Over the course of the winter break, “Spider-Man: No Way Home” (2021) became one of the most popular movies of the year. Released on Dec. 17, inroughly two hours and 30 minutes, the movie became a Marvel classic.
From the fight choreography to the soundtrack, the jokes to the heartbreaking moments, this film was a rollercoaster of events that truly showed who Spider-Man (Tom Holland) is. Holland delivers an amazing performance throughout the entire movie as Peter Parker struggles to balance his life as Spider-Man and a high schooler, with each side fighting for all of his attention. However, it soon becomes clear that one side has to win. Parker learns to handle new responsibilities as a young adult by relying solely on himself, not everyone and everything else.
What was truly remarkable was the character growth of everyone else in the film. MJ (Zendaya) goes from being a pessimistic type to someone who finds hope in dire situations. Ned Leeds (Jacob Batalon) finds himself as more than just Parker’s ‘Guy In the Chair,’ but as someone capable of holding his own. Even Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) develops and comes to show how much he cares for Parker by the end of the film.
In a significant contrast with Uncle Ben’s death, Aunt May’s (Marisa Tomei) murder by the Green Goblin (Willem Dafoe) is the fuel that turns Spider-Man into a true hero. He understands from her sacrifice that helping even one person is important, and that due to his power, he has a responsibility to help those he can. This is what grounds him morally. May’s death also holds a much more emotional impact for the audience after seeing her be a rock for Peter for the entirety of the franchise.
Of course, it's impossible to talk about "No Way Home" without mentioning the biggest highlights of the film — the return of Tobey Maguire's and Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Men. No words can describe the absolute joy felt by the audience in the moment Garfield ripped off his Spider-Man mask — this author's entire theater cheered with excitement. When Maguire stepped through his portal in all his glory, the effect was pure wonder. The chemistry between the three Spider-Men felt too real, like three brothers joking around and trading stories. Garfield’s Spider-Man became known as Peter 3 and his sincerity perfectly complemented Maguire's (Peter 2) casualness and Holland's (Peter 1) youthful nature.
Also astonishing about this film were the moments of redemption it gave to all our returning villains and Peters. With Doc Ock turning to the good side and the Green Goblin’s internal conflict, audiences got to see the difference that a helping hand could make for someone who’s fallen down the wrong path. Garfield’s moment of redemption in catching MJ gave us a satisfying moment after the Gwen Stacy incident. Maguire holds Holland back from making his mistake of murdering the Goblin in a fit of rage and grief. Maguire and Garfield’s characters' comforting guidance to Holland's Spider-Man, and the understanding that he is never actually alone, push him to be a better person and a better hero in the end. He makes the hard but right choices because they are there for him.
In a movie full of multiverse-altering magical spells and crazy technology, Peter’s hardships as a young adult ground the story.
"Spider-Man: No Way Home" wrapped up only the first of Peter Parker’s development arcs, setting the stage for so much more to come. Parker’s development as a character, his growing from a high school sophomore trying to impress his idols to a new adult doing his part to keep his neighborhood safe, gave us a true understanding of who he is and what values he holds — his responsibility to keep the little guy safe.
Despite fans' high expectations going into the movie, somehow those expectations were completely surpassed. Every moment in the theater had the audience captivated, and — weeks later — this author still thinks about it. This was quite simply one of the best Marvel movies to date and an instant classic.
