Great visuals, good villains an okay plot and one, big (if expected) plot twist make Spider-Man: No Way Home the hit of the winter. It drew record pandemic-era crowds to theaters, and took in almost a billion dollars in box office, which is quite amazing.
(SPOILERS BELOW)
Tom Holland does an excellent job as the latest incarnation of Spider-Man in this latest film, which follows his outing as Peter Parker to the world.
Struggling with the burden of everyone knowing his secret identity, however, is too much emotional baggage for him to bear, and he asks fellow Avenger Doctor Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) to cast a spell that lets everyone in the world forget that Spider-Man is Peter Parker (with the exception of his closest friends) something that was maliciously revealed about Parker at the end of the previous Spider-Man film, Far From Home (2019.)
The spell actually works too well, drawing in not only several villains from multiple universes, but (and here is the big spoiler, that was ruined by several studio leaks) two previous Spider-Man actors, Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire.
Together, the three Spider-Men tackle the villains in a climactic scene at the Statue of Liberty in New York City. But in a vain attempt to repair the rift in space-time, Doctor Strange is forced to cast a spell that makes even Spider-Man's friends, including his high school girlfriend, played convincingly by the 25-year-old actress Zendaya, forget that Spider-Man is actually Parker.
The post credit scene indicates that Doctor Strange will be continuing his battle against the torn-apart multiverse, which was ruptured by his hasty spell-casting on behalf of Spidey.
The film carries with it a lot of surprises and clever dialogue, as can be expected from a Marvel film. The three actors playing Spider-Man are given a lot of this clever dialogue, and seeing them together is an incredible treat.
The audience cheered when the two actors come through a portal summoned by Strange's magic (but temporarily wielded by Parker's friend, Ned - played by Jacob Batalon.)
Spider-Man's caring heart for these otherwise irredeemable villains is an incredible message of selflessness playing out on screens.
The only criticism that could be leveled against No Way Home is that perhaps there were too many villains claiming the action. Marvel films are often incredibly crowded to begin with.
One could mention the disappointing recent Eternals film, which was a bit of a muddled effort because it tried to introduce nine superheroes in one film, with two more in the post-credit scenes.
But no one left the theater upset by this Spider-Man movie. Instead, fans are likely eagerly awaiting what comes next. Strange's adventure is just beginning, and rumor has it that Tobey Maguire may return as Spider-Man from the other universe to perhaps assist Tom Holland once again. I can't wait to see what's next!
