Spider-Man No Way Home – Film Review
by Fran Winston

Directed by: Jon Watts
Starring: Tom Holland, Zendaya, Benedict Cumberbatch, Jacob Batalon, Jon Favreau, Marisa Tomei, J.K . Simmons

In cinemas December 15th

I’ve never had to redact half a star-studded cast list before but we have been asked to avoid spoilers in our reviews and the reality is that knowing who appears in this pretty much gives away the plot before I write anything (of course I can’t stop you looking up spoilers elsewhere). To say this movie is hyped is an understatement and one thing I can confirm without spoiling it is that it does indeed live up to that hype.

It picks up directly after the events of the last instalment in the franchise Homecoming and it would indeed be beneficial to have seen that movie before watching this or you may find yourself a bit confused by some of the references (as a friend of mine did at the screening).

The entire world now knows that Peter Parker (Holland) is Spider-Man, leading to a public decrying of the teenager, who is being called a villain and a murderer by the editor of the Daily Bugle J. Jonah Jameson (Simmons). With his world turned upside down, he turns to Dr Strange (Cumberbatch) for help. However, his interference in a spell Strange is casting to help him causes cracks in the multiverse allowing villains from other universes to slip through, including one or two familiar faces.

As you would expect from a multimillion-dollar superhero movie the CGI and the action scenes are extremely impressive. They don’t reinvent the wheel, but they really are spectacular, slick and beautifully choreographed. But this also has a huge amount of heart and characters that you like and care about. Holland’s awkward and geeky Parker is extremely relatable to everyone as we have all gone through those difficult teenage years, and his day to day worries – getting into a college with his friends and his anxiety about holding on to his teenage girlfriend (played by Holland’s real-life amore Zendaya) – are something that everyone understands. Interestingly, the villains here are also pretty well rounded.

This neatly connects the entire Spider-Man universe which has been nearly twenty years in the making and almost feels like a coming of age for the character. Any loose ends from previous films are wrapped up nicely and it is extremely satisfying for fans. It is also a wonderful addition to the continuing MCU firmly establishing Spider-Man as a force to be reckoned with.

This is the kind of film that will make you want to revisit the comic books because it does such a great job with the character. Seemingly this is Holland’s last contracted outing as the web-slinger but hopefully he signs on for more offerings as an interesting sequel idea is teased in the mid-credits scene.

This has lots of style and substance and a few genuinely jaw-dropping moments. Fans will love it. Non-fans will find themselves converted to the genre and characters. Just when you thought superhero movies were becoming a bit rote and jaded (Eternals anyone) this comes along and it will possibly be the most fun you’ve had at a movie in a long time.