Digital Managing Editor Natalie Schliekelman and Photographer Lucas Donnelly go head to head on “Spider-Man: No Way Home”: disappointment or masterpiece?
Review: Spider-Man: No way you’ll want to miss this
A poster for “Spider-Man: No Way Home” is shown. “Spider-Man: No Way Home” is an incredible viewing experience that will delight and emotionally wreck new and old fans alike. Image Fair Use of CNet
Released on Dec. 17, 2021, “Spider-Man: No Way Home” was a bittersweet homage to all of Spider-Man’s most iconic moments.
With “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” director Jon Watts created a fitting culmination to one of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s most emblematic trilogies.
Featuring reprised performances by Tom Holland as Peter Parker, Zendaya as Michelle Jones, and Jacob Batalon as Ned Leeds, the movie continued to focus on the trio of friends. Along with the rest of the ensemble cast, including highlights like Willem Dafoe as the Green Goblin, Alfred Molina as Dr. Otto Octavius, and Benedict Cumberbatch as Dr. Strange, they delivered dynamic, emotional performances.
The movie picked up immediately where “Spider-Man: Far From Home” left off, dropping the viewers into a dramatic moment: the reveal of Spider-Man’s true identity to the world. The movie follows Peter struggling to deal with the aftermath of the incident, and the conflict that arises from it.
With stunning visuals, incredible performances, and a colossal, wonderfully executed story, the movie lives up to the hype.
From the second Peter swings onto the screen, audiences will be fully immersed in the sensational cinematography and poignant dialogue. With stunning visuals, incredible performances, and a colossal, wonderfully executed story, the movie lives up to the hype.
Throughout the film, viewers are brought along a dynamic exploration of the elements that make Spider-Man a fan favorite. With themes of compassion and redemption, the movie presents a complex analysis of the morality that is the foundation of Peter Parker’s character, and the iconic line “with great power comes great responsibility,” producing a film that, in between soaring action scenes, is contemplative and compelling.
However, the movie is not without flaws. There are several plot-holes large enough to squeeze a multiverse into, which the movie attempts to gloss over by providing only the vaguest of details of the in-universe mechanics, such as of certain central spells.
If the director hoped that the dramatic emotional highs and lows of the movie would distract audiences from thinking critically about the plot, it was only halfway successful: while it’s easy to get swept up in the storyline, the plot-holes are sometimes jarring enough to take the viewer past suspension of disbelief.
While it’s easy to get swept up in the storyline, the plot-holes are sometimes jarring enough to take the viewer past suspension of disbelief.
Although the movie is chock-full of references and easter eggs that will delight an avid Marvel Comics fan, it will still be an enjoyable, thrilling experience for those who are new to the MCU. With “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” the MCU has scored an incredible segue into Phase Four that will leave fans screaming at the screen and begging for more.
More from Natalie Schliekelman
Review: Spider-Man: No way this was real
The “Spider-Man: No Way Home” logo is pictured. The movie was the third in the Marvel Cinematic Universe Spider-Man franchise, and concluded the trilogy with a plot that has a heavy impact on the future of the MCU. Photo fair use of Marvel Studios
“Spider-Man: No Way Home” must break a record for being the most disappointing, amazing movie ever. The movie is filled with an exciting plot that fans have been waiting for, but sets the future of the MCU up for failure.
“Spider-Man: Far From Home” is the third Spider-Man movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and the third of the trilogy to be directed by Jon Watts. The movie was, on its own, an enjoyable film. However, its placement in the MCU felt unsettling and forced.
The first in the trilogy, “Spider-Man: Homecoming” left fans ecstatic walking out of the theaters in 2017, reflecting on the spry, witty and charming performance that Tom Holland gave as the main character, Peter Parker. Fans were even more pleased when Holland continued the performance in 2019 during “Spider-Man: Far From Home,” adding grieving and bewilderment to his acting toolbox.
With “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” fans were not given Holland’s signature performance. In fact, everything about this movie felt…far from home.
With “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” fans were not given Holland’s signature performance. In fact, everything about this movie felt…far from home.
The movie featured Benedict Cumberbatch as Dr. Strange, who previously established his place in the MCU as a wise and enlightened sorcerer who is detached from the physical world. So when Parker asked him to cast a giant forgetting spell on the universe to save his reputation, and he agreed almost immediately, it felt unnatural for Strange, to say the least.
But oh no! It all goes wrong, and villains from other universes (aka non-MCU Spider-Man movies) enter the MCU, forcing Strange and Parker to embark on an exciting adventure down spider memory lane. Characters from the 2002 “Spider-Man” movie franchise as well as the 2012 “The Amazing Spider-Man” franchise are brought into the movie, giving it an overarching message: “Hey! Remember this?”
After the first two Spider-Man movies, Watts became known for his comical yet epic films that captivated the audience and immersed them further with every swing, but “No Way Home” refurbished his legacy into a Disney Channel sitcom director who walked onto the wrong set.
For the first time, we see the MCU’s Peter Parker stop trying to become young Iron-Man, and instead be who needs to be: our friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.
Some actors, including Willem Dafoe (the Green Goblin), gave performances that made the wacky plot feel almost worth it. Unfortunately, the majority of the throwback actors put very little effort into their roles and were obviously just there for the check.
Once again, as a standalone, the movie works. The average Marvel enthusiast will leave the theater pleased, and the people who know little about the MCU even more so. But as a movie that now has to squeeze its way into the MCU lore, it feels forced.
Most of the impact that the movie will have on the MCU is negative, but there is one thing that the movie excelled at. For the first time, we see the MCU’s Peter Parker stop trying to become young Iron-Man, and instead be who needs to be: our friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.
