As the single largest movie franchise on a global scale, Marvel has a lot to live up to with every movie release. This past year proved to be an excellent year for Marvel with the release of five movies and five shows that kept fans captivated.
Out of all these movies and shows the most anticipated and theorized was “Spider-Man: No Way Home.” The Spider-Man franchise itself had seven movies before the release of “Spider-Man: No Way Home”, with over ten Spider-Person variations throughout the movies, the Spider Verse was already well developed.
It came as no surprise to see the new blockbuster reach into this already culminated spider verse to bring cameos from previous Peter Parkers: Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire. Tom Holland’s portrayal of the beloved character has been long appreciated, but this new movie brought an extra emphasis on the character growth associated with Peter Parker.
As a movie the reason for the plot was completely avoidable, which is where the majority of its critics focus. However this almost seems to be a nullified point, as the entire idea of Spider-Man is to see the beginnings of change for the better in anyone and everyone. So, the idea that Peter almost ended the world to have a chance at saving a few people actually makes a modicum of sense.
It may not be entirely prominent in the writing, and this could just be the result of the character of the younger Peter. His portrayal changes drastically in this movie. The naïve Peter who always thinks people can be better than they are slowly realizes that the price he has to pay for other people’s happiness is his own.
Watching this movie was heartbreaking. Holland’s emotional portrayal of the young superhero was incredibly gut-wrenching. As he dealt with more grief than ever before, he was picked up by the other versions of himself. The parallels were incredible, as each movie before had set up what it meant to be Spider-Man, and the movie perfectly captured each moment for the newest addition to the Peter Parker family.
The death of a parental figure, like Aunt May in this film, was not a new feeling for Peter. Having lost Tony Stark and his parents before this movie, the added emotional damage of losing his only mother figure seemed like too much. However, with the addition of the iconic line “With great power comes great responsibility”, there is a sense of character completion. Holland’s Peter never had an Uncle Ben, so the swap with Aunt May was a great way to tie his character to the other Peters.
Of course the most notable part of the movie was the previous Spider-Man cameos. Since 2002 Spider-Man has been on the big screen, many people in the younger generation grew up watching Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield portray the classic superhero. By bringing them into the movie, it immediately became a classic.
Even the cameo from Matt Murdock brought fans out of the woodwork. The Netflix and Marvel collaboration from the 2010’s was popular in it’s time, and is now regaining its popularity because of the recent and almost unexpected appearance of the Daredevil in a Marvel cinematic universe movie.
All of these cameos and even just the ending leaves a lot open for future marvel movies. Nobody knows Peter anymore, Venom’s appearance, and especially the “Dr. Strange: Multiverse of Madness” all leave an open expanse for where Marvel could take their next projects.
I went into this movie with the highest expectations. After seeing countless fantastic reviews, the build up was something that no movie could live up to. But, the movie surpassed it’s unbeatable expectations. The movie was incredibly emotional, but the director, John Watts, did an incredible job of somehow keeping it light, and funny.