Spider-Man: No Way Home | Film Review

I put off watching this film until I could watch/re-watch all of the Spider-Man films leading up to this one, and while I'm really glad I did, I'm so happy that I've now been able to see it!

This review will contain spoilers, though I assume most people who want to see the film have already seen it.

Following the reveal of Spider-Man's identity, and the effect that this has on his friends and loved ones, Peter Parker (Tom Holland) asks Dr Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) for help. But when a complicated spell goes wrong, and Peter is faced with the villains of multiple universes, can he restore the multiverse before it's too late?

I absolutely loved this film. I knew before going in that I'd like it, that it would be enjoyable, but I never thought I would love it as much as I do.

For a start, I love that the film begins as soon as the previous film ended. There is literally no time taken, we have to see Peter deal with everything that is thrown at him on the spot. It brings us back to the version of Peter Parker that is just a kid with no idea what he's doing, and I think it was a great idea to start the film that way.

It is hard to imagine how a film that incorporates so many characters and storylines that have never interacted, could do so in a way that not only makes sense but is also easy to follow and understand. The film handles this so well, and the story was created so intelligently and thoughtfully. Everything makes plausible sense, and you leave the film hoping that these characters can come together again.

The film is really well-written. The dialogue is heartwarming and intelligent and funny. It was definitely funnier than I expected it to be, with humour that felt natural and real, rather than jokes that had been created in a writers' room. 

The pacing of the film was great. It has a 2 and a half hour runtime that felt like 90 minutes because you're so excited to see what's going to happen next that you don't even realise how long you've been watching.

The film also has a really beautiful score. Not only does it underpin the most important parts of this story, but it is also used as a tool to evoke certain emotions from the audience, and I found this to be really effective.

There are a lot of characters that I want to talk about specifically, and I'm going to start with the villains. Peter comes face-to-face with some of the most iconic villains from previous Spider-Man movies. We meet Willem Dafoe's Green Goblin, Alfred Molina's Doc Ock, Thomas Haden Church's Sandman, Rhys Ifan's Lizard, and Jamie Foxx's Electro - it was a stroke of genius to bring these actors back to play their characters, and an even bigger stroke of genius to have these villains interact with each other. They were all iconic in their own movies for a reason, and they were all able to bring to this film exactly what they brought to their original movies. Even though I knew that most of them would be appearing in the film, seeing them on the screen together was such an incredible experience, and they were all amazing in their respective roles.

Then there's the main cast, which includes Tom Holland, Benedict Cumberbatch, Zendaya as MJ, and Jacob Batalon as Ned Leeds. All of the actors did an amazing job with their characters. Tom Holland continues to be a great Spider-Man, and this film was my favourite of Zendaya's performances in the MCU. However, for me, Benedict Cumberbatch stole every scene he was in. I haven't been a huge fan of his character in the Marvel Universe - he's never been my favourite. But it felt like he completely came into his own in this film. It made me excited to see his character again in the next Doctor Strange film.

And of course, I can't speak about the other characters without mentioning the ones that people were the most excited to see on screen again - Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield's respective Spider-Men. Full disclosure, Spider-Man as a character has never been someone that I'm particularly interested in, so I hadn't seen the previous Spider-Man films until recently, and I only really watched them so that I could enjoy No Way Home. And to be honest, even though I didn't grow up with either of these characters, seeing them on screen together, and the way that they entered and were used in the film, made me feel really emotional. I knew they were coming, but I still felt that excitement and emotion at seeing all three of the Spider-Men, and their respective villains, on-screen together. And in addition to that, both Tobey and Andrew played their characters so perfectly. Not only can you see exactly who they used to be in their own movies, but you can see the way that their characters have grown and changed, and how they adapt to being big brothers for Tom Holland's Peter Parker. The relationship between the three characters was so touching and beautiful, and one of my only wishes about the movie is that I wish they would have prolonged these scenes and kept these characters together for longer. It felt like they were leaving the film just as they were getting started.

The end of this film, for me, is what makes Peter Parker Spider-Man. The way this ended, and the position that Peter was left in, made me anxious to see another movie, just to see how he would truly come into his own and become the Spider-Man that we have been waiting for. Whether there will be more movies or not, I feel like the films before this have been leading to this version of Tom Holland's Spider-Man, and I'd love to see more.

Overall, it was an absolute pleasure to watch this film. If you haven't seen the 7 films in the lead-up to this one (Tobey's 3, Andrew's 2 and Tom's 2), it is so worth it. Even if you watch them the week before, you will get so much out of it when you see the characters on screen together. This is without a doubt my favourite Spider-Man film, and I would love to see a continuation of any of all three Spider-Man stories.

8.5/10