Spider-Man is one of the most iconic Marvel superheroes but he has had quite a strange history when it comes to cinematic adaptations. The character of Spider-Man has been played by many actors across many different franchises. Spider-Man: No Way Home attempts to be the culmination of all three of these franchises: the Raimi trilogy, the Amazing Spider-Man movies, and finally the Tom Holland movies. 

No Way Home picks up right at the end of the last movie Far from Home with Spider-Man’s identity being revealed to the world by Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal) as Peter Parker. He is then targeted by government officials over the possibility of him being the one responsible for Mysterio’s crimes. This prevents Peter, his friend Ned (Jacob Batalon), and his girlfriend Michelle Jones (Zendaya) from being accepted into any college they apply to. Peter is frustrated at how much his mistakes are affecting his friends and family so he decides to get the help of Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch). The two of them try to activate a spell that could make it so no one knows Peter is Spider-Man, but before it could be finished, the spell is botched and villains from multiple universes are pulled into Peter’s who wish to get revenge on Spider-Man. 

This movie spells the return of classic villains from the previous Spider-Man franchises created by Sony. These include characters such as Green Goblin played by the iconic Willem DaFoe, Doctor Octopus played by Alfred Molina, and a revamped Electro played by Jaimie Foxx. Being in the theatre and seeing all these iconic characters interact and fight together was incredibly entertaining. Every single actor effortlessly sinks back into their roles that some of them haven’t portrayed in over a decade. 

Tom Holland also establishes himself as a true Spider-Man, just like Garfield and Maguire. This movie acts as a way to solidify the morals and lessons Holland’s version of Peter Parker has learned across these three films. By the end of this movie, Peter has learned what it means to be Spider-Man and the responsibilities that come with being a hero. He becomes a true superhero with a better understanding of his place in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. 

Peter Parker also deals with the consequences of his actions constantly, which hits home the major lesson of Spider-Man: “with great power comes great responsibility.” Because Mysterio reveals Peter’s identity to the world, Peter must come to terms with the consequences of his actions in previous movies and learn to move on from his mistakes while also remaining accountable for them. When he goes to Dr. Strange to see if he can erase people’s memories, his action isn’t driven by selfishness but by the fact that his identity being revealed affected the lives of all of his friends and family. 

This movie has proven itself to be one of the most successful Marvel movies to date, especially since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. No Way Home is the first movie since the beginning of the pandemic that has made 1 billion dollars in the box office, making it the second only Spider-Man film to reach over 1 billion dollars with the first being Far from Home. This is mostly due to the immense amount of hype and rumors that were surrounding this film before it was released. In this review, I won’t tell you whether or not these rumors are true but you will definitely be in for a treat filled with a lot of surprises. 

Overall, No Way Home is by far the best MCU film from 2021. The amount of emotion and thought put into it makes it stand out amongst the many Sony films about Spider-Man and his amazing friends. Fortunately, this is not the end of Tom Holland’s career as the web-slinger. He has already signed on for another three movies as well as larger crossover films, making him the actor with the most Spider-Man portrayals under his belt. I highly recommend you go see the movie before it leaves theatres or at least when it comes to Disney Plus or DVD. Until next time, true believers!