Spider-Man: No Way Home

After Avengers: Endgame, Spider-man: No Way Home is the only film in the MCU that comes packed with so many scream-worthy moments. And it is that film that sort of takes the character to a greater emotional level. Many people believed that Far From Home was a movie that never really expanded the character or the world. But in No Way Home, Jon Watts and his writers have explored possibilities without any restrictions. What you get in the end is a perfectly structured, wholesome entertainer.

In Far From Home, we have seen that Peter Parker was revealed as Spider-Man. The story here picks it up from that point. People who supported Mysterio made life difficult for Peter. Eventually, everyone around him started to face the harmful repercussions of that. Peter decides to seek help from Doctor Strange to fix this mess. In Spider-man: No Way Home, we see the problems that unfold after Doctor Strange casts a spell to help Peter Parker.

SPOILER ALERT! If you still don’t know about the possible cameos in the film, you might have been living under a rock. A superhero killing the bad guy is the familiar structure we all know. Even in other Spider-man movies, we see that same strategy, but with a dilemma bothering the Spider-men in those films. In Spider-man: No Way Home, they are not trying to create conflict through a dilemma. The film creates a slightly odd conflict by having an empathetic perspective towards the villains. And instead of focusing on the bad guys, it uses the plot to show us the teenager’s progress to a much mature emotional space.

Jon Watts, who directed the previous MCU Spider-Man films, maintains the same visual texture and fun elements in this one too. In terms of the emotional aspect of the story, No Way Home has a different approach, and Watts manages to crack that balance between being an entertainer and a story with depth. The multiverse is not used here to make a gimmicky cameo parade. In a way, this movie serves as the origin Story of Peter Parker. The story was pretty much on the fun side in Homecoming, and we rarely saw any major emotional conflict in Peter’s life. But here, the writing smartly places all the multiverse gatecrashers to create a challenging space for Peter.

The visual effects are stunning. From Doctor Strange using mirror dimension to Spider-Man fighting multiple villains simultaneously, the script offers scope for some visually spectacular set pieces, and they were all conceived brilliantly. The humor is blended into the narrative neatly. Some iconic moments are choreographed strikingly in the film. The background score still gives me goosebumps.

As Peter Parker, this is Tom Holland’s most challenging outing. From being that panting teenager from Queens, he goes through a series of events that eventually molds him into a much evolved and stable superhero. Zendaya and Jacob Batalon were fun to watch as MJ and Ned. Benedict Cumberbatch appears in a more humorous shade of Doctor Strange. The combination scenes between him and Holland were hilarious. Since I don’t want to make this review too much of a spoiler, I will just say that every entry from the multiverse had a purpose. The nostalgia factor made all of them highly memorable.

For someone like me who saw the 2002 Sam Raimi version of Spider-Man in a single screen theater, Spider-Man: No Way Home offered an emotionally overwhelming experience. Jon Watts knows that emotion, and you get to see the characters from that era in a mature and different emotional space. No Way Home is easily the best MCU film post Endgame. It has an exciting plot, great set pieces, well-constructed character evolution, and to top it all, they cast the nostalgia spell on you.