ReelBob: ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ ★★★★

By Bob Bloom

“Spider-Man: No Way Home” is every Spidey fan’s favorite fantasy come true.

It’s as if your favorite band showed up at your house to perform its greatest hits just for you and your best friends.

In a nutshell, “Spider-Man: No Way Home” is the best movie about the web-slinger in decades.

The movie picks up where “Spider-Man: Far From Home” ended — with the dying Mysterioso revealing to the world that Spider-Man is actually Peter Parker, a teenager, a high-school student.

The revelation upends not only the world of Peter, but of girlfriend MJ (Zendaya), his best friend, Ned (Jacob Batalon) and Peter’s beloved Aunt May (Marisa Tomei).

And because of all the publicity and controversy now focused on Peter and his friends, their chances of getting into MIT, the college of their dreams, seem dashed.

The one aspect that has always held true throughout the Spider-Man movies, no matter who played the wall crawler, was that Peter consistently was more concerned with his family and friends than with being a superhero; his conflict rests between him wanting to live a normal life and knowing that his superpowers obligate him to act.

“With great power comes great responsibility,” his Uncle Ben told him. And throughout the various movies, Peter always has tried to live up to those words.

In “No Way Home,” Peter, as a last resort, goes to see Dr. Strange, begging him to cast a spell that would make the world forget that Peter Parker and Spider-Man are one in the same.

But Peter’s constant interruptions — he is, after all, a teenager — screws up Strange’s spell, creating a rift in the multiverse that allows other villains who know Peter’s secret identity to enter his universe and unleash chaos.

The movie is like an anti-Avengers feature. A bevy of villains start popping up — all seeking Peter Parker. And all are very confused when they find and unmask this universe’s Spider-Man and discover he is not their nemesis.

The movie, at just under 150 minutes, zips by as quickly as Spider-Man can shoot one of his webs.

It’s pure joy — and lots of fun — seeing Alfred Molina’s Doc Octopus, Willem Dafoe’s Norman Osborn/Green Goblin, Jamie Foxx’s Electro, Rhys Ifans’ Lizard and Thomas Haden Church’s Sandman not only interacting with a baffled Tom Holland’s Spider-Man, but with each other.

“Spider-Man: No Way Home,” while not playing for laughs, is very playful with a lot of humor, not only among the villains but between Peter and his friends, as well as Peter and Strange.

Even Benedict Cumberbatch’s Strange shows some wit, telling Peter, MJ and Ned that they need to set things right and “Scooby-Doo this shit.”

Problems arise when Strange tells Peter that returning these villains to their own universes, means their deaths at the hands of their respective Spider-Mans (Men?). Holland’s Peter-Spider-Man is a compassionate young man, and he would rather devise a plan to save them, then allow them to become someone else’s problem and responsibility.

The film relies more on characterization than CGI effects, even though plenty of action will keep you satisfied.

The movie offers many satisfying surprises and sequences that most people would have already guessed. However, no spoilers. I am a sphinx, mum, silent.

All I will suggest is the best holiday gift you can buy are tickets to see “Spider-Man: No Way Home” for yourself, your family and friends.

It not only moves the Spidey franchise forward, but it opens up new doors and windows for future Marvel Cinematic Universe features.

I am a founding member of the Indiana Film Journalists Association. I review movies, 4K UHD, Blu-rays and DVDs for ReelBob (ReelBob.com), The Film Yap substack and other print and online publications. I can be reached by email at bobbloomjc@gmail.com. You also can follow me on Twitter @ReelBobBloom and on Facebook at ReelBob.com or the Indiana Film Journalists Association. My movie reviews also can be found at Rotten Tomatoes: www.rottentomatoes.com.

Spider-Man: No Way Home
4 stars out of 4
(PG-13), action violence, language, suggestive comments