what it means to finally grow into the person you’re meant to be.
What this film cements is that although we never got the “traditional” Spider-Man origin story with this Peter Parker, all three of the “Home” movies have been working together to be their own origin arc. We’ve now seen him go from scared kid with superpowers who is way over his head, to a hero in every sense of the word — one who knows what it means to truly fight for what is good in the world, no matter the cost.
All the obvious aside, I believe that the themes explored in this movie, are some of the most profound that Marvel has ever wrestled with, and yes I’m including Infinity War, and Endgame in this. While it could all be boiled down to being a coming-of-age film, this is really more than that, because at the end of the day, Peter is not a regular teenage boy. And so with that, his coming of age must be more than the average experience. With that, he must trial through feelings of loss, struggle, and exposure that would probably break most others.
However, that’s the point. What this film is saying is that in order for Peter to truly become the Spider-Man he’s supposed to be, he must be, more than the average teen. Since the spider bit him and he took up the hero mantle, he lost the right to a “normal life,” and he must reconcile that if he’s to truly achieve his potential.
All of this nuance very much rests on the shoulders of Holland, who does a fantastic job. Throughout the movie, he is asked to showcase a vast range of feeling that could have easily come off as comical or mediocre.
He has to constantly bounce from fun and upbeat, to downtrodden, to vicious to desperate, and he has to keep the audience along for the ride the entire time. This is something he not only achieves, but excels at. Honestly, as many know, Marvel know what they’re doing when it comes to casting, and Holland is no exception.
With all the “fan service” and other influences present in this movie, his performance never gets lost in the fray; it steadily beats as the stalwart heart of it all.
I could go into so much more. There are many elements that I haven’t touched on that many might think I should, but I’m not going to.
Spider-man: Now Way Home was amazing; there’s nothing else to it, and if in a few years from now many hail it as the greatest superhero movie of all time, you won’t hear any argument from me.
Siftpop Rating: A+
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