The world now knows that Peter Parker (Tom Holland) is Spider-Man. With his secret exposed, Peter needs to choose: be a normal kid and go to college with best friend Ned (Jacob Batalon) and girlfriend MJ (Zendaya) or embrace the life of a superhero. When he asks for help from Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), Peter’s decision becomes a lot harder.
“No matter how many times I get hit, I always get back up”.
This one line from Into The Spider-Verse embodies the tone of No Way Home and the “Tom Holland Trilogy” as a whole. The “Tom Holland Trilogy” made small, relatable problems in Peter Parker’s high school world feel huge. To stop a winged arms dealer or go to the homecoming dance with your crush? Stop Jake Gyllenhaal from gaslighting young people or go on his school’s European trip? No Way Home continues the pattern by making Peter’s small scale problems of getting into college feel just as important as the Spider-Man stakes are raised to an eleven. No matter how many times this kid is knocked down or betrayed, Peter Parker gets back up. Even when he has to sacrifice what the normal Peter wants and bear the weight of Spider-Man’s great power because it’s the right thing. Even when it’s hard and when he ultimately bears the cost.
Spider-Man movies of yore had a tendency to cram as many characters, Easter Eggs and ideas for future installments and spinoffs, which left little room for our favorite web slinger to properly shine. Not so with No Way Home. Even with Doctor Strange, villains from the other Spidey’s universes coming in, and the MCU’s promised of a multiverse looming large, Holland remains the emotional core of No Way Home. The movie never forgets this is Peter Parker’s story, not Doc Ock’s nor Green Goblin’s. This was the movie where Tom Holland defined himself as the Spider-Man. He’s endearingly sweet and bright as Peter Parker and effortlessly cool and dynamic as Spider-Man. I’ve watched this franchise as an adult, but I feel like I’ve grown up alongside Peter Parker while watching the trilogy and Spider-Man’s outings in the other Marvel movies.
Spider-Man: No Way Home cements Tom Holland as the definitive portrayal of Spider-Man while paying tribute to the Spider-Men and villains that came before him. The struggle between Peter’s two halves is joyful and heartbreaking, emotional and exciting. No Way Home gave me the same euphoric feeling as seeing the Avengers assemble way back in 2012. The collective joy and cheers in the theater was worth every penny. A+
aftercreditscorner.wordpress.com 