Spider-Man: No Way Home

Spider-Man: No Way Home is that rare kind of event blockbuster that manages to be enormous and thrilling as you expect, but it also has plenty of time for small and intimate moments as well.  It always helps when you can relate to the characters up on the screen, even when they are crossing over into the Mirror Dimension, and that's what the filmmakers have done here.  For all of its stunning set pieces and thrilling battles, we come to love Peter Parker (again winningly played by Tom Holland) as much as his costumed alter-ego.  Let's just say that falling in love with the characters didn't happen during the last Fast and Furious movie.

It's common knowledge by now that this film introduces the idea of a "multi-verse", and combines elements of the various Spider-Man films and franchises that have happened over the past 20 years.  What's surprising is that director Jon Watts doesn't just rely on nostalgia and fan service here like you would expect.  He apparently saw this as an opportunity to further develop some of the ideas and characters from the past entries, and even give some redemption to some of the earlier movies that are not looked back on kindly by fans, such as 2007's Spider-Man 3 and the two Amazing Spider-Man films from 2012 and 2014, respectively.  The idea of Spider-Man having to deal with multiple universes has already been explored in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, but that film had the benefit of being animated, and could bend the world its hero inhabits.  For the live action treatment, Watts and his writers have made a movie that is appropriately epic in scope, but it never dwarfs the characters inhabiting the story.

For a film like this, it's best that the reviewer be vague when talking about certain elements of the plot, and I will try my best to do so.  Picking up after the events of 2019's Far From Home, Peter finds his identity as Spider-Man publicly outed after his battle with the supervillain Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal).  He now finds himself having to deal with public scrutiny and muck-raking journalists trying to spin his image into that of a dangerous vigilante.  This happens around the same time that Peter, his recent girlfriend "MJ" (Zendaya), and best friend Ned (Jacob Batalon) are staring their Senior year of High School, and looking to apply for college the following year.  Given the publicity he has been attracting, he finds it effecting both his civilian and superhero life, as well as that of the people he is closest to, such as his loyal Aunt May (Marisa Tomei).   

After witnessing how he is negatively impacting his friends and family, Peter becomes desperate to find a way for things to be like they were before, where nobody but those closest to him knew about his dual identity.  He turns to an old friend, Dr. Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), to cast a spell that can make the world forget that he is truly Spider-Man.  As the spell is being cast, though, Peter keeps on trying to alter it, wanting certain people to remember.  The tampering of the spell is able to rip holes in the fabric of the universe, allowing people from alternate film timelines to cross over into the current one.  And while this is thrilling for people who have been watching these movies since 2002, what's even more thrilling is how the movie uses this as an opportunity to expand upon the characters that directors Sam Raimi (Spider-Man 1 through 3) and Marc Webb (The Amazing Spider-Man and its sequel) introduced, and insert them into a story that is surprisingly heartfelt and touching.

That's what sets No Way Home apart from so many uninspired nostalgia trips that Hollywood has given us as of late, such as last month's Ghostbusters: Afterlife or Home Sweet Home Alone.  Rather than just playing on the audience's memories of what worked in the past, it allows these old characters to be expanded on, developed, and create new dimensions for them.  It rights some of the wrong decisions those earlier films made, adds new depth, and even kind of made me see some of the films in an entirely new light.  This is exactly what a throwback movie such as this should do, and yet they hardly ever do.  It understands that it's not just enough to bring back some old characters and actors, or maybe play a familiar music cue on the soundtrack.  You have to give these classic characters and ideas something new, maybe explore how they have changed over time, or give them a new stance or view on things.  That's what the filmmakers here get right.

It also helps that this is a true sequel that further develops the current Spider-Man franchise and its characters, as well as playing on its past entries.  Peter, MJ, and Ned are as likable as ever here, and get their own unique opportunities to stand out during the course of the adventure.  There are also a lot of emotional moments for Peter to go through, which will not be revealed here, but make this a much more powerful film than you might expect walking in.  When you consider that the film's plot is built entirely around a universe-shattering event, it's amazing how intimate the movie manages to be at times with some moments of deeply personal drama.  It's a tightly paced spectacle film that manages to balance the impossible and human elements of its story with amazing accuracy.  More than that, it's just a lot of fun to watch.  Like the best entries in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it's able to reach the part of me who used to love reading and hearing about these kind of stories with my older brothers growing up.

Marvel Studios, and superhero movies in general, has been getting an increasing amount of flack lately, even by those within the film industry.  No Way Home represents the best that these films can do and be.  They offer so much more than just thrilling escapism during troubled times.  They can be passionate, funny, and draw on the past in order to give us a new experience with characters we thought we knew.  Some may look at the opening weekend numbers this movie earned, and shake their heads with dismay.  But, this is the rare blockbuster that is thrilling, funny, and touching enough to deserve the kind of money it produces.  I might even add to it by checking it out again myself.

0 comments