I have always been a fan of Spider-Man from the 1970's up until 1989 or so. Eventually, one can get tired of comic-books as I have. My interest in the Web-Crawler was heightened by the Sam Raimi Spider-Man trilogy starring Tobey Maguire as Peter Parker/Spidey and Kirsten Dunst as MJ. In the years since, only the animated "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse" came close to being terrific entertainment that still held some thrills and had a fresh approach. The new live-action incarnations with Tom Holland as Peter Parker/Spider-Man did not enthrall me and I pretty much lost interest - meh, a term I loathe and this will be the only time you read it in my reviews, was my thought on them. So, surprise, surprise, when I came across "Spider-Man: No Way Home" which is easily the very finest Spider-Man film I've seen yet and holds up its end of the bargain with multiverses very well against "Into the Spider-Verse." And away we go for the loopiest, most kamikaze-ist and spectacularly entertaining, web-crawling comic-book movie in years.
Without elaborating much about the twisty plot, we do know that Spider-Man's identity has been revealed to be Peter Parker, thanks to Mysterio who spilled the beans to the world in the last sequel. This is actually a great set-up because it picks up exactly after that moment with worried Peter (Tom Holland) flying around town with MJ (Zendaya) as they try to evade reporters, police helicopters and a mob who is either for or against him (One girl tries to feign that she was assaulted by our arachnid man). The Web Crawler's exposed identity may affect the future of his friends and of his Aunt May (Marisa Tomei) so Peter seeks help from magical sorcerer Dr. Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) who would rather be called "Stephen." Dr. Strange can manipulate time and space and has a direct connection to the multiverse. Once the spells are made, Spidey's arch-villains from other Spider-Man movies not starring Tom Holland make an entrance like Doc Ock (a welcome return from Alfred Molina); the Lizard aka Dr. Connors (Rhys Ifans); the snarling, duplicitous Green Goblin (Willem Dafoe, always welcome); huge pockets of Sandman (Thomas Haden Church), and the eel-conceived powers of Electro (Jamie Foxx) who enjoys this new universe. That is not enough as we also get the Peter Parkers from other parallel universes like Tobey Maguire's Spidey and the brooding Andrew Garfield Spidey. Too much for a 148-minute movie? Not at all.
"Spider-Man: No Way Home" could easily have felt overstuffed and overcooked like Raimi's "Spider-Man 3" yet that is never the case. Every character has their day in dramatic court here, and that includes the arch-villains whom Holland's Spidey believes he can cure them of their villainous impulses. Easier spun than done and Dr. Strange proves to be not much help here. We get to know these characters and their faults and flaws and disappointments, and that is a marvel that the screenplay by Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers allows for such telling moments. What of course really doubled my excitement was watching Maguire and Garfield poke a little fun at themselves and still stay on the serious side of their own Spidey incarnations. I love the moment when Maguire and Garfield help each other straighten their backs - all that web-slinging and swinging can lead to muscle pains and aches. When all three Spider-Mans compare the differences between their web shooters, I was in Spidey heaven for sure.
What truly won me over was Tom Holland who has really come into his own as Peter Parker and Spider-Man. I did not relate to his Parker presence before but now I see a scared kid who knows what his great responsibility is in this headache-inducing multiverse - can he truly improve the worlds that the other Spideys and villains come from? Can he right the wrongs of the villains? Can Peter reverse the uncertain futures that his love interest MJ (Zendaya, truly sensational) and his best pal Ned Leeds (Jacob Batalon) have with regards to college admission? All three of these characters, and dear Aunt May (a lot younger than in the comics), have their own fears and insecurities and getting past them is the key to their salvation. This is no different than "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse" though I must say that I found this movie even more spirited and involving.
"Spider-Man: No Way Home" can be excessive with the CGI special-effects and some action scenes might run on a bit longer than necessary, but I never was less than invested in its story and the suspense over settling the drama of the multiverse. Peter's final, emotional plea to Dr. Strange was something I, and I am sure others, have felt when nothing is going right in the world and you just want to disappear. It takes it over the edge into something palpable. This third Spider-Man entry is something of a pop masterpiece and it made me love the Web-Crawler more so than ever before.
