Spider-Man: No Way Home
May not qualify as the best film of 2021 but it certainly is the most entertaining.
It’s setting box office records for a good reason. With compliments to Director Jon Watts, this is a dynamic film filled with adventure, intrigue, comedy and an emotional impact that will leave you in tears on more than one occasion.
To begin with Spider-man’s life is ruined when a Fox News type commentator (J. K. Simmons) exposes his name to the public. Experiencing a combination of praise and condemnation, he seeks out the help of Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) to find a path to normalcy. While his only remaining support comes from his “adopted” mother (Marisa Tomei), a dedicated girlfriend (Zendaya) and chubby friend (Jacob Batalon), Dr. Strange’s use of his magic circle that allows Spider-Man’s past enemies to visit the present puts his life in jeopardy.
The best of the film involves a monstrous confrontation where Peter Parker’s Spider-man seeks to find a way to either save or destroy this list of rogues. Think of Willem Dafoe returning as the Green Goblin, Jamie Foxx as Electro, Alfred Molina as Dr. Otto Octavius, Rhys Ifans as the Lizard and Thomas Hayden Church as Sandman, and you know our hero is in a fight to the edge of death.
But while all of the above give memorable performances, what elevates this film to its unanticipated cinematic level is the appearance of the two Spider-men from past films. Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield team up with Tom Holland to give us three Spider-men fighting for truth, justice and the American way.
Yet it is the emotional spirit of the film that will leave most of you with tears on your cheeks. While good people die (see the film to find out), Holland’s Parker has to choose between Earth’s destruction, or risk losing his relationship with Zendaya’s MJ.
As seen in her great performances in both The Greatest Showman (2017) and this year’s Dune, she is dancing on the edge of being the most fascinating actress in Hollywood. Holland’s Peter Parker is faced with an agonizing choice.
See the film so you can embrace its powerful conclusion.
