RECENTLY VIEWED: SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME

WARNING! There are spoilers so if you have not seen the movie, you might want to avoid this article.

I went to see this excellent film with my children on Christmas Eve morning. Spider-Man: No Way Home is the 3rd movie which starred Tom Holland as Spiderman. This third MCU Spider-Man film was planned during the production of Homecoming in 2017. By August 2019, negotiations between Sony and Marvel Studios to alter their deal—in which they produce the Spider-Man films together—ended with Marvel Studios leaving the project; however, a negative fan reaction led to a new deal between the companies a month later. Watts, McKenna, Sommers, and Holland were set to return at that time. Filming began in October 2020 in New York City before moving to Atlanta that month and wrapping in March 2021. No Way Home explores the concept of the multiverse and ties the MCU to past Spider-Man film series, with numerous actors reprising their roles from the Spider-Man films directed by Sam Raimi and Marc Webb. The return of previous Spider-Man actors Maguire and Garfield was the subject of speculation, and Sony, Marvel, and the cast attempted to conceal their involvement despite numerous leaks.

After Quentin Beck posthumously frames Peter Parker for murder and reveals his identity as Spider-Man, Parker, his girlfriend MJ, best friend Ned Leeds, and aunt May are interrogated by the Department of Damage Control. Lawyer Matt Murdock gets Parker's charges dropped, but the group grapples with negative publicity. After Parker, MJ, and Ned's MIT applications are rejected, Parker goes to the Sanctum Sanctorum to ask Stephen Strange for help. Strange suggests a spell that would make people forget Parker is Spider-Man. Parker repeatedly requests alterations to let his loved ones retain their memories, which corrupts the spell, but Strange contains it and makes Parker leave.

Parker goes to convince an MIT administrator to reconsider MJ and Ned's applications, but is suddenly attacked by Otto Octavius. Octavius rips Parker's nanotechnology from his Iron Spider suit, which bonds with his mechanical tentacles and allows Parker to disable them. As Norman Osborn arrives and attacks, Strange teleports Parker back to the Sanctorum and locks Octavius in a cell next to Curt Connors. Strange explains that the corrupted spell summoned people from other universes who know Spider-Man's identity, and orders Parker, MJ, and Ned to find and capture them.

As Parker captures Max Dillon and Flint Marko, Osborn reclaims control of himself from his split Green Goblin personality. He goes to a F.E.A.S.T. building, where May comforts him before Parker retrieves him. While discussing their battles with Spider-Man, Osborn, Octavius, and Dillon realize that they were pulled from their universes just before their deaths. Strange prepares a spell that will send the villains back to their respective universes, but Parker argues that they should first cure the villains' powers and insanity to prevent their deaths upon their return. Parker steals the boxed spell, traps Strange in the Mirror Dimension, and, with May, takes the villains to Happy Hogan's apartment. He successfully cures Octavius, but Osborn's Goblin persona takes control and convinces the uncured villains to betray Parker. As Dillon, Marko, and Connors escape, Osborn injures May, who tells Parker that "with great power, there must also come great responsibility" before dying.

Ned discovers he can create portals using Strange's sling ring, which he and MJ use to try to locate Parker. They instead find two other versions of Parker who were also summoned by Strange's spell, nicknamed "Peter-Two" (from Osborn, Octavius, and Marko's universe) and "Peter-Three" (from Connors and Dillon's universe). Ned and MJ find Parker and comfort him while the other Parkers share stories of losing loved ones; they encourage Parker to fight in May's honor.

The three Parkers develop cures for the remaining villains and lure Dillon, Marko, and Connors to the Statue of Liberty, where Peter-Two and Parker cure Marko and Connors, respectively, while Octavius arrives to help and cures Dillon, after which Peter-Three reconciles with Dillon. Ned frees Strange from the Mirror Dimension, but Osborn arrives and destroys the boxed spell, disintegrating the barriers separating universes. While Strange works to maintain the barriers, an enraged Parker attempts to kill Osborn, but Peter-Two stops him. Peter-Three and Parker inject Osborn with his cure, restoring his sanity. Parker realizes that the only way to protect the multiverse is to erase himself from everyone's memory and requests that Strange do so, while promising MJ and Ned that he will find them again. The spell is cast, and everyone returns to their respective universe—including Eddie Brock, who leaves behind a piece of the Venom symbiote. Two weeks later, Parker visits MJ and Ned to reintroduce himself, but decides against it. While mourning at May's grave, he has a conversation with Hogan and is inspired to carry on, making a new suit and resuming his heroism.

Any review does not do justice to how great this movie is. There are some tear-jerking moments, and my son kept on elbowing through the movie to see if I was crying, but I held it in. Just seeing all of the Spiderman actors together really not only was nostalgic and sentimental, but it tied the movies neatly together. I highly recommend this movie, and even though the movie was long - the time flew by like it was a commercial. I am so glad I had to the chance to watch this movie with my kids. It was a great way to spend the holiday time off...

MY RATING: 10 out of 10