EVERYTHING BELOW IS INCLUDED IN TRAILERS AND PROMOTIONAL MOVIE INFORMATION. I WILL CALL OUT SPOILERS BEFORE I GO INTO DETAIL.
Perhaps the most awaited Marvel film since “Avengers: End Game” has hit theaters this weekend and it’s in the form of our favorite neighborhood Spider-Man. In the final installment of Marvel’s Spider-Man with Tom Holland, we are met with the disastrous consequences of the Multi-Verse where villains from films past come to present day New York City and are in deadly pursuit of Peter Parker. The only problem? They can’t find their own Peter Parker.
It’s kind of confusing, but bear with me. At the end credits scene of 2019’s “Far From Home,” Mysterio (Jack Gyllenhaal) reveals Peter Parker’s identity to the world as the true Spider-Man. We pick up “No Way Home” merely seconds after the reveal where Peter has to deal with the fall-out of his escapades in Europe earlier that summer and people even believing that Spider-Man is responsible for murdering Mysterio rather than saving the world. He is then declared Public Enemy #1.
Desperate to turn back the clock, Peter visits Dr. Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) to cast a spell to reverse the consequences of his actions. But when the spell goes haywire, everyone in the Multi-Verse that knew Peter Parker and Spider-Man have been released into the world and are seeking retribution. We find out that each villain that returns, and there are a lot of them, were taken from their previous wars just before they die while fighting Spider-Man. In order to save the world and re-balance the Multi-Verse, they need to send them back to where they belong. Except, Peter starts developing feelings for these mis-understood super-villains and wants to save them before sending them back. Thus, chaos ensues.
SPOILERS BELOW THIS POINT. DO NOT READ IF YOU DON’T WANT TO KNOW.
The first part of the movie is, frankly, messy. We are jumping timelines so fast it’s hard to keep up. From kicking off the movie just seconds after his identity has been revealed to jumping forward to the first start of senior year. They try to cover a lot of material in the first thirty minutes just to move the plot forward to the piece that everyone is waiting for: super-hero and super-villain crossover.
The plot seems to be a bit of a stretch for me. The reason that Peter doesn’t immediately send home the super-villains from different timelines is because of a plea from Aunt May, (Marisa Tomei) who takes pity on the fallen foes. Ignoring Dr. Strange’s instruction to return them to the Multi-Verse where they will suffer their own fate, Peter decides to try to cure each of the super villains before sending them back so that they can live.
He traps Dr. Strange, one of the most powerful superheroes in the world, in a time suck. The plot doesn’t dive too deep into situations like this and we are meant to just accept the scenarios and move on. All things are going swimmingly when Willem Dafoe’s Green Goblin alter-ego makes an appearance and send things into a tailspin, including subjecting Aunt May to a terrible fate.
In Tobey and Andrew’s Spider-Man, we all saw the death of Uncle Ben whereas Tom’s Spider-Man didn’t even reference the character, it has always been Aunt May. So, who is the character that delivers the Spider-Man cannon line “With great power, comes great responsibility” the day that the character died? In this version, its Aunt May. After sustaining the blow-back from the Green Goblin detonators she dies in Peter’s arms as he flees the scene in despair.
The best part of the entire film is the last forty-five minutes, why? BECAUSE WE GET ANDREW AND TOBEY BACK!! Yes, that is right. The entire internet has been guessing but now it has finally been confirmed. When Dr. Strange and Peter accidentally opened the Multi-Verse, we got our beloved earlier versions of Peter Parker that also slipped through the cracks. The three Peter’s team up to not just defeat, but cure the super-villains and send them back home before the Multi-Verse closes again. Also, as the Multi-Verse starts cracking apart, trying to let more people in, Peter Parker sacrifices his identity to keep the world safe. He walks away from the final battle with everyone, including Dr. Strange, forgetting who he is.
Honestly, the theater was electric when Andrew and Tobey stepped into the frame and the banter and dialogue back and forth between past, present and future Spider-Men was iconic. Tom Holland shines, as always, in the tough moments, showing the range and depth he has as an actor and he deserves to be applauded for his incredible performance as, in my opinion, the most believable Peter Parker.
So, is the movie good? Eh, the plot is a bit sketchy and to me felt like a stretch at multiple points. You know there are issues when you are repeatedly saying under your breath “You are so stupid.” But! It is an incredible service to the fans of the franchise. Checking the boxes for fun, nostalgic and heart-warming, it’s a reminder why so many people fell in love with the character of Spider-Man to begin with, regardless of who is the face under the suit.
Also, just want to pop in and say, justice for Andrew!! He is the only Spider-Man that did not get a third installment and I’m just here to say that I am 100% here for it. Please, Sony and Marvel, if we can make this Multi-Verse cross-over happen, we can make a third Amazing Spider-Man.
Movie Score: 8/10
And that’s the sitch.
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