Why "Spider-Man: No Way Home" is Peak Spider-Man Storytelling - A Discussion
At the writing of this, Spider-Man: No Way Home has completed its opening weekend, smashing the box office and completely decimating any other movie's chances of making a buck. Its roaring success shows that theaters are still alive, and that people are starting to feel more comfortable venturing out to see a show. If you're one that is still apprehensive, that's okay. You do you, boo. As a theater-lover and passionate movie fan, I would be lying if I said I wasn't elated at the fact that theaters were packed (safely) with people anxious to see a new movie, albeit one that comes with a host of speculation and hype not unlike other larger entities, like Avengers: Endgame or The Force Awakens. I attended a Thursday night screening of Spider-Man: No Way Home, and the place was probably 90% full. The vibe was electric, and the experience was palpable. I hadn't experienced a viewing like that since Avengers: Endgame, and it felt really good to be there. Obviously, this was due to the film itself, a culmination of a comic book trilogy that had an insane amount of speculation behind it, and more set leaks than a boat sprayed with bullet holes. I went into this movie with some expectations; I had seen or heard about some of these potential leaks, but I stayed as far away from them as I could, because I wanted the experience to be as pure as it could possible be. What I ended up getting was more than I could have ever anticipated...and then even, more than that.
The following discussion is going to contain heavy spoilers for Spider-Man: No Way Home. I wanted to give it some time before diving into this, and trying to review a movie like this without talking about spoilers would be nearly impossible. So, if you're reading this and you have not seen Spider-Man: No Way Home yet, bookmark this article, go see the movie, and then come back. I don't want to be that guy that ruins the experience for anyone, so just know that if you've read up to this point and plan to continue, I will be discussing important aspects of the film that will spoil massive surprises that are better experienced upon viewing. Reader beware. Okay, I think I've given enough of a heads-up to move on. So, without further rambling, let's dive into why I think Spider-Man: No Way Home is the best "Spider-Man" movie, the best "Peter Parker" movie, and the insane cinematic awesomeness it manages to pull off.
THE SPIDER-MAN TROPE
The thing that makes Spider-Man, as a character, so endearing and relatable is that he's a normal kid with normal problems who is given extraordinary abilities. He's a superhero that acts as the ultimate stand-in. When Peter has issues, they're issues that we as the viewing audience can relate with, because we've dealt with them in some form or fashion. He's a victim of bullying; he's grossly underestimated, he lacks confidence and often times makes mistakes. This last part is what really stands out the most, because what is also inherently connected to the pathos of Spider-Man is "choice." Peter is constantly barraged by large, consequential choices, and his responses are what ultimately creates the persona that is "Spider-Man." On a cinematic level, we've seen this trope play out, both in Sam Raimi's trilogy, featuring Tobey Maguire, and in the Amazing Spider-Man films, featuring Andrew Garfield. In both of these iterations, we see Peter getting bit by the spider, him figuring out his powers, and the traumatic consequences of his self-centered decisions. Out of these moments, he moves from being just a kid in a costume with powers, to the titular superhero that is Spider-Man.
Tom Holland's tenure as the web-slinger has taken a completely different route, which is really cool. He was introduced in Captain America: Civil War, where we meet him post-spider-bite; when we get to see him in first solo film, it's inherently connected to the MCU and hinges on experiences he's had within that larger tapestry. He becomes an Avenger, fights Thanos, gets blipped for five years, and returns to help save the universe, all while still in high school...technically. His journey from "kid in a spandex suit with powers" to the final form that is "Spider-Man," has been drastically different from that of his predecessors. What Spider-Man: No Way Home does brilliantly is remind us that, despite his journey up to this point, Peter Parker is still Peter Parker, and what it takes for him to cross that threshold into becoming the Spider-Man we all know and love, is still relevant...and needed.
No Way Home is a much darker film that the two previous films in this trilogy. It's also the most emotional of the bunch. With Mysterio divulging his identity at the end of Far From Home, Peter must now navigate a world where everyone knows he's Spider-Man. Other than the barrage of people wanting his attention and seeking to get views for their posts of him walking into school and trying to live a normal life, Peter soon learns that the larger ramifications of being Spider-Man seems to seep into the lives of those whom he loves most. His best friend Ned and girlfriend M.J. aren't able to get into college because they're known associates of Peter's. The life that Peter wants - being both Spider-Man and Peter Parker - now seems more impossible than ever before. This movie picks up literally at the moment where we ended with Far From Home, and the fast-paced aspect of this ramped-up situation seems to streamline throughout the entire movie. The thesis of choice becomes ever present; that honed-in trope of every Spider-Man iteration where the choices you make must be dealt with, comes to a head and is explored in greater detail once Peter gets the bright idea to ask his fellow Avenger Dr. Strange to help him. Because Peter wants it both ways, he screws up the spell that Dr. Strange tries to cast, meant to make everyone forget that Peter is Spider-Man, and the consequences become somewhat dire. Now, rather than everyone forgetting that Peter is Spider-Man, all those who know this fact are suddenly drawn to him...even from other universes. In other words, his initial problem only compounded because he was seeking a solution that benefited him and him alone.
It was revealed in the trailers for this movie that old villains we've met before would be returning, and when they do, it's absolutely glorious. Alfred Molina returns as Doc Oc and Willem Dafoe returns as Norman Osborne/Green Goblin from the Raimi Trilogy; Jamie Fox reprises his role as Electro from the Amazing Spider-Man films, as well as Lizard and Sandman making appearances. There are a lot of villains in this movie, as well as other characters - which I'll get to later - and considering the past films and their attempts at juggling multiple characters, this could seem like an issue. One of the worst parts of Raimi's Spider-Man 3 was the messy handling of so many villains, and there were only three that time. Here, all of them serve a purpose; all of them are much more than just a cameo, and they each have their time to shine. There's development and stakes, and what's so amazing about their inclusion is that, not only is it a part of this movie's large objective to play into Peter's current narrative while also paying homage to those of the past (which is something I'll speak on later as well), but never once does their inclusion feel overbearing; this is Tom Holland's story, and he's never overshadowed by their presence.
As a hero, Peter has always striven to do the right thing. His moral compass comes from two major areas: his aunt and uncle, and his innate nature. Initially, Peter is terrified with the consequence of his actions; screwing up Dr. Strange's spell resulted in a multiversal explosion of epic proportions. However, it's his Aunt May's influence that causes him to choose to help these villains before returning them home, which would result in their deaths at the hand of their respective Spider-Men. Again, this is a choice that Peter makes. Sending them back to where they came from, essentially ending the problem he helped to create, would simply occur with the press of a button. Pretty cut-and-dry choice if you ask me, or any other sane person. Keep in mind that Peter is still a young guy; he may have "saving the world" and "fighting aliens in space" under his belt, but the kid isn't even out of high school yet. When faced with the choice of doing what's easy versus doing what's right, he chooses the harder path because he can't see these villains losing their lives at his expense. It's choices like these that have always paved the way for any iteration of Spider-Man to evolve, and in most cases those choices - though right - come at a cost. For example, Andrew Garfield's Spider-Man was faced with saving his friend Harry in The Amazing Spider-Man 2, having only needed to share his blood. Fearing a worse consequence, he makes the hard decision not to save Harry, a decision that evolved into Harry later becoming a Goblin, and the eventual death of Gwen Stacey. Spider-Man, as a symbol in our contemporary mythology, is the interaction of The Hero's Journey that seems to focus more so on the cause and effect of choice than anything else, and Tom Holland's Spider-Man is no different in that regard.
One thing that's been really interesting with the MCU's Spider-Man, meaning Tom Holland's Spider-Man, is that we haven't seen the big, pivotal moment of Peter moving past the trauma of losing someone at the cost of his actions, to then rise above and become a hero in spite of his trauma. When we first meet Peter Parker in the MCU, he's been Spider-Man for a while. There doesn't seem to be an indication of an "Uncle Ben," living only with his aunt May, and though we had seen two previous iterations of Spider-Man's origin in past franchises, it was nice to meet a Spider-Man already on the job. His narrative through the MCU becomes bombastic, getting roped into the political civil war between the Avengers, hopping in to fight Thanos in space, getting blipped, and then coming back to fight in one of the biggest battles of the universe. Stopping car thieves suddenly seems too minor league at this point. Yet, his solo outings in Homecoming and Far From Home centered on more grounded, intimate battles that needed to happen in order to hone Peter for who he needed to become, despite what he's already gone through. Even after all the events of the Infinity Saga, Peter hadn't reached peak Spider-Man status, because he still battled with the biggest enemy of all: selfishness. He wanted a life as Peter Parker AND a life as Spider-Man, and without learning the pivotal lesson that with great power comes great responsibility, he would always be just that kid in spandex who wanted his cake while eating, too.
SPIDER-MEN
What No Way Home does brilliantly is that is takes everything that has happened so far in Peter's life and re-contextualizes it as groundwork to establish that needed moment for Peter become the hero we all know him to be. Marisa Tomei's Aunt May has been a wonderful light in this franchise, and she's always been in Peter's corner, even after learning his superhero secret. It's her example in this film that helps Peter realize he could do more for these villains than just sending them back to face their fate. However, after failing to help them all entirely, the Goblin persona takes over Norman and begins to wreak havoc. That initial fight between Peter and the Goblin is brutal; at one point it gave me The Dark Knight vibes, with Peter wailing on the Goblin, who could only laugh at the effort. In the end, the Goblin kills May, and the mythology of Spider-Man plays out once more. Before her passing, we get the fabled lesson, that with great power comes great responsibility, a lesson May leaves Peter in the wake of destruction and perceived failure. Even though he feels he failed, and even though May lays in his arms dying, she reaffirms to him that his choice was the right one. This is central to who Spider-Man is, both as a contemporary character in our mythology, and as the established comic book character, and until this point in the MCU's run, we haven't had that. It's a beautifully haunting moment in the film, and Tom Holland gives an amazing performance here. I was bawling in the theater, for multiple reasons: it was a sad scene that was playing out, but epic in that we finally get to see this version of Spider-Man's "Uncle Ben" moment.
The movie does this fantastic thing then; it cuts from this emotionally traumatizing moment to a more light-hearted, comical one with Ned and MJ who are hiding out at Ned's grandmother's house with the encased spell that would send everyone back. Through various circumstances, of which I won't go into a lot of detail here, Ned is able to open portals like Dr. Strange can. He stumbles upon this power when expressing his desire to see Peter. What occurs next is something like a fever dream. I've seen the film twice and still can't believe it. Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire appear as their respective Peter Parkers, having crossed over into this universe when their respective villains did. Mind-blowing, right?! Now, if you follow movie news as much as I do, you'll know that their appearance has been speculated and discussed for a long time, with potential leaked photos showing them on set. I had seen some of these, and even though I knew there was a strong possibility that they would show up, it was still incredible to see them appear. I was brought back to my youth when I saw Tobey Maguire. His iteration as Spider-Man is iconic, and his second film will forever be one of the greatest comic book movies of all time. The Amazing Spider-Man films didn't get as much love, and Andrew Garfield wasn't as favorable as Spidey by most fans, but I found him to be a great Spider-Man, and to see both of them appear in this film was amazing.
There are a handful of moments in this movie that will stick with me forever. The first time Tom Holland meets the other two Spider-Men could have played much more different than it did. Rather than having them just quip back and forth at each other in a comical fish-out-of-water scene, which many memes have done, the movie takes a more serious route in continuing to establish the Spider-Man mythos. Peter is still reeling from the death of May; he knows her death was a result of choices that he made, and he's beginning to realize that vengeance and darkness can be a real thing, as thoughts of wanting to kill Goblin begin to seep into this mind. In the most brilliant and perfect way possible, Peter gets to talk to the other Peters about their experiences with losing someone they loved at the cost of a decision they made. Tobey and Andrew touch on moments from their respective narratives, moments we all as fans know, and it works on a narrative level far beyond just a moment of fan service. They become mentors for Holland's Peter, and he soon realizes that his trauma isn't his own, but the innate characteristic of every Spider-Man. It's a path born out of choice, and the way forward is paved with even more choices.
Seeing Tobey back in the suit was a joy as well. He's meant so much to so many people that it wasn't a surprise to see that he got the biggest applause in the theater. I mean, people went nuts; it was great. Playing the seasoned Peter Parker was such a cool way to bring him back, and having lived a life as Spider-Man, no one else would have had as big of an impact on Tom Holland's Peter when faced with the ultimate decision. After curing all the villains in a climatic battle at the Statue of Liberty, Holland's Peter faces off against the Goblin. All the rage born out of May's death comes out in epic fashion as Peter just pummels Goblin with a furry of punches. It's Tobey, though, that steps in and saves Peter from killing the Goblin, from crossing that line. It needed to be Tobey; on a meta level, it needed to be him because it was through Tobey that we were introduced to this new way of comic book storytelling that we see now; it was Tobey's Spidey that taught us that with great power comes great responsibility, so how fitting is it that we get to see him physically illustrate that lesson. On a narrative level, his Peter is the seasoned Peter; he's experienced the loss that Tom's Peter was feeling, and he knows what it means to come close to crossing that line and not looking back. Had Andrew stepped in, it wouldn't have been as impactful. In the end, Tom's Peter learns his lesson, moving past the selfish nature of the carnal within - his self-serving desires for vengeance - and cures the goblin.
The inclusion of these other Spider-Men was more than just fan service. They were used to further the narrative, to help tell the Spider-Man mythos in this iteration. That's important to keep in mind, because as awesome as it was to see them again and to watch them all fight bad guys together, never once did they overshadow Tom Holland. Granted, I will never forget the feeling of seeing all three of them swinging together in epic fashion, but this is Tom's story, and his Peter is at the center of it all. Being able to juggle so many characters, both heroes and villains, in a way that doesn't detract from the larger narrative...I don't know how they did it, but they did.
RISE OF THE SPIDER-MAN
At the crux if it all, the spell that Dr. Strange had cast gets out of control and begins to rip the fabric of reality apart. Peter makes the decision to sacrifice everything he loves to save the world. He asks Dr. Strange to cast a spell, the original spell, to have everyone forget who Peter Parker is or his connection to Spider-Man. Peter then says goodbye to the people he loves most, Ned and MJ. Zendaya is a wonderful presence in all of these films, and her performance rivals Holland's as one of the best in the film. Their last interaction together is both heart-breaking and heart-warming. By the end of the film, Peter has a chance to reintroduce himself to his friends, who now have no idea who he is, but chooses not to. He sees that they are happy, in college, and living lives that are positive and progressing...lives without him. Instead of doing what he wants, he chooses to do what he feels is right and leaves them be, knowing that a life with him in it is a dangerous one.
It's amazing to me that it's taken this long to see this version of Spider-Man become "Spider-Man" in the grand scheme of the MCU, and the way it was executed was nothing short of brilliant. I feel like I've said that a lot, but I don't care. Given all of the various aspects of this movie, the way it executes the narrative, and the entirety if it all, I would put this at the top of my list when it comes to ranking the web-shooters. That's a steep claim, I know, but I think I can make the case. For years, Spider-Man 2 has been the cream of the crop. That film gave us a Peter Parker who battled with his responsibilities, a villain we could care about and who redeemed himself in the end, and visually stunning action sequences that still hold up today. It encapsulated everything that makes Spider-Man "Spider-Man" and executed it perfectly. To this day it's one of the greatest comic book movies of all time. Many will argue the same, and some will even argue that another outing, Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse, actually dethrones it as the best. That movie is also amazing, and does what Spider-Man 2 did while also elevating it by adding in the multiverse. You could make the argument that No Way Home isn't any different than Into the Spiderverse in that regard, but Into the Spiderverse didn't have a franchise of content to sustain it.
As I mentioned earlier, No Way Home gives us the "origin" of the MCU Spider-Man while completely re-contextualizing the entirety of his inclusion up to this point. By the end of this film, Peter Parker has risen above the trauma, having sacrificed more than he had up to that point, and did so because he finally understood what it means to use his power responsibly. Not only that, No Way Home acknowledges the Spider-Man films before it by literally using the other Spider-Men to contextualize what it means to be Spider-Man for a Peter Parker who is just now learning, despite his past experiences. It pays homage while also being an effective narrative tool, while also serving fan desires, while also elevating past iterations, while also being entertaining, while also being iconic, and while also being emotionally satisfying. I know that sentence is grammatically all over the place, but I don't care. No Way Home is the greatest Spider-Man movie, in my book, because it establishes the mythos of Spider-Man effectively and perfectly, better than any before it.
CLOSING THOUGHTS
Film criticism is subjective, which is great. We can have differing opinions and that's alright. I know some will think I'm crazy, and maybe some will agree. What I think can be said universally, though, is that Spider-Man: No Way Home is a rockin' good time at the movies. I didn't even touch on everything this movie had to offer, like Dr. Strange's inclusion, that D
aredevil cameo, the implications of Ned being able to do magic, or how the events of this film will ripple into others down the road; that's a discussion for a latter day. When all is said and done, I found this movie to be completely satisfying, wholly entertaining, emotionally draining, and exceptionally made. This movie gave me more than I had anticipated and delivered in spades. I'm sure I'll be seeing this again over the holidays, and after two viewings already, my thoughts have only solidified. Tom Holland has proven himself time and again that he's got this character down, and in this movie he delivers his greatest performance to date as Spider-Man. I just can't wait to see what the future has in store.
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