Spider-Man No Way Home has arrived and after watching the film multiple times already,
I think it was able to do one central thing right that the previous Holland films weren't
able to accomplish as effectively.
Along with all the nostalgia and fan-centric elements, primarily it felt like a Spider-Man
movie that finally explored Peter Parker in the way it should have
done in the last film.
In this video essay, I'm going to be discussing what Spider-Man No Way Home did right, and
why this sets up the next Holland films as ones that surprisingly, I'm
actually looking forward to.
This upload will contain spoilers, so if you do happen to be someone who hasn't seen No
Way Home yet, then I would recommend watching this video after
you've seen it.
You can also check out my spoiler-free review which is already available on my channel if
you want to know my thoughts without having any big plot details discussed.
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But without further ado, let's dive into my video essay on what Spider-Man No Way Home
did right.
So when Spider-Man Homecoming released in 2017, I was ready for a new take on the web-slinger,
one that gave us a deeper dive into what makes the hero who he is and a further analysis
of the boy behind that mask.
The first film did of course want to take that route, but one which was also quite purposely
shallow.
He was a spidey that just liked his new suit and
wanted to do good but was quite riddled with the problems of growing into the role and
living up to his so-called mentor Tony Stark.
I quite like Homecoming for what it is and while it
was not the take on Spider-Man that I truly wanted to see, I was ready to see the development
over time and get that deeper take on the character along with all the fun and escapism
we knew we would be getting.
But then came Far From Home, a film that while interesting in its new landscape and primary
villain, didn't really push the character over the line and still
had Peter relying on his tech and the help of others.
It was a safe movie that didn't really challenge us to understand what makes this Peter Parker
tick or get to the core of the character by actually challenging him physically,
mentally or meaningfully so.
It just gave us the formulaic MCU film we've been used to seeing from a company that hasn't
really aimed at taking their characters and stories in
intriguing or impactful directions.
The previous interpretations, while subject to having equally flawed films, had much stronger
takes with that of Spider-Man 1 and 2 and even the first
Amazing Spider-Man.
Tobey Maguire gave an inspirational journey, a character that can't quite work out being
Peter Parker while being Spider-Man, and Andrew Garfield showed how
Parker can be both funny and tragic all at the same time to quite a successful degree.
Tom Holland on the other hand gave us the Spider-Man
who just found joy in just being the character and was really just an escape from all of
the teenage problems we've all faced.
But in my opinion, I've wanted to see this character
actually challenged, giving a conflict that makes us truly connect emotionally to his
interpretation of the character.
And while it took way too long for this to happen, I was relieved
after watching Spider-Man No Way Home, because they finally did just that.
Jon Watts has finally taken the boy joyously swinging around the city and doing backflips
on buildings and challenged him into growing up.
Now it's key to note that this film isn't one that is emotionally transcending a genre
or for some miracle escaping the formula of an MCU film.
No, it's not.
If No Way Home does suffer in one department, it's under this very formula,
presenting so many easter eggs, callback quotes and references to previous outings, and in
result, the true heart of the story which is Peter Parker becoming an adult can seem
muddled in tone at times.
And the first act of this movie doesn't help by keeping that central formula in my mind.
But one moment does eventually come along, takes all of that by
the scruff of the neck and says 'we need to make a true Spider-Man movie'.
And that moment comes in the takeover of the Goblin, the fight
that follows and the eventual aftermath, which is the tragic death of Aunt May.
Now I haven't loved the MCU's take on Aunt May and they haven't really used her character
to the inspirational heights that they could have.
But rather than try and make a failing component work, they used this death to fuel everything
that Peter is feeling.
It gave him anger, it gave him a sense of wanting vengeance, it
gave him sadness and it ultimately was a statement that there's responsibility on his shoulders.
The responsibility when things go wrong or when he faces an extreme loss... to do the
right thing.
To keep fighting the good fight and not to lose his spirit completely.
The rest of the movie from this point on is quite a
different one.
Yes, it has the MCU elements and stuff that I personally find quite uninteresting, but
the main focus from here on is on the greater stuff.
The things that challenge Peter to finally grow up and take decisions
into his own hands, or work with people rather than under them.
It's much more ambitious this way in its storytelling and when you have
character development that can be as emotionally strong as No Way home transitioned into, it's
a direct lesson to put the MCU of it all to the sidelines in order to feel it.
In its ending, it asks us what it means when a superhero who truly cares for someone, loses
them, and to what extent they will go to in reaction.
And what lengths they will then go to, to protect the others they care about or form
bonds with.
It is quintessential Spider-man and director Jon Watts gave us essentially the ultimate
celebration of what makes Peter Parker the famous web slinger.
Yes, there's cool tech like the controlling of Doc Ock's tentacles using the Iron Spider
suit and science projects that are used to find a way to bring these
villains back to their normal selves, but all of that aids the more emotional story
arc of Peter.
Now It's not the best Spider-Man film ever made and it has moments that are quite
awkwardly written like Doctor Strange becoming a sort of plot device and editing that places
extremely funny scenes right after tragic ones, but the central arc of this story isn't
just about beating a difficult threat.
It's about Peter overcoming his guilt and taking responsibility as a true friendly neighbourhood
Spider-Man.
While hunting the famous villains down, instead of taking the straightforward and simple option,
Peter Parker decides to do the right thing.
And while this again makes Doctor Strange look quite misunderstood in his faulty actions,
it's not his movie, and No Way Home clearly indicates this... placing him in the mirror
dimension and leaving him there for most of the
film's runtime.
In this entry, Peter's actions have consequences for him and the people he cares about.
And after everything he's done and all the people he's saved, the movie clearly
tells us that he's a boy, and his resulting actions can at times be quite reckless or
out of touch.
The moment where he's about to beat Willem Dafoe's Green Goblin to death is one that
stands out to me personally.
You feel the weight of every rage-filled punch and how he would quite easily kill this man
for what he's done.
But with the help and guidance of the other Spider-Man, he becomes the figure he's supposed
to be and once again, makes the right choice.
While I found that there was a lot of nostalgia here and some even being quite poorly done,
the key moments are delivered excellently and it all puts in place a guide for the rest
of the film and that is Tom's Spider-Man.
Tobey and Andrew aren't the focus, they are there to
aid and push Holland's take in the right direction so he can truly stand on his own two feet
and become that loved version of the character.
And Tobey and Andrew know what he feels and what he is going through.
It's not another case of replacing Uncle Ben with Tony Stark because of the MCU interconnectivity
that we constantly need.
It's Spider-Men who truly understand that mantle and want to help a
Spider-boy become a Spider-Man.
The heart of the nostalgia essentially fuels this new Spider-Man into his own presence
and this is the thing that by the end truly takes this film in a
much better direction.
It makes us feel like the true height of Holland's interpretation is yet to come and that the
next films will basically be a clean slate to tell new stories with
this grown-up version of Holland's character.
And at the heart of it all is Holland’s elevating performance as both Peter and Spider-Man.
The film and his performance give the character emotional weight, and his chemistry with
MJ and Ned is more real this time around.
It isn't just played for laughs as you feel a more gentle side of that, one which all
comes back to the simple matter that Peter may never
truly be with these people again after the events of this film.
He can never get back that connection because they all forget those memories.
By doing this...
No Way Home goes back to the comic book roots of this character and
presents it successfully within the cinematic medium.
As I said, it's not a perfect film and its filmmaking is quite formulaic and has
similar beats of an MCU endeavour.
But its emotional core and direct focus on making Peter Parker into a true Spider-Man
means that this particular take shines brighter than other
entries, and just as crucially, it sets up the future of Holland's films to be rooted
in adult-ship struggles.
Stories that aren't the same as every other and ones that have a purpose
to be told.
I hope I'm right about this going forward, but it is a very important step in the right
direction.
But that was my video discussing why I believe Spider-Man No Way Home pulled off the central
character and has led him in a direction that can be explored even deeper in future
movies.
This latest film feels like the most confident outing of Spider-Man in the MCU so far, and
while the filmmaking, certain moments of CGI and formulaic tones make their way into
this latest entry, it doesn't hold down the greater strength that has been brought to
the character.
No Way Home gives us the entire range of Spider-Man movies while presenting us with
a character that has been set up to be all his own.
After two watches my rating has gone up to an 8 out of 10, and I'm interested to see
how the film will compare after many more rewatches in the future.
But I'm also fascinated with how they will go about making the next movies, which hopefully
will have even more impactful storylines and emotional beats
within.
We'll have to see, but let me know down below in the comments section what you personally
thought of Spider-Man No Way Home, alongside whether you agree with the points I have
raised in this video.
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But anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed it, I've been Cortex and as always make some
noise.