Spider Man: No Way Home (2021)

Directed by: Jon Watts | 148 minutes | action, adventure | Actors: Tom Holland, Zendaya, Benedict Cumberbatch, Jacob Batalon, Jon Favreau, Jamie Foxx, Willem Dafoe, Alfred Molina, Benedict Wong, Tony Revolori, Marisa Tomei, Angourie Rice, Arian Moayed

There, Peter Parker swings back into the cinemas, for the third time in five years. Tom Holland is now the third cinematic Spider-Man of the twenty-first century. ‘No Way Home’ is the culmination of a trilogy for which Sony and Marvel/Disney, after a decade of rights squabbles, joined forces to bring Spider-Man into the kaleidoscopic Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). This is where the entertaining ‘No Way Home’ largely succeeds and, like many other Marvel films, deviously builds bridges to even grander and more far-reaching adventures.

In ‘Far From Home’ (2019), the second part of the triptych, the whole world learned from the enemy Mysterio that Peter Parker is actually Spider-Man. Keen to undo this, Peter asks for help from Dr. Strange. However, something goes wrong with Dr. Strange and so in ‘No Way Home’ the Multiverse opens up, causing all kinds of Spider-Man enemies from alternate realities to appear.

With its final-like playing time of almost two and a half hours, ‘No Way Home’ runs fairly smoothly. However, metal fatigue also occurs. This is not so much due to the above-average playing time, but to the amount of pathos that the film repeatedly pushes into the viewer: with great power comes great responsibility. Where the first Tobey Maguire Spider-Man film casts this motto in one film, the Holland Spider-Man expressly spreads it across three films. There are moments when you think: come on, swing by and tinker a little less about your double life. Take an example of ‘Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse’, writer Phil Lord has a much fresher narrative pace here.

How’s the action in ‘No Way Home’? That is generally fine. The action scenes are well dosed and director Jon Watts leaves it wide in the way of visual spectacle. Especially the scene where Spider-Man clashes with reluctant mentor, Dr. Stephen Strange, is a visual tour de force. It is a dizzying mix between Escher images brought to life and building-bending effects from ‘Inception’ (Christopher Nolan, 2010). However, there are also some things to say about the action scenes. Because some scenes take place almost entirely in the dark, the choreography is sometimes difficult to follow.

As ordinary a superhero can be, the youthful Peter Parker of New York’s Hell’s Kitchen is one of the most approachable costume heroes. It therefore makes these films more light-hearted than, for example, those of the deeply patriotic and rock-solid, essentially boring, ‘Captain America’. Spider-Man’s humorous approachability had already been envisioned by creators Stan Lee and Steve Ditko when they coined the phrase “Just another service provided by your friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man!” introduced in the original comic. Peter Parker is also far away from the demigods of the DC/Warner Bros universe. Spider-Man is really one of us, not an otherworldly being. Overall, Peter Parker’s cuddliness and thoughtful fan service make ‘No Way Home’ a satisfying addition to the MCU.