Spider-Man: No Way Home Review- A Nice Balance of Fan Service & Good Storytelling.

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By now I suspect that most of you must have already seen Spider-Man: No Way Home at least once (if not a couple of times). And I say this because, the movie hit a billion dollars in just twelve days, during a pandemic (that’s insane).

But I can’t say I blame you guys, as Spider-Man: No Way Home is an amazing movie, that delivers on many of the demands fans have been asking for.

However, even with the fan service, what really makes No Way Home a damn good film, is good storytelling.

Spoilers Ahead 

The best part of Spider-Man: No Way Home, is how the movie perfectly balances fan service with an incredible plot.  Though the movie brilliantly combines three generations of Spidermen into one film, it also tells a heartfelt story about how Tom Holland’s Peter Parker finally learns to accept responsibility for his mess.

But I’m getting ahead of myself. 

No Way Home Picks up immediately after the events of Far From Home. And after Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal) exposes Spider-Man’s identity, Peter’s world turns upside down.

One thing I appreciated about No way Home, is how it uses its Opening scene to show why some heroes still need a secret identity.

While heroes like the Avengers are fine with revealing their faces, other crime-fighters need to keep their lives separate. Especially for their loved one’s sake. But with his identity out, Peter learns this the hard way. And it’s not long before his Spider-Man scandal begins torpedoing the lives of his friends and family.

Frustrated, Peter set out to right this wrong. But rather than exhausting all his normal options, Peter immediately resorts to what any other teenager would do when faced with trouble. He tries to wish away his problem. Except in his case, he actually knows a real-life sorcerer.

Enter Dr. Strange. 

After pleading his case to the former sorcerer supreme, the good doctor agrees to help Peter. However, due to Peter’s meddling, Strange accidentally casts a spell that brings everyone who knows Peter is Spider-Man from across the multiverse into the MCU. And this is how the movie’s special guests (which we saw in the Spider-Man Trailer), arrive in the MCU.

I’ll admit it was cool seeing Dr. Oct (Alfred Molina), Green Goblin (Willem Dafoe), Sandman (Thomas Haden Church), Electro (Jamie Foxx), and of course the Lizard (Rhys Ifans) on the big screen again.
But asides from the obvious Nostalgia of seeing The OG Spider-Man villains again, the real aim of bringing all these bad guys into MCU was to highlight one of Spider-Man’s most important qualities. He never gives up on his villains.

However, everything comes with a price. And though Peter tries his best to stay true to this code, he soon realizes the awful cost of trying to save everyone.

Even at 66, Willem Dafoe gives an amazing performance as The Green Goblin. And by the second half of the film, he pushes Spider-Man to his absolute limit, through deception and pain. However, just when Peter is about breaking, our friendly multiversal Spidermen come to his rescue.

Thanks to the rumors, it wasn’t really a surprise to see both Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield dawning the Spider-Man costume again. What was surprising was how the movie uses both of them to pull Holland’s Peter Parker out of his depression. And together, the trio prepare for the final showdown.

While the final clash with most of the villains wasn’t that impressive in terms of action, story-wise, it was incredible.

I appreciated how the movie gave both Tobey and Andrew the opportunity to part with their respective villains on good terms. Thereby tying up any loose ends in their original Stories. But what I loved the most was that Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Man finally redeem himself for Gwen’s death by Saving MJ.

But with all that said, the main show of the finale was of course Spider-Man’s rematch with the Green Goblin. I never thought I’d ever see Tom Holland’s Spider-Man angry enough to want to kill someone, but Dafoe’s green goblin definitely pushes him to that point. But just before Holland’s Spider-Man can kill The Green Goblin, Tobey saves him from crossing the line.

No Way Home’s Final victory comes with how it subtly reboots Tom Holland’s Spider-Man. After Dr. Strange’s spell goes rogue again, Peter learns his lesson and agrees to let Strange Cast a Spell that would erase him from everyone’s mind.

This move essentially strips Holland’s Spider-Man of all his stark tech and endless resources, as no one within the MCU will remember him anymore (Including his guardian, Happy Hogan).

But as sad as this sounds, this presents marvel with the opportunity to tell more grounded and matured Spider-Man stories. Rather than avengers adjacent films. And by the end of the movie, we see Peter using his Homemade Spider-Man suit to keep his neighborhood safe.

Verdict