It’s been almost 72 hours since I left the theater, and I can’t stop thinking about Spider-Man: No Way Home. The film is a wonderful cinematic experience that rivals Avengers: End Game. It’s an emotionally crafted love letter to the titular character that is chockfull of hilarity and insight about the consequence of choice and the power of responsibility.
Too much humor in a Batman or Superman comic book drags the story down. On the other hand, Spider-Man comics are where a superb blend of humor and emotional gravity is the book’s hallmark.
Director Jon Watts has always honored the source material while making the wall-crawler his own in the Sony/MCU of it all. No Way Home is the best example of Watt’s stewardship as he stuck the perfect balance of humor, action, and depth.
The film’s biggest strength is how well it works for all moviegoers. Avid MCU fans, diehard Spider-Man fans, and casual viewers will appreciate the enormity of this multiverse-spanning epic.
Toby Maguire and Andrew Garfield reprise their respective roles as Spider-Man. Their entry into the story came off naturally and portrayed to bring those nostalgic feelings without alienating the uninitiated.
Tom Holland, Zendaya, Alfred Molina, and the aforementioned Maguire and Garfield perform well. However, the gold star goes to Willem Dafoe in a return to the Green Goblin role from the Sam Rami movies.
At first, it felt like there was no primary villain as the multiverse conflict took center stage. Later on, Dafoe’s Goblin is unleashed in a manner that takes the reigns and never lets go. Spider-Man has the most extensive rouges gallery of villains in the Marvel Universe.
Dafoe’s Green Goblin locking horns with Holland’s Spider-Man served as a staunch reminder that the Goblin is Spidey’s Joker. He’s utterly insane with a frightening charm that’s caused more pain to our hero than anyone can fathom.
We never got the definitive Green Goblin because he was killed off in the first (2002) film. Watts presents him in all of his psychotic glory, where viewers will admire Dafoe’s performance while yearning for him to get his just deserts.
Spider-Man: No Way Home is a beautiful triumph that uses spectacle to enhance the grandeur of a hefty narrative. It delivers on all fronts while setting Holland’s Peter Parker on a path toward becoming the definitive hero of the marvel universe, which exemplifies the growth we’ve witnessed throughout the Sony helmed trilogy.
Oh, if you don’t know by now, please stay for the mid and post-credit scenes.
Ringside Logic 