In 2002, Sam Raimi’s rendition of Spiderman swung its way onto the silver screen. Many of us grew up on the film; it planted childhood nostalgia when it taught us valuable lessons. All these emotions resurfaced
as we watched Spider-Man: No Way Home. The movie came out in theaters Dec. 17, 2021 and has appealed to both critics and audiences alike, making for a spectacular sitting at the theater. The trailer, which accumulated over 70 million views, built up the hype. Big movie review sites such as IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes gave it excellent ratings. No Way Home has already topped box office charts, currently bringing in $1.5 billion, which is no easy feat in a pandemic. Conversations garnered immense anticipation.Will all three Spider-Men show up? If they do appear, which of the childhood idol trio who made up of three versions of Peter Parker played by Andrew Garfield, Tobey Maguire and Tom Holland, was the best? The film is emotionally hard hitting, action packed and pleasantly nostalgic. Holland’s Peter, after being revealed as Spider-Man by Mysterio, went to Doctor Strange for aid to help calm the chaos that ensued after those events – which ultimately led to a worse ordeal. A sorcerer’s spell goes wrong, and the multiverse scrambles. We see events that questioned the of the multiverse that occur in Wandavision and Loki, however in No Way Home, it appears clearer who broke open the doors.

WHAT THE CAMEO DID FOR US:

This led to the anticipated return of the villains seen in prior films, who made appearances in Garfield’s and Maguire’s universes such as Electro, the Lizard and Sandman. A thrilling return also brought up
questions of the Marvel’s Cinematic Universe (MCU). Does this now mean there are variants? The MCU hasn’t really set in stone a clear definition and distinction of universes, timelines and variants which make for a confusing viewing for an already extensive cinematic franchise. Tobey’s character was brought back and displayed the quirky and awkward attitude that was shown in his earlier renditions of Spider-Man that
drew fans to he character. However, in No Way Home, it felt as if he didn’t have much to do. Questions arose as to how rushed casting and scripting went or how cramped the film attempted to be. Andrew was brought back as well and e v o k e d a lot of emotions with call backs such as the death of Gwen and his relatable personality. Garfield’s version of Spider-Man is very emotional and overall very grounded. He is very engaging character that all people can relate to in many different ways. We see him in his own films have family responsibilities and issues, and a very rocky road in love. Although all versions of Peter Parker go through similar events, Garfield portrayed all those qualities and even more with self doubt but also kindness to characters such as Tom’s Spider-Man and Electro in No Way Home. Throughout Tom Holland’s MCU journey, he was often tethered together with Tony Stark, however after Stark’s passing during Avengers: Endgame – it allowed for Holland’s Peter to step up on his own, even if it was his
third solo movie. He was firing on all cylinders when it came to portraying real hard hitting emotion when Aunt May died and very real urges that were consequences from events of he movie. The final battle
saw a complete look at three Spider-Men on screen with their costumes, a nostalgia action packed sequence, and call backs such as Garfield catching MJ, redeeming himself from the death of Gwen. When
multiverse seemed to be on the verge of collapse, Peter acted selflessly and had Strange remove the knowledge of Spider-Man being revealed as Peter from everyone’s mind throughout the multiverse. Before this, Peter and MJ shared one final kiss, a symbolic journey for the character of Peter, cementing
a legacy among the other Spider-Men as well as answering why he may very well be the best
Spider-Man.

Webhead tangles up with a blast from the past!

Iconic and staple villains such as the very menacing Green Goblin played by Willem Dafoe, and the hot headed Doc Ock played by Alfred Molina – make a thrilling return to the big screen. Seeing them interact with the other villains such as Electro, the Lizard. Holland’s mission to recapture the villains was so stimulating to our fanatic hearts. Seeing Holland’s Peter personality clash with more refined versions of the villains, make for an unnerving yet thrilling watch. However, villains this time around felt more like theme
park cameos. Sandman and the Lizard, making a nostalgic appearance, although lacking vital and interesting things to do. The bridge fight scene with Doc Ock was also such an riveting scene, to see as well as feel an actual franchise crossover brought so much cheers and excitment.

Doctor Strange and Spider-Mans epic clash!

A CGI filled fight between Spidey and Strange which left viewers in awe and sweaty palms. Spider-Man got the upper hand in this high stakes fight and led him to want to help the villains even more. As a viewer, it also felt difficult to connect with this idea to go against Strange’s orders, since it brought up constant
issues for Spiderman and his friends. The scene was also a good bit-sized tease for what is to come in the upcoming Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. The CGI was barely recognizable. This fight really
displayed Peter’s brilliance further making him feel as an independent threat.

Spidey senses a thrilling Fallout!

Another one of our favorite scenes was when the Green Goblin takes over the mind of Norman once again and instigates the fallout and betrayal from the other villains. When everything went drop dead silent
for Peter – portraying his spider sense was so nerve racking and kept us on the edge of our
seat. Once all hell broke loose, Peter and the Goblin tangle up in a violent web filled fight, ultimately seeing the Goblin stand tall.

I’m not crying, my eyes are just sweating

The death scene threw Peter into a spiral that was hard to watch because of the powerful emotions it evoked. After then the other versions of Peters were brought back from Ned and MJ. Their returns delivered amazing crowd responses. They helped Holland’s Peter take Aunt May’s iconic last words to heart, “with great power, there must also come great responsibility.” A saying heard throughout the
entirety of the Spider-Man franchise, often tear jerking but to others can fall flat. However the inclusion of the growth from the other Spider-Man really made the dialogue hit harder. Another emotional hard hitting scene took place amidst the final battle in the new rebuilding Statue of Liberty. Once the Goblin made his appearance, an explosion from a pumpkin bomb sent MJ falling, mirroring the fall Gwen Stacy took in the second Spider- Man film of Garfields Spider-Man, the sadness in his eyes when he caught her brought tears
to us as well. It was redemption in the best way possible.

The rumors are true!

Alas, we see in a very hilarious scene with Ned and MJ when they brought the otherworld Spidermen onto screen. The cheers and excitment was so warranted and seeing this scene happen was unreal complete fan service, emotions coursed throughout the audience. “I felt like I was too excited for this movie,
it is so big especially with the stuff I was hearing and it made me think about what fun experiences I had watching older movies of Spider-Man. It is so amazing to me that this build up of a [roster] would culminate in this movie,” senior Sarai Tapia said, an avid fan of the MCU.

Tear jerking ensemble of tragic heros

Although the final battle did feel a bit too carried out as well as an easy dose to heal the villains felt like a cop out. The action however definitely delivered, to seeing the three Spider-Men swing together and kick a** was such a thrill. Tragic back stories of the Spider-Man seemingly never end however. Peter’s last
solution was to have Doctor Strange erase the memory of the correlation to Spider-Man and Peter throughout the multiverse. Another tragic ending we must face because of our favorite web slinger’s admirable selflessness.