“Spider-Man: No Way Home,” directed by Jon Watts who is notable for directing the last two Spider-Man movies of “Homecoming” and “Far From Home,” premiered in movie theaters on Friday. Written by Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers, this film is the long awaited conclusion for Sony and Marvel Studios’ Spider-Man trilogy.
Set in Queens, NY, this movie keeps audiences on their toes as the newly revealed-to-be-Spider-Man, Peter Parker, attempts to make the world forget his identity with the help of Dr. Strange. In an effort to do this, he instead causes people throughout the multiverse who knew his identity to come into his universe, resulting in chaos.
The beginning of the film felt a bit rushed and confusing as it tried to quickly give closure to the previous movie in the trilogy: “Spider-Man: Far From Home.” Additionally, those new to watching the web-slinger’s trilogy may miss pivotal moments in the film due to the fact that many key details reference previous Spider-Man movies outside of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). With that being said, to fully appreciate this film, be advised to watch more than just this trilogy’s superhero cinematography.
Despite needing all of this Spider-Man background knowledge to understand the entirety of the film, unaware viewers can still appreciate the powerful storytelling that was executed as plot twists were put in place to take the audience on an emotional rollercoaster. One factor of the storytelling that made this movie stand out was that the tone was darker compared to the last two films in this series. The pairing of this new tone alongside the beloved classic Spider-Man humor that can be found throughout the series is one of the elements that makes this final movie so memorable.
The most consistent element of the film includes the writers being able to continue to keep Peter’s character true to himself, regardless of any of the events that take place during this film. While he progresses throughout the film and overcomes a variety of obstacles throughout the trilogy, Peter continuously goes back to remind us that he was still just a kid with all of this responsibility. This aspect kept the movie engaging and relatable to all audience members, old and young.
Overall, while the exposition to the movie could’ve been explained more thoroughly before sliding into the new plot, the movie was a satisfying ending to the trilogy that I wish I could experience for the first time all over again. If you haven’t already checked out this film, take some time this holiday break to see it.