It would take a special kind of awful person to spoil the riches of Spider-Man: No Way Home. Considering a particularly high profile outlet spoiled some plot points with Eternals earlier this year, I was surprised we weren’t forced to sign NDAs. But for No Way Home, we were allowed no guests, a late start of 8:30 p.m., and not even the screening reps were allowed inside. Leaving things to chance was not in the cards for Sony.
Reviewing a film such as No Way Home, without spoilers is rather difficult. To start, here are some snippets from my review of Avengers: Endgame which sums up most of my thoughts:
“As if living in a post-Avengers: Infinity War world wasn’t hard enough, a post-EndgameNo Way Home world is even harder. The things you know, and the things you’ve seen, cannot prepare audiences for the time they’re about to have.
Thanos still demands your silence, making it the first rule of Avengers: EndgameNo Way Home: You do not talk about Avengers: EndgameNo Way Home. At least with anyone who hasn’t seen it yet. Everything could be a potential spoiler. There’s no reason to even get into the plot for this reason. Just go with what’s been shown in the trailers and TV spots and stay far far away from social media.
You can’t tell someone to make sure they bring a box of tissues, but then what would they think if you told them not to? It’s a tricky game, but thankfully, it’s a blessing to only have to live with for a few more days.
For those with the film already mapped out in their heads, remember, this is Marvel, and they do what they want. And what they do is surprising, hilarious, emotional, sometimes weird, and genuinely jaw-dropping.”
If there’s one thing Sony continues doing with their Spider-Man entries is making sure it exists within the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but is a Spider-Man film first. Tom Holland is still the living embodiment of Peter Parker/Spider-Man, and this is his best performance of the character yet. And not just in these movies. Everyone else gives it their all, including the returning multiverse actors. Willem Dafoe and Alfred Molina are exceptional, relishing their chance to return and give their characters even bigger arches than the Sam Raimi films. Zendaya also gives an amazing performance, continuing to make M.J. not just her own, but a standout character surrounded by men.
“With great power comes great responsibility,” and director Jon Watts — along with returning writers since Homecoming (Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers) — very obviously loves everything and anything Spider-Man, from the previous Raimi and Marc Webb outings, to the comic books, and everything in between. This is a Spider-Man film for the ages and they’ve pulled off what now feels like an ongoing story for 19 years. Watts keeps his plates spinning ensuring all chances pay off. It’s the first to eclipse Spider-Man 2 and lives up to the heights of Into the Spider-Verse. Spider-Man: No Way Home isn’t just one of the year’s most enjoyable films, it’s flat out the year’s best.
