Movie Man Darian Watching All Night Long

Spider-Man : No Way Home 

(Contains Spoilers) 

This is the best Spider-Man film ever made! Now let me explain I have been a fan of the web-slinger and marvel since I was 5 years old. I remember growing up with Tobey Maguire’s Portrayal of the character in the early 2000’s and to me he is my Spider-Man that I grew up watching as when I first got into high school the Andrew Garfield films came out and I remember watching those ones as well. Now for many many years I have always regarded Spider-Man 2 as the greatest film of the character ever put to the silver screen but then Spider Verse came out and that topped the Sam Rami sequel for me. But with what I just witnessed opening night I can say that No Way Home is the crowning achievement for Spider-Man as shown on the big screen. 

Firstly, The issue I had with Tom Holland’s Spider-Man they finally fixed! For years I’ve said holland’s take on the character was getting mentored by adult figures without being able to stand on his own two feet and taking on big tasks on his own which is what Spider-Man is. As for the last two films he always was living in Tony Stark’s shadow and I really wanted him to be his own person and not have always to have a mentor to guide him but for him to be able to get in tricky situations and figure it out on his own and in No Way home they finally achieve what I have been asking for. As in the film he goes to doctor strange to cast a spell to reverse the world knowing his identity and he suffers the repercussions of the choice he makes and their are serious emotional damage he suffers because of it. And so we get to see Peter Parker take full responsibility without any outside help and I love that as you see Tom Holland also soar in what I think is his best performance of the character in this film. As The films tone is very different compared to Far From Home and Homecoming as due to the weight of the situation he faces their is a darker and more serious feel to the frame that due to the excellent execution of No Way Home deepens a lot of the tones from the previous two films. No Way Home shows the web crawler in a very different emotional space he’s ever been through as he has to take on lots of hard choices that have serious outcomes for good and bad  and  because of that it’ll make you gasp, scream in excitement and tear up all because of it. They also never mocked or made fun of the villains from the previous films as a comic relief but actually was able to flesh out more depth to iconic characters of Doc Oc, Sand Man, Green Goblin and Electro. They have very real moments and shown as the tragic people they are as their not monsters but truly misunderstood and that message was touched upon in the previous films and is an underlying tone to this film in such a beautiful way. And the icing on the top was seeing Andrew Garfield and Tobey reprise their roles as Spider-Man now seeing Tobey Maguire made me gasp and cry don’t get me wrong I freaking love Andrew’s take on the character. But I grew up with Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man to me he is my generations Spider-Man and they weren’t in the film for small little cameos no they both had actual roles in the film and it wasn’t for some nostalgia trip they actually served a great purpose to the narrative. Seeing all 3 generations of Spider-Man actors all in one scene was truly something made of dreams and seeing Tobey and Andrew speak about their uncle Ben to Tom Holland was one of the most moving things I’ve ever witnessed. And the best thing that happened was seeing all of them interact with the Villains from their universes and having a moment to even apologize and it was perfect.  This is the strongest narrative for Spider-Man I’ve ever seen as it focuses on the person outside the suit as Sam Rami did the same  approach which is what made his films stand out more then any other version of the character but John Watts successfully duplicates the heart and soul that Sam Rami instilled into the character on the silver screen that accurately represented the character Stan Lee and Steve Ditko brought to life. 

Secondly, The performances from the entire cast are top notch! Tom Holland delivers his greatest take on the character in this film. Tom Has played the iconic web slinger six times and from his first appearance in Civil War to now he truly has evolved in such a fantastic emotional arc. He showed that energetic innocent quality of Peter in the first two films as he is new to the world he’s thrust into due to Tony Stark so he’s experiencing everything for the first time so he’s constantly trying to find his footing of where he fits in this wild world. Here we see the emotional scars of what was carved into him from every single film he’s appeared into harden on his heart in such a emotionally raw performance in No Way Home. Then you have Zendaya  also delivers a performance full of emotional tenderness and goes places with MJ that she had not tapped into from the previous films and truly mesmerized me by showcasing her heart on her sleeve in such a truly gripping performance.  A real stand out to me though was Willem Dafoe who returns into the skin of the Green Goblin almost 20 years later with such ease and menace as he crackled and stole every scene he was in back in 2001 and here he intimidates and chills you to the cure with his amazing performance as the Green Goblin once again. The rest of the cast all give incredible performances and I believe I can discuss this as this is not a spoiler and I would never spoil a film for you guys ever. But I feel I can discuss this as what I am about to say has been talked about all year long so I will say only this Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire both reprise their roles as the web slinger in not a cameo but an actual supporting role. They are in the film for almost I would say 30 minutes of the film and both return to their respected roles with such charisma and emotional depth that will have you in tears seeing them back onscreen. Everyone else in the film have solid performances across the board. 

Lastly, This film is a beautiful piece of filmmaking at the highest degree as John Watts achieves a truly epic conclusion to a fantastic story which he started with homecoming and brought to a fantastic full circle with No Way Home in what is going to go down as the greatest Marvel cinematic movie ever put to screen. It is narratively genius and brings so many twist and turns it is filled to the brim with heart pounding action, heartfelt moments that felt earned and not forced along with presenting Tom Holland’s Spider-Man with the independent grit that he has always had and its brilliantly presented here in such a fantastic light. The performances are truly knockouts from every single person in this film as a whole No Way Home is truly a crowning achievement for the Marvel Cinematic Universe as John Watts has constructed the second best Spider-Man trilogy right next to Sam Rami’s trilogy No Way Home is a emotional knockout that will have you cheering, crying and filled with excitement it is a perfect Spider-man film. 

This film takes place right after the events of Far From Home Peter’s Identity has been revealed and he asks Doctor Strange if he can cast a spell so people would not know he is Spider-Man and by doing that he not only messes with the fabric of time but creates a crack in the multiverse that pulls in people from other worlds of the Spider- Man universe. 

Rated PG - 13 : sequences of Action/Violence|Brief Suggestive Comments|Some Language

Tom Holland : Holland gives his best performance of the character in this film and damn is it powerful! Holland has been playing the role of Spider-Man for five years now and has taken on the role of Peter Parker for 6 films now and what I love about his take on the character is he embodies the comic accuracy of course but the sheer social awkwardness and pure happiness of being Spider-Man he struggles yes but he loves helping others. That is at its core of what being Spider-Man is to put the ones you love before you and that has been touched upon even in the Rami films and here it is more clear then ever as he makes some very emotionally hard choices and their are times he thinks more with his head instead of his heart and by the end of the film he knows deep down what he has to do to keep the ones he loves out of harm. It is not an easy choice he makes he understands what it will mean for him but he is so selfless you see by the end he would rather have everyone safe and out of harms way even If that meant he wouldn’t be happy. Thats not only deep as hell for the character but Spider-Man has made some tough choices in his time on the big screen but not as impactful as this. Holland soars in this film in a performance that feels mature and emotionally connected to his heart as in the previous films he has starred in as the character he explores the values of who Peter is for sure but here he really takes a intense dive into his heart and we see the wear and tear of what all the emotional pain and hurt he has gone through in the past 6 films and how it has emotionally affected him into how is in this film. As he helped the Avengers bring Thanos down, Defended Tony when the team was fighting he fought the vulture and Mysterio all of that hell he has been through emotionally really starts to show on his heart as the scars on him emotionally are riddled on him. Holland delivers a performance that is full of independent grit and genuine emotion that feels so raw and authentic and he goes places with the character emotionally I never thought he would go. Their is a moment in the film where he feels angry for the death of a loved one and seeks vengeance and beats the hell out of a character and it is brutal in a way we had never seen Tom channel such a dark side of himself and it was genuinely heartbreaking to witness seeing how hurt Peter is that he would take psychical pain on someone in such a intense way to emotionally try to heal himself. It is a performance that blew me away as Holland has always presented the light side of who Peter is and here he brings so much more depth to the character and yes brings moments of comedy and its fantastic but its the dramatic moments he truly shines in and not only is it the best performance he has given of the character it is easily one of the best performances ever given of the character period and I mean that. As he is able to bring the maturity I have longed for to see from him all the while going through so many depths of emotion and its freaking brilliant Tom Holland delivers his finest performance as Peter Parker and my god is he incredible in this film. 

Andrew Garfield : Andrew gave such a fantastic performance here! First off just seeing Andrew Garfield deliver another performance as Spider-Man was freaking jaw dropping as a lot of people crap on him for his take on the character and yes his films have flaws for sure but he was the best part of both films. The two films have flawed aspects for sure but Andrew always gave those films his all and seeing him wear the outfit again you can tell how happy he is to be back as he chews up the scenery with every line he delivers. He is only in the film for about 30 minutes ish and he enjoys every second he has In this film. As he has fantastic comedic moments which is what I loved so much about his performance in the two films was his comedic timing is freaking amazing and here he delivers that brilliantly once again along with some truly fantastic dramatic moments that shine so well. As he gets a moment in the film where he finally can stop blaming himself for the death of a loved one when he gets to save someone who means a lot to Tom Holland’s Peter in a small moment that is so deep and rooted in emotion it will have you sobbing. As we know Andrew’s Peter never saved Gwen in Time when she fell and her neck snapped so to see him beating himself up over her death almost 10 years later for him to have a moment where that same moment happens again but to someone Tom’s Peter and he can save her and he successfully does not only does he get to let the sadness wash away he can feel better now and stop emotionally battering himself. Andrew is able to mix fantastic comedy onscreen with some truly heart wrenching emotional moments that work so beautifully and I enjoyed every second he was onscreen what A joy it was to see him back in the outfit. Andrew Garfield gave a performance of laughs and fantastic emotional rawness that is felt through every frame of this film. 

Tobey Maguire : Tobey freaking Maguire is back! Okay let me tell you when I saw Tobey Maguire the man who I grew up watching in the early 2000’s my jaw dropped, I cried and I was shaking and let me tell you why. Out of all the film depictions of the character Tobey Maguire’s portrayal of the character to me is the all time best and he is my generations Spider-Man. To see Tobey walk through that portal and come back in No Way Home is the stuff of freaking dreams and I never thought I would see a day where Andrew, Tobey and Tom would all share the screen at the same time. Tobey shares the same amount of screen time as Andrew Garfield and he slips into the skin of Peter Parker so easily and he brings a father type figure look to the character this time around. His guidance to Tom Holland very much felt like Uncle Ben and there even is a scene in the film where both Andrew and Tobey discuss Uncle Ben in a heartbreaking scene Andrew discusses how he lost Gwen and Tobey mentions Uncle Ben. Now to see Tobey look at Holland and tell him that violence and vengeance is not the way was something truly moving. Seeing the optimistic and awkwardness of Tobey once again was everything I wanted and man does Tobey deliver at stealing the frame as the original Spider-Man and this time around sharing wisdom for Tom Holland to pick up on all the while getting closure for himself too with villains from his universe. It is a fantastic performance given by Tobey that will have you smiling with tears down your face the whole way through. 

Willem Dafoe : Dafoe is a freaking legend! This man is one of the best character actors to ever grace the silver screen. From his incredible work in Platoon, Eternal’s Gate, The Florida Project and his criminally overlooked Oscar worthy performance in The Lighthouse Willem is an actor that gives his all to every film he is in. Now I remember him most for his turn as Norman Osborn in The Rami Trilogy of Spider-Man as he delivered the most delicious and fun performance as the Green Goblin back in the day. So to see him here once again put that mask on and fly down on that Glider with that chilling laugh it was a blast to watch honestly.  As in the Original film he appears in the Green Goblin was a bit scary but here he is absolutely terrifying as he struggles to find his grip on reality as he struggled with the same thing before. Now to see him just cause total carnage and mayhem was scary the way Willem barley uses the mask but can transform his face into the Goblin is chilling hearing him channel the two separate voices within the same scene is freaking amazing to watch unfold in front of you. He is truly incredible here as he can have small tender moments and then the next he will scare the crap out of you with the sheer blackness in his eyes and Willem Dafoe came back and stole every scene he was in he easily is the best performance of the film in terms of the villains for sure. Willem Dafoe gave a powerhouse performance as the Goblin once again. 

Jon Watts : This man has crafted the greatest character trilogy for a Marvel character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe! Jon Watts took on the responsibility of taking on what is regarded as the most popular Marvel character of all time and brining him back to the big screen in a whole new trilogy for the first time since Andrew Garfield and he gave a fantastic introduction to the character with homecoming. As he kept the story grounded and relatable without it getting bogged down with CGI and the big spectacle of it all and then for Far From Home he explores where Peter is at mentally after the events of Endgame and how much of a emotional toll it took on him. With No Way Home he explores how Peter deals with serious repercussions after trying to get the world to forget he is Spider-Man and he does not have Doctor Strange or Tony their to guide him he does this all on his own and the sheer amount of independence he has I loved as Jon Watts backs Peter into corners that he himself has to get out of and he does but on his own and that is the Spider-Man I know and love and for the characters from the past coming back I will say Jon handled it beautifully as I was so concerned he was going to bring these beloved characters back to only make them one dimensional and he did not he fleshed them out even further with fantastic depth. Another concern I had that he handled fantastically was being able to balance all the villains as we saw in Spider-Man 3 in 2007 that all the villains in that film left it a bit overstuffed and for me lost sight of what the film was trying to say don’t get me wrong the film is entertaining but it had so much going on and that also happened with the Amazing Spider- Man 2 as well so I was nervous. As Jon Watts sticks the landing he never looses focus of who the film is about yes theirs tons of old characters coming back and yes Tobey and Andrew are in it but he never looses sight that this is Tom’s story and I loved that he kept the focus on Tom and never let the big visuals get in the way of telling his story. As here he shows a very mature side of Tom’s version of the character as by the last act of the film he makes some very hard choices that are not easy ones but the right choices and he makes the emotionally mature decision and I love that as he was able to service the fans With brining back old characters we loved, tell a grounded original story that moved the characters to new heights we had not seen them go before and also give a satisfying conclusion to the Home trilogy that he started many years ago now. Jon Watts did a truly fantastic job at delivering on all levels for this film and its definitely the best out of the three and my god did he do a fantastic job.