One of the biggest movies of all time has come home on Blu-ray, DVD, and digital formats. That’s the web-slinger himself, Peter Parker in Spider-Man: No Way Home. I will say this at the outset, this Spider-Man is not only the best Spidey movie in the long-running cinematic canon, but it also serves as one of the best and most entertaining and explosive Marvel movies since the comic book studio started making movies.
Tom Holland is Peter Parker and at the close of the second entry in his franchise, Spider-Man: Far From Home (Jake Gyllenhaal) had exposed him to the world in a shocking manner. It was announced that Peter Parker was Spider-Man. Needless to say, things have changed immediately. Thanks to the reveal by Jack Gyllenhaal’s Mysterio, the secret identity of any superhero—the cornerstone to a successful life of fighting crime and normalcy—is now a facade. Desperate, Peter turns to Dr. Strange with the wish that he could conjure a spell where the world would forget that Parker was Spidey. As we have seen in countless films, these things rarely turn out as one would expect.
After all, messing with the time continuum is about as risky to the balance of time as exists.
Doctor Strange takes his challenge and before long, not only do past multiverse baddies from other dimensions—such as Doc Ock (Alfred Molina) and Green Goblin (Willem Dafoe), and Electro (Jamie Foxx), has Holland’s Spidey wondering how on earth he can stop this onslaught of horror. Lucky for him, part of the situation has produced the other two spiderman—Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire—showing up to help and that is when Spider-Man: No Way Home truly hits the high gears.
The three Spidey’s in the same movie are about as stroke of a genius as exists in cinematic creation. Witnessing the three of the time has one feeling like they are brothers, and it is a relationship between these three Spideys that is utterly charming, hilarious, self-deprecating, and above else, they are a brotherhood and that comes through with fireworks. There is something unspoken about the chemistry that could never have been predicted between the three Spider-Mans and it works in droves.
Garfield and Maguire seamlessly fall back into their roles, even though their Spider-Man’s were different in many ways. But there is something about their chemistry together that is brotherly, touching, and every bit as exciting and heartwarming as possible. Toss in Holland is a titanic trio of Spider-Mans that proves the old adage that two is better than one, and of course, three is better than two. The scenes between the three are among the best of the film, but that is not to leave out the villains that span the spectrum of Spider-Man that began with Tobey Maguire earlier in the century.
I adore all three Spider-Mans, but there is something about Holland that is truly special. He is Peter Parker and has evolved into Spider-Man as the character would. The manner with which he carries himself to his relationship with his Aunt handles this chaos with panache and his relationship with his Aunt Mae (Marisa Tomei) is about as approachable as has existed in any of the three spiderman trilogies. The comradery between Tomei and Holland is pure. It’s amusing, self-deprecating, and primarily, filled with an enormous amount of respect.
Director Jon Watts makes a triumphant return to the Spider-Man franchise after his work on Spider-Man: Homecoming and Spider-Man-Far From Home and it has served the immensely to have the same helmer over three films. He keenly knows his story and most importantly, his crew and cast. It shows on every frame—particularly on No Way Home. There are a lot of balls in the air for this particular film and he has it all in control like he’s barely sweating. Toss in the fact that you’re uniting all the Spider-Man’s that have come before and it is an accomplishment of the highest order.
This has left us with a hole in our hearts. Not all these Spideys can exist in one time period, so they must go their separate ways. But it packs an emotional punch that few of the Spider-Man movies have managed to achieve. This is one we are really going to miss.
Now, you might notice we’re not mentioning all the villains from decades of Spider-Man films, but I don’t want to ruin anything for any of you who haven’t seen the film yet. In the trailer, we see Doc Ock, but that’s as far as this writer will reveal.
Zendaya’s MJ and Jacob Batalon’s Ned are integral to this story and by the close, things are complicated, to say the least. How that is handled by the actors and storytellers alike is nothing short of perfection. The relationship between these three is as close as can be and there are moments of No Way Home that are utterly heartbreaking, but as Aunt Me said, “with great power comes great responsibility.”
Lastly, the presence of Benedict Cumberbatch as Doctor Strange is a priceless addition to this particular storyline. Not only is Cumberbatch game, but he dives into the plotline with such panache it honestly does not work without him.
A Spectacular Spider-Journey with Tom Holland this featurette looks back at Holland’s history in the role, how it came to be and what he has done with it since donning the Spidey Suit. It’s a solid feature that explores what makes Holland unique in the Spidery-universes, particularly with the two other Spider-Man’s in Garfield and Maguire. Looking back at Holland’s casting and the qualities he brings to the role and the franchise. It also explores Peter Parker/Spider-Man’s journey through the MCU.
How that exactly works, in terms of the three Spidey’s working together to defeat a common set of villains, look to Realities Collide, Spiders Unite. The eight-minute featurette reunites the three actors who defined Spider-Man in the last 20 years. It was never a given that this stunt casting would work, but as this featurette shows, it is a match made in heaven. Plus, the guys are amazing together.
Doctor Strange is integral to this entire endear and Enter Strange is a nice five-minute feature on explaining and exploring Doctor Strange’s role in the film in the priceless address he brought to the entire endeavor. It also looks at Cumberbatch’s performance and puts it in to context that is priceless.
The Geography Across the Multiverse is exactly what it sends it would be. This featurette explores George Cottle’s work as an action choreographer and spotlighting the wirework and how the safety aspect was employed to ensure the actors were as safe as they could be.
Alternate Reality Easter Eggs is a nice look at the Easter Eggs included in the home video release, and A Multiverse of Miscreants looks at bringing all those classic Spidey villains together in one film.
After years of being in high school in the Spider-Man world, Graduation Day is a nice 7-minute look at Zendaya, Jacob Batalon, and Tony Revolori as they reflect on their the process of making these three movies and their initial reaction to getting cast. casting careers, and working in the franchise.
Weaving Jon Watts’ Web focus on the director of the trilogy and what it is that is so special about what he brings to the entire endeavor. The man who has a knack for all things -Spidey and it shows on every frame.
One incredible blast of a featurette arrives with The Sinister Summit – Villains Panel. It brings together Dafoe, Molina, and Foxx who hold quite the pow-wow on the villainy of a Spider-Man baddie and how they feel they fit into the universe of Spider-Man in general.
The Daily Bugle spotlights our favorite daily newspaper, which has changed a bit in the new film, being more online than in print. JK Simmons is still in charge and this featurette highlights multiple Bugle news clips and much more.
In what should be a classic featurette A Meeting of the Spiders brings Holland, Garfield, and Maguire for one truly special conversation about what it means to be Spider-Man and how they see their role in the entire franchise.
Film Grade: A
Bonus Features: A