I’m not much of a person to cheer or holler in the theatre, but this film had me doing both regularly. I haven’t been that excited during a movie since Avengers: Endgame almost three years ago.
The hype was real! *spoilers ahead*
By Joseph Agosti, Contributor
5/5
Spider-Man: No Way Home (NWH) was one of the most anticipated movies of 2021, carrying hype not seen since before the COVID-19 pandemic. With theatres open across North America, NWH was the first movie to cross the billion-dollar plateau since the start of the pandemic. Countless fan theories fueled the hype, with set leaks and rumoured cameos stoking the excitement from hardcore fans. There were rumours aplenty about the potential for former Spider-Men Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield to return, connecting three generations of Spider-Man fans. The only question was if the movie could live up to the hype.
I can confidently say that without question, Spider-Man: No Way Home is the best Spider-Man movie I’ve ever seen. I literally enjoyed everything the film set forward, the performances, script, visuals, ending, and the amount of fan service. I’m not much of a person to cheer or holler in the theatre, but this film had me doing both regularly. I haven’t been that excited during a movie since Avengers: Endgame almost three years ago. This was truly a cinematic event, with people dressed in their own Spider-Man costumes throughout the cinema, multiple generations of fans from all types of different backgrounds, fans young and old, a true celebration of Spider-Man.
Now for the movie itself, it is hard to misstate how great the performances were all around from the cast. Tom Holland is as good as he’s ever been, Benedict Cumberbatch does well with the screen time allotted to him. On the villain side. Alfred Molina slips effortlessly back into the conflicted villain Doc Ock, while Jamie Foxx and Thomas Haden Church return as Electro and Sandman respectively, both standing out in positive ways.
But the real star amongst the villains is Willem Dafoe as the Green Goblin. It’s not a stretch to say that Dafoe is clearly having the time of his life here. With his trademark facial expressions and vocal delivery, Dafoe straddles the line between his split personalities, from scared and lonely Norman Osborn to sinister chaos machine Green Goblin. Dafoe’s interactions with Marisa Tomei’s Aunt May were well done as well, with Tomei being given much more to do in this film than in the last two combined.
It’s impossible to talk about this movie without mentioning the two returning heroes, Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield. Needless to say, their return was heavily anticipated. Before the movie was released, multiple set photos of the pair were leaked, causing Garfield, in particular, to extensively deny his role in the film. Despite this, they both have ample screen time, they are actually important characters, not just token cameos. Both actors are phenomenal, sliding back into their old roles. Garfield, in my opinion, steals the show. He balances his humour and serious moments excellently, and there was no bigger cheer in my theatre than when he saved MJ after she fell off the building in the film’s climax, redeeming himself for his failure to save Gwen Stacy in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014). Maguire has his moments as well, playing the mentor role to Tom Holland’s younger more inexperienced Peter. 90’s kids will especially enjoy his conversations with Alfred Molina’s Doc Ock, with numerous callbacks to their showdown in Spider-Man 2 (2004).
All in all, this movie is exactly what I wanted, a high-stakes adventure featuring three generations of Spider-Man. The film expertly balances the three heroes along with the supporting character to make an emotional narrative with surprising cohesion setting up for a second Tom Holland trilogy with a blank slate, leaving endless possibilities. It doesn’t matter what Spider-Man you grew up watching, Spider-Man: No Way Home will make you feel like you are 12 years old again, swinging around New York City with your friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man.
