In what will most likely be the biggest box office release of the year, Spider-Man returns to theaters to complete the high school trilogy that began with a John Hughes knock-off and continued with Euro Trip. The promotion of this movie has been very careful to not spoil what’s within, so I will do my best to keep this as vague as possible.
The previous movie put Peter Parker in a bad spot. He was framed for a serious crime and his identity was revealed to the world. Peter’s life and the lives of those close to him is put under a spotlight and they are all negatively affected (for approximately four minutes). To rectify this minor issue, he seeks the help of Dr Strange. Together, they work up a spell that will brainwash the world and make them forget he is Spider-man. Though, some crazy hijinks lead to the spell going wrong and that brings some familiar villains from parallel universes to Peter’s reality.
It’s no secret that the villains from the two previous Spidey franchises show up to antagonize the MCU Spider-Man. It is so refreshing to see villains that are actual Spider-man villains and not people that have been wronged by Tony Stark. This is the first MCU Spider-Man movie that feels like an actual Spider-Man movie.
It’s no secret that I have no love for Tom Holland as the titular character. He can be a good actor, so it may come down to the juvenile scripts, but he’s never felt like Peter/Spider-man. For all the quips and humor weaved throughout Spider-man comics/movies/games, he’s a character built on tragedy and has difficulties balancing his life due to his great power and responsibilities. Holland has never previously captured that vibe.
Though, I couldn’t help but be excited by the opportunity the filmmakers took by bringing in nostalgic and wonderful elements from the previous, superior movies.
That anticipation died a few minutes into No Way Home. Nothing was different from the cringe-worthy Far From Home. Every emotional moment needed a zinger to cap off the scene. The CG was overly glossy. The chemistry between Tom Holland and Zendaya Coleman was nonexistent. Every scene felt like it was created for a movie trailer where there was a set up and a deadpan joke while the actors winked at the audience.
The pacing of the first half of the movie was tedious. The inclusion of Dr Strange felt like it was trying too hard to have a MCU mentor-of-the-day tied in for franchise reasons. No Way Home was bland when it could have immediately been grand.
But then something changed…
Willem Dafoe entered the movie. Yes, by this point we’ve already seen upgraded villains like de-aged Doctor Octopus (Alfred Molina), a non-blue Electro (Jamie Foxx), an always obscured Lizard (voiced by Rhys Ifans), and a PS2 Sandman (voiced by Thomas Hayden Church). But it’s the effortless performance where Dafoe slides back into, that makes this series finally feel right.
It’s the third act of this 2 hour 28 minute tentpole that absolutely puts this over the top and not only redeems the movie, but makes it feel like something special. Everything finally comes together. The dialogue between characters feels natural and is actually hilarious. There are moments of actual emotion. Peter Parker finally feels like he’s become the character that he’s destined to be. And with that, Tom Holland gives his best performance of the series, clearly elevated by the supporting cast. I was honestly taken aback that this movie allowed a huge moment to linger and be given merit, without the need of a quirky one-liner that allows the audience to breathe easy and quickly forget any stakes.
Spider-Man No Way Home surprised me in the best way possible. I sat there for the first half wondering why this movie was purposely wasting my time with its clunky plotting and weak script. Though, that C- experience was saved by the second half that had me smiling from ear to ear. While it still doesn’t hold a candle to “Into the Spider-Verse” (which it so badly wants to), it is easily the best Spider-Man experience in the MCU. B
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