The conclusion of Tom Holland’s Home-related trilogy provides everything you could wish for in a Spider-Man movie – incredible action sequences, grand spectacle, interesting character relationships, and at its heart, Peter Parker’s struggles with his innate sense of morality.

Premise: After Mysterio reveals Spider-Man’s secret identity to the world, Peter Parker (Tom Holland) finds that not only is his life turned upside down, but his girlfriend MJ (Zendaya), his best friend Ned (Jacob Batalon) and his aunt May (Marisa Tomei) are also having to pay the price for his double-life. Seeing no alternative, Peter asks Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) to use magic to make the world forget that he’s Spider-Man, but tampering with the laws of the universe has drastic and unforeseen consequences.

Review:

There are a lot of rumours and out-and-out spoilers out there about what happens in No Way Home, but I’ll try not to give anything away in this review. With this in mind, I’ll start off by focusing on the characters rather than the plot, because arguably, that’s what Tom Holland’s Spider-Man trilogy also does. I’m not suggesting for a moment that Spider-Man: Homecoming and Spider-Man: Far From Home don’t have interesting plots (they do – and both included genuinely surprising twists too), but the plot has always been there to service the characters, not the other way around. In Homecoming, the focus was on Peter Parker (Tom Holland) finding his own identity rather than looking for validation from Tony Stark, while Far From Home saw Peter facing up to his feelings of inadequacy, as well as the sacrifices that his secret life was forcing him to make.

In No Way Home, Peter is brought face-to-face with the impact that Mysterio’s revelation has on the people that he cares most about, and in typical Peter Parker fashion, the damage that Mysterio’s revenge in causing to Peter’s loved ones is far more devastating to him than the cost to him personally. It’s his desire to make amends for the damage that his actions have caused to others that drives Peter’s actions, not just in terms of initially asking Doctor Stranger (Benedict Cumberbatch) to magically intervene, but throughout the entire movie.

“…Peter Parker is a hero that embodies the best facets of humanity – self-sacrifice, empathy, decency & compassion…”

During the course of this trilogy, Tom Holland has convincingly portrayed Peter’s journey from a naïve and excitable novice teenage superhero, to a young man dealing with the death of his mentor and the destruction of his “normal” life. Yet Tom Holland has never lost sight of the core values that make Spider-Man who he is, even if during the course of this movie, his moral compass is sorely tested. Ultimately, Peter Parker is a hero that embodies the best facets of humanity – self-sacrifice, empathy, decency and compassion – and Tom Holland’s portrayal of the character has always put these qualities at the centre of his movies, ever since Spider-Man risked his life to save the Vulture at the end of Homecoming.

Once again, Tom Holland is supported by an amazing supporting cast. Zendaya and Jacob Batalon are arguably more actively involved in the main plot in No Way Home than they were in the previous films, and the relationships between the three of them are given enough room to breath and for each to have their moments to shine. Marisa Tomei’s May is also now an active participant in Peter’s heroic activities, making her by far the most interesting and engaging cinematic version of Aunt May. Jon Favreau and Tony Revolori are perhaps a little more side-lined as Happy Hogan and Flash Thompson in this film, but they still get a chance to play a few memorably funny moments.

“…director Jon Watts continues to effortlessly weave together the shifting tones of the movie…”

In terms of characters that are new to the Tom Holland trilogy, it’s interesting that Benedict Cumberbatch’s Doctor Strange isn’t simply a Tony Stark substitute (like many suspected he would be when his appearance was first announced). Tony Stark was a mentor to Peter and an idol of his, and his role in Homecoming was to force Peter to realise that he could stand on his own two feet. Nick Fury in Far From Home, on the other hand, was there to personify the pressure on Peter to live up to Tony’s legacy. In contrast, Doctor Strange in No Way Home is much more of a peer of Peter’s (despite their age difference), and doesn’t necessarily have any more answers that Peter does.

Other characters also make their first appearance in the MCU, but without wanting to give away any spoilers, I’ll simply say that they are all universally great, and they each make a massive impact on audiences regardless of how long their screentime is. I’ll also say that, when I watched No Way Home on opening night, there was more spontaneous cheering and clapping from the audience during the film than I can remember seeing in a long, long time.

“…the cinema audience was completely wrapped up in the movie’s emotional highs & lows…”

On that note, it’s fair to say that in No Way Home, director Jon Watts has continued to effortlessly weave together the shifting tones of the movie, so that one moment the audience is laughing out loud, the next they’re cheering with excitement, and the next they’re moved to tear with emotion. In interviews, Jon Watts described No Way Home as being the Avengers: Endgame of Spider-Man movies, and it’s easy to see why, as I’m not sure I’ve seen a cinema audience so completely wrapped up in a movie’s emotional highs and lows since Endgame’s opening night.

As thing currently stand, Tom Holland’s future involvement in the MCU is uncertain – the deal between Marvel Studios and Sony apparently comes to an end with No Way Home, and although various people have talked of the possibility of future collaborations between the two studios, nothing has been officially confirmed yet. What is true, however, is that regardless of whether or not this is the last we see of Tom Holland in the MCU, No Way Home certainly marks the end of an era, bringing (at the very least) the chapter of the Spider-Man story that started with Homecoming to an end.

“…an absolute triumph of a movie…”

Spider-Man: No Way Home is not only one of the most crowd-pleasing blockbusters in years, but there’s also an argument to be made that it’s the best Spider-Man movie of them all. It feels like it hits every note just right, and its central theme of second chances even provides opportunities to correct missteps from earlier films. Amidst all of the spectacle (and there is plenty of that), it never loses sight of the important character moments, and delivers just as many emotional punches as physical ones. Overall, it’s an absolute triumph of a movie.

Oh, and make sure your stick around for a mid-credit scene, and a post-credit trailer…