‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ (Film)

‘SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME’

Please feel free to comment on my review.

The Three Spider-Men and the Multiverse of Madness

Have I been too harsh on the ‘Marvel Cinematic Universe’s version of Spider-Man lately?

I can see why this movie was released at Christmas time in 2021, since it has everything in it! All the hype that had been building up to the release of this movie had been worth it. I was afraid this film wouldn’t live up to the expectations of everybody, including me, but it exceeded those expectations.

If you’ve been following my reviews on the ‘Spider-Man’ movies on ‘Bradley’s Basement’, you’re probably aware that I’m not a fan of ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’ and ‘Spider-Man: Far From Home’, the first two films of the ‘MCU’s version of Spidey. I found them very underwhelming and unsatisfying. 😦

Now I understand there are fans of the ‘MCU’s version of Spider-Man out there and if you like ‘Homecoming’ and ‘Far From Home’ more than me, then that’s okay. I don’t wish to discourage your enjoyment of those films. But me personally, they weren’t very fulfilling for me as a Spider-Man fan.

So, when it came to the third instalment of the ‘MCU’s version of Spider-Man, I had doubts whether this film would work and whether it would meet my expectations. Even from watching the trailers beforehand, I had doubts. But I was willing to be open-minded when it came to seeing the third film.

And after seeing ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ at the cinema in December 2021, I think it’s fair of me to say…that this is one of my favourite ‘Spider-Man’ movies! I’m not even joking! ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ was a joy for me to see, as it satisfied my nostalgia and current love of the webslinger. 🙂

Does that mean this is better than ‘Spider-Man 2’? No! I wouldn’t be that generous. There are issues that I have with this particular film. But if I were to choose a contender for the second best ‘Spider-Man’ movie ever made, then I’d be happy to pick ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ to be in that position

Dare I say it, this movie is better than ‘Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse’. I know that people won’t agree with me on that, but I honestly feel ‘No Way Home’ features the best team-up of current and past Spider-Men fighting against past villains from previous ‘Spider-Man’ movies. It’s super amazing!

I find it incredible that Sony and Marvel Studios went all the way to getting back as many past ‘Spider-Man’ actors and characters to appear in this ‘MCU Spider-Man’ movie with Tom Holland. I didn’t think they’d live up to the promise, but they did. I commend the production team for doing it.

I’m also impressed the filmmakers were able to make ‘No Way Home’ under strange and challenging conditions, especially since the film was made during the Covid-19 pandemic from 2020 to 2021. I can only imagine how very challenging it must have been to make the film under those conditions. 😐

My parents and I first saw ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ at a cinema in Bath in December 2021. At the time, there were Covid restriction in Wales and we wanted to see the film without the need for a Covid pass in Bath. Don’t worry, we had lateral flow tests and were negative before going to Bath. 🙂

Afterwards in 2022, I saw the film again twice at the cinema. I saw it with my best mate Stephen in February of that year and I saw it a third time in March before it got released on digital download as well as DVD/Blu-ray. I believe that I’ve seen ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ for the umpteenth time. 😀

I purchased the digital download of the movie via Google Play in March and I purchased the Blu-ray edition in April. ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ stars as Tom Holland as Peter Parker/Spider-Man with Zendaya, Benedict Cumberbatch, Jacob Batalon, Jon Favreau, Marisa Tomei and many more stars. 🙂

The film is also directed by Jon Watts. As you can imagine, I was bubbling with anticipation about who was going to be in ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’. It’s amazing that even with releasing the movie on DVD and Blu-ray as well as related merchandise, they had to keep most of the film’s cast a secret.

The film follows directly after the events of ‘Far From Home’ where Mysterio posthumously revealed to the world that Peter Parker is Spider-Man. Feeling the pressure from everyone who knows that he’s Spider-Man, Peter seeks help from Dr. Stephen Strange in order to erase people’s memories. 😐

Dr. Strange conducts a spell, but it goes wrong when Peter interferes with it. Very soon, past Spider-Man villains from other universes pop into the ‘MCU’ and Peter has to deal with them. With the help of his friends Ned and Michelle (MJ) and two former Spider-Men, Peter ventures out to save the day.

As I understand it, elements of this film are based on the ‘Spider-Man’ comic story called ‘One More Day’, released from November 2007 to January 2008. I’ve not read that comic story myself, but I’ve not heard many good things said about it. I’m certain the film version is way better than the comic story.

Remember when I said in my ‘Into the Spider-Verse’ and ‘Far From Home’ reviews that I wanted a meeting between Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man, Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Man and Tom Holland’s Spider-Man to happen? Well, it’s actually happens in ‘No Way Home’. I’m over-the-moon about it! 🙂

I’m so pleased that Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield said ‘yes’ to coming back to play their Spider-Men alongside Tom Holland. It was great to see these two again. I love the chemistry formed between the three actors, especially when they worked together to defeat five deadly Spidey foes. 🙂

There are a lot of good scenes featured between Tobey’s Spidey, Andrew’s Spidey and Tom’s Spidey when they interacted with each other. I couldn’t help think of ‘Doctor Who’s ‘The Three Doctors’ when seeing the three Spider-Men interact with each other. It made me want to see the film again. 🙂

The journeys of Tobey’s Spidey and Andrew’s Spidey also have some closure from their own film eras. I’m pleased about that, since the eras for Tobey’s Spidey and Andrew’s Spidey ended abruptly from ‘Spider-Man 3’ and ‘The Amazing Spider-Man 2’ and I’m happy there are follow-ups to them. 🙂

This is especially when Tobey’s Spidey and Andrew’s Spidey share their grief and loss of losing their Uncle Ben and Gwen Stacy to Tom’s Spidey when he loses his Aunt May (more on this later). I liked the moment when Tobey’s Spidey stopped Tom’s Spidey from killing the Green Goblin for revenge. 🙂

It’s definitely a moment where no words are spoken between Tom’s Spidey and Tobey’s Spidey, as you can tell what’s being said between them through their eye contact with each other and their facial expressions. It’s definitely one of the best scenes in the movie and one of my favourites in it. 🙂

Mind you, it’s slightly ruined when the Green Goblin stabbed Tobey’s Spidey in the back once Tom’s Spidey is stopped from killing him. I would’ve preferred it if that scene ended differently with Tobey’s Spidey’s spider-sense going off and being able to detect the Green Goblin about to stab him.

Even the animated web-series HISHE – How It Should Have Ended pointed it out in their video for ‘No Way Home’. I’m sure Tobey’s Spidey has survived, as he’s still standing on his feet by the time he’s returned to his universe, but it made me wonder when he’d been stabbed by the Green Goblin.

I also liked it when Andrew’s Spidey managed to save Michelle from falling, echoing when he couldn’t save Gwen Stacy in ‘The Amazing Spider-Man 2’. It’s a moment that truly redeems the character in terms of what he’s lost and suffered. Andrew Garfield delivers that moment in spades.

The moment where Andrew’s Spidey said, “I love you, guys!” and Tobey’s Spidey and Tom’s Spidey replied, “Thank you” was a joy to watch as well. You don’t see that happen between the Doctors in ‘Doctor Who’. I imagine that bit was improvised between the three ‘Spider-Man’ actors in the film. 🙂

If there’s a disappointment I have about the film is that we don’t get to see Kirsten Dunst’s Mary Jane and Emma Stone’s Gwen in the film. Now with Gwen, I can understand that, since she got killed off at the end of ‘The Amazing Spider-Man 2’ and it’d be unfair if it was just Kirsten Dusnt’s MJ here.

But surely a little cameo of Kirsten Dunst’s MJ and Emma Stone’s Gwen to Tobey’s Spidey and Andrew’s Spidey wouldn’t have hurt much. It was intriguing to hear how things have turned out lately for Tobey’s Spidey and Kirsten’s MJ, as it’s currently ‘complicated’ but they are making it work.

However, top marks must go to Tom Holland’s excellent performance as Peter Parker/Spider-Man. For a while, I struggled to get into his character and how Peter’s journey as Spidey developed with so many ‘MCU’ elements getting in the way. But here, I feel Tom’s Spidey has developed significantly. 🙂

This is especially when Tom’s Spidey tries to help the five Spidey villains from other universes; despite one of them making things worse, how his Aunt May tragically dies in the film, and how he comes to learn “With great power comes great responsibility”, which I’m happy gets said in the film.

For a while, the message of “With great power comes great responsibility” had been absent in the previous two ‘MCU Spider-Man’ films. Here, its place is found, and it comes from Aunt May saying it to Peter rather than Uncle Ben saying it to Peter, which I found a nice touch when seeing the movie.

I’m pleased that Tom Holland got on well with Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield when making this film with them. It clearly shows in their performances and how they interact with each other behind-the-scenes. The moment where Tom’s Spidey hugged Tobey’s Spidey and Andrew’s Spidey was nice.

Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Man is the first one to be introduced to Ned and Michelle when they try to summon Peter Parker by magic. Honestly, this makes sense, considering that Andrew Garfield is the latest Spider-Man before Tom Holland. I don’t mind that he’s introduced first before Tobey Maguire.

I really like how Andrew Garfield slips back into his role of Peter Parker/Spider-Man, like he hasn’t been away. It was also interesting to learn how his journey has progressed since ‘The Amazing Spider-Man 2’, as he became ‘rageful’ and ‘stopped pulling his punches’ following Gwen’s death.

The scenes that he shares with Tobey’s Spider-Man are a joy to watch, especially when they talk about their love interests as well as Andrew’s Spidey helping Tobey’s Spidey with his back, which was funny to watch. The scene that Andrew’s Spidey shares with Max Dillion/Electro is also brilliant.

It was funny when Tobey’s Spidey kept telling Andrew’s Spidey that he’s ‘amazing’ after he stated he was ‘lame’. You get it? Because he’s the ‘amazing Spider-Man’. (groans) It was also funny to see Andrew’s Spidey’s reaction to when Michelle threw a bread roll at him to trigger off his spider-sense.

And yes, I’m saying ‘spider-sense’ instead of ‘Peter tingle’ because that’s what it’s called in the comics and other interpretations of Spider-Man I’ve come across. Why don’t they call it ‘spider-sense’ in the ‘MCU Spider-Man’ films? I like ‘spider-sense’ and it feels way better than ‘Peter tingle’. 😀

Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man will always be my Spider-Man and it was a joy to see him again in this movie. I find it funny that Tobey’s Spidey arrived in his own clothes compared to Andrew’s Spidey who arrived in his Spidey outfit. That’s how I expect Tobey’s Spidey to be with being an ordinary guy.

I liked Tobey’s Spidey’s interaction with Tom’s Spidey, especially when persuading him not to seek revenge over Norman Osborn/the Green Goblin following Aunt May’s death. Tobey’s Spidey is older and more experienced compared to Andrew and Tom’s Spideys and he has the Uncle Ben air to him.

It’s also nice to see Tobey’s Spidey being ‘the planner’ of the group. It’s funny that Tobey is only American playing Spider-Man whilst Andrew and Tom are British boys, yet they gel so well as a threesome. It was also very nice to see Tobey’s Spidey have a scene with Otto Octavius in the movie.

That reaction that Tobey’s Spidey gave to Andrew’s Spidey from being told about how Max Dillion got his Electro powers is sublime. “That’ll do it” indeed. 😀 It’s like he’s not surprised anymore by how villains get their superpowers from his experiences of the Green Goblin, Doc Ock, Sandman, etc.

And of course, there’s the issue raised about Tobey’s Spidey’s organic web-shooters.

Tobey’s Peter/Spidey fires a web out of his wrist, startling the others.
Ned: (amazed) “That came out of you!”
Tobey’s Peter/Spidey: “Yeah. You can’t do that, huh?”
Tom’s Peter/Spidey: “No!”
Andrew’s Peter/Spidey: (amazed) “How on Earth is that…?”

Now, I’ve heard criticisms made about Tobey’s Spidey’s organic web-shooters compared to the in-built web-shooters of Andrew and Tom’s Spideys. And to be fair, they’re not in the original comics. But if I may go off on a tangent and risk an unpopular opinion…I quite like the organic web-shooters.

(Audience boos)

“Hear me out! Hear me out please!”

Look, I have to be honest. I never saw the organic web-shooters as a problem when I saw the original ‘Spider-Man’ film trilogy as a teen. To me, it made sense. I mean, if you’ve been bitten by a spider and you’re given spider powers, why wouldn’t you be able to shoot webs as well as crawl on walls? 🙂

There is the issue of why Spidey doesn’t shoot webs out of his butt instead of his arms, but that never worried me, as it was written around that to avoid the issue. He shoots webs out of his arms instead of his butt? Good! It makes sense and it avoids awkward questions when watching the films.

So, to see Andrew’s Spidey and Tom’s Spidey be curious and asking questions about Tobey’s Spidey’s organic web-shooters was fun to watch during the movie. It gently mocks the idea; but it doesn’t ridicule it or make it seem stupid. It’s self-aware and it’s in a light-hearted manner, not a critical one.

In fact, I feel that the film’s script is mostly well-written and well-catered for all the characters featured, including the three Spider-Men. Tobey’s Spidey and Andrew’s Spidey aren’t written in underused roles and they’re not out-of-character. This was a relief for me whilst watching the film. 🙂

Zendaya returns as Michelle ‘MJ’ Jones (or as it turns out, Michelle Jones-Watson) in the film. Hmm. How come it wasn’t Mary Jane Watson this whole time? Actually, to be fair, I found the relationship between Peter and Michelle better handled in this movie compared to the previous two instalments.

In no way am I going back out on my criticisms of how their relationship was developed in ‘Homecoming’ and ‘Far From Home’, but I did feel for Peter and Michelle’s relationship here. I enjoyed seeing them together. This is especially when she supported him in his Spidey endeavours.

I liked the video chat conversation they had on their phones when Michelle asked Peter how he felt about being exposed to the world as Spider-Man. If more scenes like that were featured in the first two ‘MCU Spider-Man’ films, I would appreciate them a lot more as a loving and adorable ‘Spider-Man’ couple.

Jacob Batalon is also very good as Ned Leeds. I enjoyed how Peter, Michelle and Ned formed as a trio of friends to sort out the Spidey foes, much like the trio of Luke, Han and Leia in the original ‘Star Wars’ films. I wish it was like this with Peter, MJ and Harry in the original ‘Spider-Man’ film trilogy. 🙂

I like that Ned isn’t seen as just the comic relief in this movie. There are some comedic moments to enjoy with Ned’s character, but most of the time his loyalty to Peter as his best friend shines throughout in this film. His reaction to Flash showing off his ‘Flashpoint’ book was sublime to watch.

It turns out Ned has ‘Dr. Strange’ magic, especially when he opens portals using Dr. Strange’s sling ring (stolen by Tom’s Spidey) to summon Andrew’s Spidey and Tobey’s Spidey. How Ned has ‘Dr. Strange’ magic is unexplained, but it helps him and everyone else to get to where they need to be. 🙂

I enjoyed Benedict Cumberbatch as Dr. Stephen Strange in the film. Here, I feel Strange served a proper purpose in Spider-Man’s story in ‘No Way Home’ compared to Tony Stark in ‘Homecoming’ and ‘Nick Fury’ in ‘Far From Home’. And of course, Dr. Strange was in an episode of the 1990s series.

It was interesting to see how Dr. Strange helped Peter with his predicament of being exposed to the world as Spider-Man, especially following the events of ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ and ‘Avengers: Endgame’. Mind you, Strange’s arrogance can get the better of him when utilising his magic powers.

Strange does have a character journey of his own, despite being arrogant. This is especially when he interacts with Peter and how he treats him before and after the decision is made to make the world forget who Peter Parker is in the ‘MCU’ at the film’s end. Spidey’s fight with Dr. Strange is pretty good too.

Also, I can’t help but make fun of this exchange between Tom’s Peter and Dr. Strange about the five Spidey villains about to be sent back to their universes via a magic box.

Tom’s Peter/Spidey: “Strange. We can’t send them back. Not yet.”
Dr. Strange: “Why?”
Tom’s Peter/Spidey: “Well, some of these guys are gonna die.”
Dr. Strange: “Parker! It’s their fate.”
Tom’s Peter/Spidey: (disturbed) “Come on, Strange. Have a heart.”

Archie (from ‘Monarch of the Glen’): “I don’t have one.”

Incidentally, Peter and Strange should’ve talked it through with the spell-casting. Wouldn’t it have made sense to cast a spell to make people forget what Mysterio said about Peter being Spider-Man rather than making people forget Peter is Spider-Man. But then again, we wouldn’t have this movie.

The film’s villains are Willem Dafoe as Norman Osborn/the Green Goblin, Alfred Molina as Dr. Otto Octavius/Doc Ock, Jamie Foxx as Max Dillon/Electro, Thomas Haden Church as Flint Marko/Sandman and Rhys Ifans as Dr. Curt Connors/the Lizard. It was great to see these ‘Spider-Man’ villains again. 🙂

The villains are well-handled in ‘No Way Home’. I enjoyed how their stories concluded in a manner where the three Spider-Men tackled them during the film’s final fight. This is especially when Tom Holland’s Spider-Man wanted to cure the five villains before their tragic demises in the other movies.

Willem Dafoe is excellent as Norman Osborn/the Green Goblin. Like most of the cast from previous ‘Spider-Man’ movies, it’s like Willem hasn’t been away and he’s slipped back into the role of Norman Osborn/the Green Goblin well. I really enjoyed how he played both sides of his character in the film.

There’s the benign Norman Osborn who seems to want to help Tom Holland’s Peter Parker when providing cures for all five of Spider-Man’s foes. And then there’s the mad Green Goblin who seeks to cause trouble, even up to the point of fighting Tom Holland’s Spidey as well as kill his Aunt May. 😐

That moment where Osborn laughed away when Peter kept punching him was such an amazing moment and Willem Dafoe delivers that in spades. It’s a shame he smashed up his mask in the film, as I quite liked his mask in the first ‘Spider-Man’ film, but Willem Dafoe is still terrific as the Green Goblin.

Alfred Molina is equally good as Dr. Otto Octavius/Doc Ock. That first scene where he appears on the High Bridge (I believe) and fights against Tom’s Spidey in his Iron Spider suit is a joy to watch. For a while, Doc Ock is the cranky mad scientist who’s wanting to get revenge on Spidey over his fusion machine.

He doesn’t seem to want help from Tom Holland’s Peter Parker, having forgotten the voices inside his head from the metallic tentacles affecting him. Doc Ock is surprised to see Norman Osborn alive and well, since the last he heard of him was that he was dead. Thankfully, Ock gets cured in the film.

I liked it when Otto Octavius had his mind restored and that the voices in his head from the metallic tentacles weren’t talking to him anymore, thanks to the efforts of Tom Holland’s Spidey. Octavius does become a good guy in the end, especially when he’s helping the Spider-Men to sort out Electro.

Speaking of which, it was great to see Jamie Foxx back as Max Dillon/Electro. Jamie Foxx’s Max Dillon seems more confident, thanks to his makeover of a more yellow design instead of the blue appearance that he had in ‘The Amazing Spider-Man 2’. He’s also funnier and sharper than last time.

It was interesting to see Max Dillon’s reaction to being in the ‘MCU’. He actually prefers being in the ‘MCU’, since he likes the electrical power source that he’s able to manipulate. It was intriguing to see Max Dillon being power hungry compared to the attention he sought in ‘The Amazing Spider-Man 2’.

I liked the scene Max had with Flint Marko/Sandman where they exchanged how they got their superpowers. It was also funny when Max wondered whether there was a black Spider-Man out there in his scene with Andrew Garfield’s Spidey. Surely that must be a reference to Miles Morales. 🙂

Incidentally, I liked it when the film’s musical score by Michael Giacchino included moments of the Doc Ock, Electro and Tobey’s Spidey themes from previous ‘Spider-Man’ movies. I’m also very happy that the director Sam Raimi had a positive experience of checking out ‘No Way Home’ at a cinema. 🙂

Thomas Haden Church returns as Flint Marko/Sandman in the movie. I did wonder why Flint Marko looked like as he was in ‘No Way Home’ with not being fully formed like most of the Spider-Man villains in the ‘MCU’. I assumed he had trouble stabilising in the ‘MCU’ from having crossed dimensions. 🙂

But of course, the real reason why Flint Marko looked like that is because both Thomas Haden Church and Rhy Ifans couldn’t physically return to play their characters of Sandman and the Lizard in the film. They mostly provided the voices for their characters and there were CGI stand-ins for them.

This is a shame, but I’m glad Thomas Haden Church and Rhys Ifans were able to return to voice their characters in the film. And at least they got briefly represented in human forms via footage from ‘Spider-Man 3’ for Flint Marko and ‘The Amazing Spider-Man’ for Dr. Curt Connors, which is very nice. 🙂

Speaking of Dr. Curt Connors, it was nice of Rhys Ifans to reprise his role as the Lizard in the film. I did wonder why Curt Connors was the Lizard again, since Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Man cured him in ‘The Amazing Spider-Man’. The last time we saw him was in a prison cell with a mysterious figure. 😐

But of course, Curt Connors has been known to become the Lizard again in the comics and the 1990s animated series, so I suppose this is one of those times where he reverted back to becoming the Lizard again. It was intriguing to see how Curt Connors/Lizard isolated himself from everyone else. 😐

In the film, Connors warns Tom Holland’s Peter Parker about the ‘consequences’ of fixing people. The Lizard stays in the F.E.A.S.T. van whilst everyone else is in Happy Hogan’s ‘oasis’ before he smashes out when chaos ensues. The Lizard is soon there for the climactic Statue of Liberty battle. 🙂

I liked the moment when Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Man and the Lizard met each other in ‘No Way Home’.

Andrew’s Peter/Spidey: “Hey, Dr. Connors!”
Curt Connors/Lizard: “Hello, Peter.”

I don’t know if that moment is meant to be funny, but I find it funny whenever I watch it in the movie. 😀 I’ve heard it argued that Sandman and the Lizard weren’t used greatly in the film, but I think that the film served the characters well enough considering the actors’ circumstances involved.

The film also features Jon Favreau as Happy Hogan. I like how Happy has developed as a character in the ‘Spider-Man’ films compared to the ‘Iron Man’ films. He’s more likeable as a character in the ‘Spider-Man’ films compared to the ‘Iron Man’ films, especially when he’s looking after Peter Parker.

It was intriguing to see the friendship formed between Tom Holland’s Spidey and Happy Hogan in ‘No Way Home’. I did feel a little sorry for Happy when he seemed to be dumped by Aunt May at the film’s start, since he clearly had a crush on her, despite it being played for laughs in the previous film.

It’s also evident when he sees Peter Parker over Aunt May’s dead body in the ‘oasis’. 😦 I did enjoy that moment when Happy told Peter and Michelle to wrap it up with their video chat since he needs his eight hours. He’s not entirely happy when Tom’s Spidey brings over the five Spidey villains into his ‘oasis’. 😀

And there’s Marisa Tomei as Aunt May. It was so sad when she got killed off in this film. I think Aunt May is better written as a character compared to the first two movies. We see Aunt May as the moral compass for Peter, especially in quoting Uncle Ben’s ‘great power, great responsibility’ phrase.

I wish we saw more of that in Aunt May in the previous two ‘MCU Spider-Man’ films as opposed to having her appear for sometimes comic relief scenes. Aunt May is the one who persuades Peter to find a way to cure the Spidey villains as opposed to sending them to their universes where they die. 🙂

Interestingly, Aunt May is working at F.E.A.S.T. (Food, Emergency, Aid, Shelter and Training). This is a homeless shelter that was in the comics as well as the ‘Spider-Man’ PS4 game. Aunt May in the ‘Spider-Man’ PS4 game also died as well as Aunt May in the MCU. A coincidence in parallels, isn’t it?

Benedict Wong briefly returns as…Wong, with Benedict Cumberbatch as Dr. Strange. He has like one scene in the film. Apparently, Wong didn’t blip as I’d been misled to believe he had in ‘Avengers: Endgame’. He’s now the Sorcerer Supreme and taken over from Strange who was absent in the Blip. 🙂

There’s Tony Revolori as Flash Thompson, who I found annoying whilst watching this film. I know he helped Peter with getting Ned and Michelle into MIT, but that was through bribery. Out of the three Flash Thompsons in these ‘Spidey’ films, Chris Zylka’s from ‘The Amazing Spider-Man‘ wins for me. 🙂

At least that Flash changed and became friends with Andrew’s Peter instead of the ‘MCU’ one. I also feel that Flash in the original ‘Spider-Man’ film trilogy, played by Joe Manganiello, is better than the ‘MCU’s Flash, since he was more bullyish than the ‘MCU’s Flash, even if he didn’t become friends with Tobey’s Peter.

And there’s Angourie Rice as Betty Brant. And she’s like in only one or two scenes of this movie! 😡 I wonder if she’ll work for J. Jonah Jameson at the Daily Bugle.net at some point in the ‘MCU Spider-Man’ film series. Peter Parker could as well. It’s that natural progression for these characters for me.

Also, Betty Brant’s “Go get ’em, tiger” line is cringeworthy at best. There’s also Martin Starr as Mr. Harrington and J. B. Smoove as Mr. Dell (who previously appeared in ‘Far From Home’) as well as Hannibal Buress as Coach Wilson (who was in ‘Homecoming’). They welcome Peter back to school. 😐

Whilst Harrington and Dell were annoying in the second film as well as a little bit in this film, at least they seemed to be supportive of Tom Holland’s Peter Parker being Spider-Man. Coach Wilson, on the other hand, seems to be mean-spirited toward Tom’s Peter, which I found unfair whilst watching this.

Then again, one of those three teachers had to be against Peter Parker, so I guess it had to be him. It was great to see J. K. Simmons back as J. Jonah Jameson in ‘No Way Home’ following his surprise cameo in ‘Far From Home’. He’s still the same Jameson that I recall from the original ‘Spidey’ trilogy.

I’m disappointed that Jameson didn’t get to see all three Spider-Men together in this film. Imagine what his reaction to seeing the three Spideys would be like! Jameson doesn’t seem to be kind to Peter/Spidey at all, even when he knows his true identity and right after the spell is cast to make him forget Peter.

Charlie Cox also appears as Matt Murdock! Wow! Matt Murdock from the ‘Daredevil’ Netflix series in this! First it was the Kingpin in ‘Hawkeye’, now it’s Matt Murdock in ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’! I must check out the ‘Daredevil’ Netflix series soon, as I happen to own Season 1 on Blu-ray already! 😀

I’m surprised Happy Hogan didn’t comment that Charlie Cox looked nothing like Matt Murdock. After all, Jon Favreau played Foggy Nelson in the ‘Daredevil’ movie with Ben Affleck. How come an in-joke reference wasn’t made about that fact during the film? Did I miss it when seeing this film? 😀

I like how that nod is made to Tom Holland’s Peter Parker being defended by Charlie Cox’s Matt Murdock in the film. It links nicely to what I’ve seen in the ‘Framed’/’The Man Without Fear’ two-parter in the 1990s animated series of ‘Spider-Man’. It’s still a cameo, but it’s an enjoyable cameo. 🙂

The film’s cast also includes Paula Newsome as an MIT administrator and Arian Moayed as DODC (Department of Damage Control) agent P. Cleary, who apparently would go on to be in the ‘Ms. Marvel’ series. There’s also Mary Rivera as Ned’s grandmother/Lola, who I found funny and sweet. 🙂

I did read a rumour that Ned’s Lola is actually the little girl whom Tobey’s Peter Parker rescued from a burning building in ‘Spider-Man 2’. It would make sense considering Ned’s Lola smiled at Tobey’s Peter Parker upon arrival in the ‘MCU’ and he said “Hi” to her. I would like that rumour to be true. 🙂

‘No Way Home’ concludes with everyone forgetting about Tom Holland’s Peter Parker, including his friends Michelle and Ned. I felt sad about this, since it seems like Peter doesn’t have any friends to confide in anymore, especially with Aunt May now gone. It’s an awful fate for Tom Holland’s Peter. 😦

I don’t think the same fate has applied to Tobey’s Spidey and Andrew’s Spidey, since they were sent back to their realities before Dr. Strange cast the spell to make everyone in the ‘MCU’ forget who Tom’s Peter is. Hopefully, future films with Tobey and Andrew’s Spider-Men will confirm that theory.

In rewatching the film several times, I wonder if Michelle will work out who Tom’s Peter is when he visited her at the cafeteria store she’s working at. I would like to think that Peter might have a friend in Happy Hogan somehow, especially when they had that nice scene together at Aunt May’s grave. 🙂

I like how the film ends with it being set at Christmas time and Tom Holland’s Peter making his own Spider-Man suit to fight crime. I hope that things will turn out okay for Tom Holland’s Spider-Man in his next ‘MCU’ appearance. Who knows what will happen to Peter the next time that we see him? 😐

The Blu-ray special features of ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ are as follows. There are bloopers and a gag reel, ‘Action Choreography Across the Multiverse’, ‘A Spectacular Spider-Journey with Tom Holland’, ‘Realities Collide, Spiders Unite’, ‘Graduation Day’, ‘Enter Strange’, ‘Weaving Jon Watts’ Web’, ‘Alternate Reality Easter Eggs’ and ‘A Multiverse of Miscreants’. There’s also ‘A Meeting of the Spiders – Heroes Panel’ with Tom Holland, Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield, and ‘The Sinister Summit – Villains Panel’ with Willem Dafoe, Alfred Molina and Jamie Foxx. There are ‘The Daily Bugle’ news clips with J. K. Simmons as J. Jonah Jameson, some ‘Stunt Scene Pre-Vis’, and ‘Theatrical Marketing Materials’.

I’ve said a lot about this film, haven’t I? 😀 Thankfully, I’ve been able to say more with revisiting the film on its Blu-ray release. Simply put, ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ has been a worthwhile movie to check out in 2021, especially at Christmas time. I’m very pleased that it exceeded my expectations. 🙂

I’ve never felt this excited about a ‘Spider-Man’ movie since…well, ‘Spider-Man 3’ really. I’m very pleased this film had Tom Holland’s Spider-Man teaming up with Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man and Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Man in order to fight against five Spidey foes from previous ‘Spidey’ films.

From watching the ‘MCU Spider-Man’ films in order, it does feel like watching the reboot ‘Star Trek’ trilogy with the first one being okay, the second one being…pretty meh and the third one being the best out of the trilogy. It’s quite ironic how that’s turned out for me with these ‘MCU Spider-Man’ films. 🙂

I’m amazed that I’m praising the efforts of this ‘MCU Spider-Man’ film, especially after finding the first two instalments underwhelming efforts on my part. I hope this will be the beginning of many good things, not just with the ‘MCU’s Spider-Man, but for the other live-action incarnations of Spider-Man. 🙂

Hopefully, we’ll be getting ‘Spider-Man 4’ with Tobey Maguire and ‘The Amazing Spider-Man 3’ with Andrew Garfield before we know it! Already, I’ve heard rumours about Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield returning to team up with Tom Holland’s Spider-Man, including ‘Avengers: Secret Wars’. 🙂

Incidentally, I had a nice Christmas present from Timelord007 at the time that the film came out in December 2021.

It’s an illustration of Tom Holland’s Spider-Man from ‘No Way Home’. And he sent me this very nice message.

Timelord007: “Happy Christmas, Tim. Done this illustration of Spider-Man for you for Christmas! Feel free to post it on your ‘Bradley’s Basement’. You’re a good man and I appreciate your support during my year of hell.”

“Thank you, Timelord, for sending me the Spider-Man illustration. It was very kind of you and I appreciate the tough year you went through in 2021.”

2021 wasn’t a great year for many of us, but I’d like to think there were some good things to take away from it compared to 2020. For me, it was attending the ‘Bedford Who Charity Con 6’ and seeing ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ at the cinema. I hope you’ve had good things to take from 2021.

The film also has a mid-credits scene with Tom Hardy as Eddie Brock/Venom. (groans) Oh yeah. He had to be in this film, didn’t he? And what does he do in the film? Well, he’s in a bar and then he’s sent back to Sony’s Spider-Man universe. Yep, he was put in the ‘MCU’…only to be taken out of it. 😐

Then what was the point of putting him in the ‘MCU’ from ‘Venom: Let There Be Carnage’? Oh, it’s because a piece of the Venom symbiote got left behind in the ‘MCU’ once Tom Hardy’s Eddie/Venom was sent back. I’m not certain if this will make the Venom story in the ‘MCU’ better. 😐

I hope the Venom story in the ‘MCU’ will be better-handled with Tom Holland’s Spider-Man. I’m guessing a different actor will play Eddie Brock/Venom in the ‘MCU’ compared to Tom Hardy. There’s also a trailer for the next ‘MCU’ film ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ for 2022.

With Sam Raimi directing that movie, I wondered if Tobey Maguire’s Spidey would make an appearance in the film. 😀 I was looking forward to how Benedict Cumberbatch as Dr. Strange would meet up with Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff, especially from watching her in ‘WandaVision’. 🙂

DOCTOR STRANGE WILL RETURN! Incidentally, I’m also looking forward to what’s to come next for Miles Morales’ Spider-Man in ‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse’ as well as the fourth ‘MCU Spidey’ film with Tom Holland and hopefully more Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield ‘Spidey’ movies.

‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ rating – 10/10

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The previous story For Spider-Man (TOS) is ‘Spider-Man 3’ (Film) For Spider-Man (TAS) is ‘The Amazing Spider-Man 2’ (Film) For Spider-Man (MCU) was ‘Spider-Man: Far From Home’ (Film) For Dr. Strange was ‘Avengers: Endgame’ (Film) For Daredevil was ‘A New Napkin’ (DD) (TV) For Venom was ‘Venom: Let There Be Carnage’ (Film)	The next story For Dr. Strange is ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ (Film)
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