Spider Man No Way Home Spoiler Review
Spider Man No Way Home is the third of Disney’s Spider Man films. Directed by the previous two’s director Jon Watts and written by Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers. This is the first instalment for Tom Holland’s Spider Man to be introduced into phase four of the MCU. Following on from the events of Spider Man: Far From Home where Peter’s identity is revealed by Mysterio. Peter goes through hell trying to protect his loved ones from the onslaught of negative reactions to him.
This review is full of spoilers. If you’d like to read the spoiler free version go here.
Gateway to the multiverse
Peter begins to get desperate to change what Mysterio did after realising just how badly the people he loves are being hurt just by being close to him. Going to Doctor Strange as a last ditch attempt. He begs Strange to use the time stone to make it so that Mysterio never revealed him. Strange reminds him that changing the past for something so trivial isn’t wise and he doesn’t have the time stone anymore anyway. Instead they opt for a memory deletion spell. Peter ruins the spell, though by constantly changing it as Strange is casting it. Doctor Strange is able to contain the spell but not before a bunch of bad guys make their way to his world through the multiverse looking for “Spider Man.”
After capturing Doc Ock by high jacking his tentacles using the Iron Spider suit. Doctor Strange casts a spell on Peter’s web shooter allowing him to instantly transport any other beings that don’t belong in their world. Peter is then sent to hunt them down so Strange can send them back using, what I’ll call, the magic box. He does as he’s told. Coming into contact with Sandman who protects him from Electro.
Finally coming into contact with Norman Osborn after being attacked by him. Peter sees that this isn’t the mad man he just encountered and is encouraged by May to help the “villains” instead of just send them back to be killed. Leading to a fight between him and Doctor Strange. Near the end of the fight Peter works out how Strange’s mirror dimension tricks work and outplays him. Tying him up and stealing the magic box and Strange’s sling ring.
Healing the bad guys
Giving the box to MJ Peter asks they keep it safe. Whilst he takes the villains to Happy’s house in order to help them all and heal them. Peter is able to use Stark tech to create a new chip for the back of Doc Ock’s neck in order for him to get control over his tentacles and stop his madness. Peter’s spidey sense suddenly goes off and he stops Norman from grabbing something (not sure what) whilst Norman encourages the rest of the villains to reject Peter’s help as they’re not sick. A massive fight breaks out and it leads to the death of May. Lost and confused. Peter watches on as the news constantly blame him for the carnage that happened.
Meanwhile at Ned’s house. Ned and MJ sit and wait as they watch what happened on the news with no call from Peter. Ned, wearing Strange’s sling ring. Accidentally opens a portal to what he wanted the most “to see Peter.” However, the wrong Peter walks through and finally Andrew Garfield reveals himself. Neither MJ or Ned can believe it but MJ encourages Ned to try again seeing as he can use the ring. Ned tries again to open a portal to Peter Parker. But once again they get the wrong one and this is where Tobey Maguire makes his grand entrance.
Desperate to find their Peter. MJ has an idea where he would go after the two Spider Men have a chat about what they do when it all gets too much. Finally found. Tom Holland is introduced to the other Peter Parkers. They have a chat and realise that their lives have all been basically the same despite being different versions of the same person.
The Final Battle
Having being given the courage to go on from the shared experiences of his other selves. The three Peter’s team up to create and use the cures to help the villains. Luring them to the Statue Of Liberty. They team up and after some serious teething problems. Get over their inability to work in a team to finally save everyone. Just when everything is going well. Norman Osborne shows up and fights Peter. Filled with rage, Peter almost kills him with his own glider but is stopped by Tobey Maguire’s Spider Man. Tobey is stabbed but not fatally and Peter finally goes to check on Doctor Strange who showed up mid-battle.
Strange is currently trying to control the influx of bad guys coming into their universe. Peter makes the decision to allow Strange to fully use the memory spell on everyone as it’s their memory of “Peter Parker” that’s drawing others to their world. With no-one remembering who he is they won’t be attracted to his world. Strange tells Peter to go say his goodbyes. He does. All the villains and Spider Men are sent home.
The next anyone knows weeks go by and Peter is basically a nobody with nobody. Neither Ned, MJ or Happy recognise him at all and he’s building his life up alone from scratch. A simple friendly neighbourhood Spider Man.
Review
I genuinely think this may be the best Marvel has been since Iron Man 2. They seem to have genuinely listened to concerns that Holland’s Peter was just Iron Man 2.0 and had no personality or struggles outside of that and done what they can in this movie to crate a path for him to create his own story. Using the other two Spider Men to give Holland’s a chance to heal and grow was genuinely a fantastic move. Marvel very easily could’ve had them show up for fan service reasons and then leave but they didn’t. The two played a massive part in the story, even the villains did. Allowing Holland to distinguish himself from other Peter Parkers.
I honestly went into this movie excited already. Knowing I was going to at least see Doc Ock and the Green Goblin. But the movie doing a fantastic job of juggling May’s death with Peter’s growth as a person. Especially by learning from the other’s mistakes and choosing to do things his own way was more than I could’ve expected.
This one movie has inspired hope in me for Marvel’s Phase 4.
