“Avengers: Endgame” was said to be the best movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as it incorporated over a decade of movies into one coherent and entertaining film. Triumphantly, “Spider-Man: No Way Home” has stolen the crown by combining some 20 years of movies from three different universes and actually making it work.
The premise sees Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) casting a spell to go back in time and reverse the events before Peter Parker’s identity was revealed – but it goes haywire, opening the multiverse and allowing others to enter.
This means “No Way Home” features the welcome return of villains from the Tobey Maguire reign of Spidey films – such as Green Goblin, Doctor Octopus or “Doc Ock”, and Sandman – as well as baddies from the Andrew Garfield run, such as Lizard and Electro.
On its own the plot might be rather average, but viewed as a whole, this instalment makes all the previous “Spider-Man” movies even better, which is quite an achievement.
The cast from the previous films could easily have appeared in only one scene, but “No Way Home” successfully weaves these characters into the plot, making them integral to the development of Holland’s Spider-Man.
The arrival of Maguire and Garfield is perfectly timed, bringing hope at a dark point in the proceedings, and they nail their characters perfectly alongside Holland, blending together seamlessly and providing both pathos and humour.
Of note is how Maguire and Garfield’s Spider-Men are portrayed realistically in terms of where they might actually be in their lives these many years later.
The movie clearly has a strong nostalgic component: watching the three Spider-Men rally together with the idea of great power and great responsibility is absolutely thrilling.
And when Garfield’s Spidey saves MJ (played by Holland’s real-life partner Zendaya) from suffering the same fate as Gwen Stacy in “The Amazing Spider-Man 2”, it is indeed powerful and emotional.
The cherry on top of the cake is learning that Toby Maguire, at 46, remains in incredible shape and can still rock that Spidey suit!
The movie examines how everything comes with a consequence. Instead of an easy, happy ending, Holland’s Spider-Man has to make a sacrifice and give up the things that are most important to him.
In the end he chooses to live in a world where no one knows his real identity, which reintroduces the classic out-of-luck Peter Parker character and remarkably transforms this trilogy into a whole new origin story.
Despite a simple storyline, this crowd-pleasing, fan-servicing “Spider-Man” is a treasure trove that is definitely worth the watch, especially for those who have been faithfully following the franchise over the past 20 years.
‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ is playing in cinemas nationwide.