Spider-Man: No Way Home took the world by storm as soon as the first trailer was released. The ending of the previous film left us jaw dropped with the uncertainty of what would happen to Tom Holland’s version of Peter Parker. With Dr. Strange being a main component to the story, the ending of the Loki series on Disney+, and fan theories, we knew we were in for a ride.
Just as a side note, this review may contain some major spoilers for some non-Marvel fans that have not seen – or know nothing – about this film.
Having Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield in the film made me excited to see how they could tie in the histories of both Spider-Men, along with finishing Garfield’s Peter Parker story since he never got a third film. Personally, Charlie Cox’s cameo was more surprising, as his appearance was less speculated than Garfield and Maguire.
Because of Tick, Tick…Boom! being released prior to this film, I was more satisfied with seeing Garfield’s Peter and appreciated his character more, especially when the final battle took place.
Reimagining memes such as the multiple Spider-Men pointing at each other and “I’m something of a scientist myself” was great to see without it feeling forced into the story. While this movie was very enjoyable, there were moments I wish were a bit different. I wish we had gotten more time with Matt Murdock. Why tease Venom to that extent if he had no significant role (besides setting up future movies)? Why ignore the other events going on at the time? Of course, this film was great nonetheless because it brought Holland’s Peter some closure. But, for these movies being over two and a half hours, I want more than just these details being there without purpose or offscreen lore, giving the films more to branch out on.
This film changed the Marvel Cinematic Universe. We thought Loki or Avengers: Endgame did that for us, but without knowing who Peter Parker is anymore, every movie from now on is going to have that little pinch of melancholy that this film ended with. Overall, this film is definitely worth spending your time on. The emotional damage it has brought us is so sad, yet so worth it. And seeing a mentor and the two other spiderlings get the endings they deserved, gave a nice sense of closure to their stories.
TJ Bogart is a second-year film, photography and visual arts major who has made it their life’s mission to collect every piece of Spider-Man merchandise ever made. They can be reached at [email protected]