By: Ted Trafton & Andrew Wing

From director Jon Watts and writers Chris McKenna & Erik Sommers, Spider-Man: No Way Home is the sequel to Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) and Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019), and is the 27th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). This film marks the first MCU trilogy to be directed by the same director; Jon Watts. All previous film franchises such as Iron Man, Avengers, & Captain America had only two consistent directors throughout their respective trilogies.

For the first time in the cinematic history of Spider-Man, our friendly neighborhood hero is unmasked and no longer able to separate his normal life from the high-stakes of being a Super Hero. When he asks for help from Doctor Strange the stakes become even more dangerous, forcing him to discover what it truly means to be Spider-Man.

Starring Tom Holland, Benedict Cumberbatch, Zendaya, Marisa Tomei, Willem Dafoe, Benedict Wong, J.K. Simmons, and Jon Favreau.

Spider-Man: No Way Home released in theaters and IMAX on December 17th.

THE GOOD

From Ted’s perspective…

Alright listen, when it comes to comic book movies the Marvel Cinematic Universe is an overachiever. They just get it, it’s as simple as that. Now this starts with making the right decisions behind the scenes, and that starts with casting. Let’s take a quick look at that track record, you grab one of the greatest actors of our generation in Robert Downey Jr. as Stark/Iron Man. Huge move. Arguably more impressive you grab Chris Evans as Mr. USA himself, Captain America. You pull in the incredibly talented yet admittedly off his rocker in real-life Mark Ruffalo as David Banner/The Hulk (we leave politics etc out of it around here, I’m not trying to have a drink with the guy I just want him to deliver on-screen). Ruffalo is AMAZING in the HBO limited series I Know This Much Is True (full review and trailer here) if you haven’t seen it already. This brings me to one of the more recent rolls of the dice in the 2015 casting of the newest Peter Parker/Spider-Man, English actor Tom Holland. I mean, it would be an understatement to say this kid was born to play this role. Whether you are focusing on his mannerisms, facial expressions, or just overall on-screen presence, it really couldn’t be better. Whoever made the decision to get Holland, please buy them a Lamborghini and put their kids through college, and their kids through college.

Fast forward 6 years and several huge films later, and we have Spider-Man: No Way Home, and boy oh boy do we have something special with this one. I’m trying really hard not to overstate or oversell this movie, but I’ve come to realize that its pretty much impossible. It is just THAT good. I mean you really can’t gauge what it feels like to be sitting in a sold out theater on opening day with sky high expectations, only to still be blown away. Like really?! How is this even possible.

Let me also apologize for the delayed review as I wanted to see the movie twice, and the difference between the first viewing which was on opening day and the 2nd was truly night and day. Opening day the crowd was alive, reacting to every scene and every line during the entirety of the film. The 2nd viewing things felt a bit stale if I’m being honest, and my reasoning behind this is you basically have the hardcore fanbase vs casual moviegoers who decided to see that movie “everyone is talking about. Bottom line, I absolutely preferred the electric environment of that first viewing, no question. This was the first real cinematic experience that will make you forget March 2020 and on ever existed, and that is quite an accomplishment. Spider-Man: No Way Home picks up right where 2019’s Spider-Man: Far From Home just as Jake Gyllenhaal’s Mysterio reveals his true identity to the entire world. The domino effect turns Peter’s world upside down, sending him to see Doctor Strange for a solution only to make things much, much worse.

Spider-Man: No Way Home is just a blast to experience. I laughed like an idiot during the majority of the film, I cheered for things to go the way I hoped they would, and full disclosure I had tears in my eyes during the more emotional moments. The writing was so good that everything felt natural, adding weight to the characters and the sequence of events throughout the film. The nostalgia that is present in Spider-Man: No Way Home will hit you like Thor’s hammer, and the surprises never stop coming. One of the reasons why the Avengers films are always so successful is star power, which is part of why the unique approach this film takes is so impressive. This is quite simply the Taj Mahal of Spider-Man films, and fans will be digging through their closets for their red spandex as soon as they see it. Plus the impact of this film depends on avoiding spoilers, so those of you waiting to see it, you are flirting with disaster. I love the underlying message of the film which is that of importance of love between family and your closest friends, and the idea of doing the right thing for all involved, not just the right thing for you.

The foundation for success that marvel has constructed as of late is fairly simple; it starts with incredible casting, amazing action sequences, and just the right amount of emotion to tug at the heartstrings and get viewers invested beyond the spectacle of it all. They have done this with a crazy amount of success time and time again, most recently referring back to Avengers: Infinity War followed of course by Avengers: Endgame. Both massively successful films that hit audiences hard and stayed with them long after the credits roll. Spider-Man: No Way Home not only directly follows in the footsteps of those films, it finds a way to capture its own version of raw emotion. We get some very intense and pivotal scenes that in many ways reshape the landscape for the Spider-Man character, and I am excited to see where things go from here.

Do I even need to mention the acting in Spider-Man: No Way Home? Tom Holland is exceptional as expected, and once again proves his range as an actor. The trailer for the upcoming film Uncharted (preview and trailer here) played before the start of the film, reminding me of the fact that Holland is continuing to build on his impressive career. I don’t care what you put him in, this kid has talent. Benedict Cumberbatch is once again a force as Doctor Strange, and I love the on-screen dynamic he shares with Holland. One of the hardest things about losing Robert Downey’s Iron Man was the connection he had with Holland, and I feel like Cumberbatch has been able to retain some of that. I have enjoyed Zendaya in these movies, and this is probably her best performance in my opinion as she has a much bigger role as Spider-man’s love interest M.J. Jon Favreau is great as usual in his supporting role as Happy, along with the always enjoyable Marisa Tomei as Aunt May. Jacob Batalon is as lovable as usual as Peter’s best friend and “guy in the chair” Ned.

From a technical standpoint Spider-Man: No Way Home is exceptional as expected. The action sequences and CGI are glorious from start to finish, blending seamlessly with the hard-hitting soundtrack and score. The cinematography and camera work jump off the screen as well, especially during the CGI-heavy scenes involving Doctor Strange. Spider-Man: No Way Home always maintains a unique and effective balance of heart and humor, and at times things get very intense. In my personal opinion the ability to avoid coming across as corny is a win in itself considering the subject matter, and the 2 1/2 hour runtime just flies by.

I could honestly go on forever with this review because I honestly enjoy this movie that much but the more I write the more I risk spoiling some thing and I just cannot bring myself to do that. Plus the fact that portions of the film that would be considered spoilers are exactly what I would love to rave about. For that reason my goal was to keep this short and sweet and hopefully give you that little nudge to get out there and see Spider-Man: No Way Home sooner than later.

From Andrew’s perspective…

My first words coming out of the theater after seeing No Way Home were wow! Just wow! This movie has been on everyone's radar for the past 18 months or so ever since Marvel announced their movies for Phase Four of the MCU, and boy was it worth the wait! Simply put, this movie was amazing. This movie was fan service to a tee. It went beyond anything I could have imagined and hoped that this movie would be and I can say without hesitation that it was one of the best movie theater experiences of my life as the crowd engagement was unreal. My emotions ran wild from beginning to end and they were honestly all over the place which is one of the things I love most about movies. For me, when a movie can break me down and beat me up emotionally, that just shows you how good the movie is.

A big reason for my emotions being all over the place in this one is the performance we get from Tom Holland. In this movie, not only did Holland solidify in my opinion that he is THE BEST Peter Parker / Spider-Man that we have ever had, he showed us that his name needs to be in the conversation for one of the best young actors working today. His range of emotion is off the charts in this and he is a great actor. Without spoiling anything, the journey he goes on in No Way Home absolutely beats him down. He gets beat to a point of no return, and yet, we see him still get up and keep fighting which really is what makes Spider-Man Spider-Man. That trait and Holland's representation of that, not only makes Spider-Man one of my favorite superheroes but one of everybody's favorites.

Lastly, I have seen on social media this movie being regarded already as one of the best movies ever made with the likes of The Godfather and The Shawshank Redemption, and while I would not go that far with it as the movie is not perfect and not without its flaws. But with what this movie was able to do to me, and my emotions as not only a fan of the MCU but just a fan of film in general, I am blown away by this movie and what Marvel was able to craft here. It is incredible and it really has everything you could ask for. It has emotion, it has humor, the screenplay is fantastic and the score is one of Marvel's best, and some shots we get will make you lose your mind. To me, it is EASILY a Top-5 MCU movie and it is certainly the best Spider-Man film we have gotten in the MCU.

In conclusion, I am just really happy with what this movie is and I cannot wait to see it again probably in the next day or two.

THE BAD

(SECTION LEFT BLANK INTENTIONALLY)

THE VERDICT

An extremely satisfying culmination of everything we have grown to love about the MCU, Spider-Man: No Way Home is nothing short of a cinematic masterpiece. Is that high praise? Yes, yes it is. But this movie is the pre-pandemic blockbuster we have all been waiting for, and Tom Holland and company are just the saviors we needed. Spider-Man: No Way Home is the best Spider-Man movie to date with two great post-credit scenes that will get fans even more excited for what’s to come. Spider-Man: No Way Home is packed chock full of Easter Eggs as well, so fans will want to enjoy a repeat viewing as soon as possible. Do yourself a favor and head over to the theater sooner than later before the spoilers are impossible to avoid.