With great power comes great responsibility. And with greater responsibility, the cast and crew of Spider-Man: Far From Home deliver a never before seen web of emotion in Spider-Man: No Way Home .

'Spider-Man: No Way Home' wraps together a story told over the last two decades, and is guaranteed to mesmerise not only loyal Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) fans but also casual viewers. It also happens to be a huge superhero ensemble cast on an epic scale as grand as the iconic Avengers: Endgame (2019).

Read more: Spider-Man's first day collection beats Sooryavanshi at the box office

Spider-Man/Peter Parker’s (Tom Holland) life is a mess a week after his identity is leaked in Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019). His closest people - Aunt May (Marissa Tomei), girlfriend Michelle "MJ" Jones-Watson (Zandaya) and best friend Ned Leeds (Jacob Batalon) face the heat too, from vulturelike paparazzi, authorities and divided New Yorkers (team Spider-Man Vs team Mysterio!).

Dazed by the growing instability in his life, Peter turns to Dr Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) for help, hoping to cast a spell that will make “everyone forget” who he was. But Strange’s magic backfires bringing in villains from the multiverse - Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man (2002-2007) and Marc Webb’s The Amazing Spider-Man (2012-2014).

When the multiverse resets, it is a kaleidoscopic blast of VFX delight, so grand in its delivery that it leaves your jaws on the floor for its minute attention to detail. The sequence keeps zooming each second from one visual boom to the next that it literally feels like a rollercoaster ride, especially when Spider-Man and Doctor Strange spar!

The movie quickly introduces each villain from the multiverse and their ‘mass’ entry is bound to make you whistle. Director Jon Watts graciously provides fan service every few minutes from subtle easter eggs for future MCU movies and comic references to unbelievable cameos.

Strengths

A big strength of ‘No Way Home’ along with its stunning background score is the performances of all stars. The chemistry of Peter Parker with MJ and Ned brims with warmth and humour. Ned aces it every time with his sly response while MJ is often blunt and honest in her tone of delivery, especially while engaging with Doctor Strange or the supervillains.

William Dafoe as the Green Goblin/Norman Osborn nails in his performance. Like a kill switch, he flips his tone and sinister smile of Goblin to a lost, dishevelled Osborn. His iconic laughter will trigger a sense of coldness to fans of Raimi’s Spider-Man.

Alfred Molina as Dr Otto Octavius/Doctor Octopus still has the charm of hauling the audience with his act just like his ‘mechanical tentacles’, whose visuals stands apart. Jamie Foxx as Max Dillon/Electro is cool, calculative and preys for ‘power’ in this new world. The dialogues between the supervillains are often laced with wit and you can’t help but chuckle in awe and delight. Tomei as Aunt May and her chemistry with Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau) is equally hilarious.

The movie explores second chances with a deft poignancy. It’s exceptionally emotional when so many fight scenes in the third act give a hat tip to the characters’ previous actions and their consequences. If Peter Parker faced a mad Titan, Thanos, as one of his greatest foes to date, it is his own inhibitions - his weakness - that truly pushes him to become a man in this movie.

Towards the third act, the story keeps piling with so many surprises and it is brilliant how the screenwriters Chris Mckenna and Erik Sommers make sure to leave no stones unturned. It’s nostalgic and exhilarating.

By the time you reach the climax, it is assured to leave a lump on your throat. And it goes without saying, stay put till after the end credits if you are a true MCU fan.

Afterthoughts

Stepping out of the movie theatre, my mind kept buzzing with what more stories will the MCU’s future movies offer. I kept thinking of an interview of Stan Lee with the famous TV host Larry King, where he talks about Spider-Man’s costume. (This movie, in fact, has a subtle reference to the character Miles Morales!)

“You know one of the greatest things about Spider-Man’s outfit? His costume? He is completely covered. So, any kid could imagine he’s Spider-Man because no colour of the skin shows. He could be black under that, he could be red, he could be yellow, he could belong to any race and that wasn’t done purposely but it was done accidentally. I think it was the best thing we did,” he says.

If Stan and Steve Ditko were here today, they will be happy.

Related Topics
comment COMMENT NOW