Arguably the most anticipated movie of 2021, Spider-Man: No Way Home has had a firm grip on both the general media and Marvel super-fans for months now. It seems as if everyone knows about this movie, whether they are a fan of the Spider-Man franchises or not.
Rumors about who is in the cast have been circulating all over social media ever since it was revealed that Willem Dafoe, Alfred Molina, Jamie Foxx, Thomas Haden Church, and Rhys Ifans were all returning to play their iconic villains from the Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield Spider-Man movies. This stacked cast list made fans theorize that Maguire and Garfield would return as well, and they would appear as two lost Spider-Man heroes from another universe.
Ever since I stepped out of the theater after watching Spider-Man: Far From Home in the summer of 2019, I have been waiting to see where both Sony Pictures and Marvel Studios would take the rest of Peter Parker’s story. After so many theories and so much excitement, I am happy to say that my expectations were beyond exceeded.
For starters, the beginning of the movie gave me chills. Seeing the Marvel intro roll with Mysterio’s voiceover in the back was so eerie and a perfect start to the movie. I am so happy that they started this movie right where Spider-Man: Far From Home left off. It was really needed.
From there, the movie just took off. Peter was completely overwhelmed with having his identity revealed, which Tom Holland portrayed excellently. Then, to make things even crazier, the one and only Daredevil shows up! I loved his little cameo, and I think it made the movie that much more special.
As the movie transitioned into Peter trying to make everyone forget he was Spider-Man to the past villains being pulled in from the multiverse, I was more and more gripped in. The action sequences during this segment of the movie in particular stand out to me because both the villains and Peter are confused. The villains don’t understand how they got into this universe, and Peter has no idea why they are attacking him. It made for a really interesting dynamic and really good fight sequences, especially against Electro.
When I first saw the trailer, I was a bit put off by the fact that Peter wanted the villains to be saved instead of putting them back into their real universes to continue their fate, but this movie convinced me that that is exactly what Peter Parker would do. His heart was in the exact right place, and I loved the battle between Peter and Dr. Strange during this segment of the movie as well.
Even though Peter’s heart was in the right place, once the villains turned on him, there was no way he would be able to beat them on his own. Especially Green Goblin. This, unfortunately, came with the death of Aunt May, and I was absolutely floored during this part of the movie. Both Holland and Marisa Tomei performed so well, and I don’t think there was a dry eye in the theater. The MCU’s Peter Parker had already been through so much, and I can completely understand why he sought out Green Goblin later on and wanted to kill him himself. It brought out another side to Peter Parker that hasn’t really been seen before in the MCU, and I am very happy they did it. Anger is a very common side effect of grief, and I think it was important to show how badly Peter was hurting, so that was very well done.
The next part was my absolute favorite, and it was unreal to experience it in a theater. Peter’s best friends, Ned and MJ, opened a portal to help find Peter. Ned manages to open a portal, but they found the wrong Peter! Andrew Garfield’s Peter Parker walked out, and everyone around me started clapping. It was absolutely surreal.
It was only a few minutes later that Tobey Maguire’s Peter Parker walked out of another portal, and I couldn’t believe my eyes! The dynamic between Maguire and Garfield was incredible, and it only got funnier when Holland was included as well.
I think that that aspect of the movie was my favorite. It was really funny to watch the different Peters get confused about how Maguire didn’t need web shooters, and how they all had the same name, but it was also really beautiful to watch them talk about all of the losses they experienced. Holland’s Peter really needed to hear that he was not alone in his pain, and I think having the other two Spider-Man characters around him helped him push through it.
The rest of the movie was full of phenomenal fight scenes and hilarious dialogue. It was amazing to see all three of the Spider-Man characters fight together, and have Maguire and Garfield talk to their own villains. Seeing Garfield’s Peter Parker talk to Electro specifically stands out in my mind because Electro looked to Spider-Man as a hero in The Amazing Spider-Man 2, so it felt really good to watch them try and reconcile their relationship.
As if we hadn’t gone through enough, the only way to stop the multiverse from breaking was to make everyone forget that Peter Parker existed, and that meant Holland’s Peter had to say goodbye to Ned and MJ. He said goodbye to the two other Peters first, which was really amazing to see, and then he said his goodbyes to his friends. This part was just heartbreaking, because now Peter was all alone, and no one would remember him. Not even those who love him. After the loss of Aunt May, I was so surprised that Peter agreed to this. If anything, it shows his unimaginable strength and determination. I really hope he finds some way to make them remember him.
Overall, this movie completely blew me away. Not only did Marvel and Sony nail the scope of the movie, but they also made sure that Peter Parker was the center piece, no matter what universe he was from. I am so so happy with my experience, and it was worth every minute I waited.
I cannot wait for the future of Peter Parker, whatever that looks like, and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness cannot come soon enough.
