When Covid hit theaters back in 2020, it seemed imminent that streaming services such as Disney+, Hulu, and Netflix, would rise to the forefront, leaving the cinema industry in the dust. However, this past year has been a revitalization period for the movie industry. This year’s highlight release was the long-awaited “finale” to the recent Spider-Man franchise – “Spider-Man: No Way Home”.

“Spider-Man: No Way Home,” directed by Jon Watts, is an action-packed but heartfelt nostalgia trip that follows the evolution of Peter Parker, played by Tom Holland, as he navigates the newfound struggles of his exposed identity while also trying to make his way to college. Following the events of “Spider-man: Far From Home” Parker is labeled a murderer and becomes a divisive figure within America’s society, despite his good intentions. As the movie kicks off, Parker begins to explore the consequences of his newfound status and delve deeper into the lore of “Spider-Man”.

Tom Holland plays the awkward yet justice-seeking Peter Parker to a T. His acting conveys the innocent, almost immature nature of Parker’s moral ventures as he navigates through the numerous roadblocks throughout the movie. As the film moves along, Holland humanizes his character, making the viewer realize the naivete of Parker and that behind the mask of Spider-Man lies a pure-hearted teenager who has just begun to wrap his mind around the concept of everyone knowing who Spider-Man is.

The cinematography of the movie was outstanding as well. The lighting and atmosphere of multiple scenes matched the mood and ambience of the plot. Along with this, the choreography of the fight scenes was very intricate, contributing to the energy of the fast-paced film. The movie also kept a very high level of attention to its detail. While COVID continuously delayed this movie’s filming, Watts and his team managed to maintain the continuity of each separate storyline the film was attempting to weave together, even including some clever easter eggs along the way. 

While overall, this movie was well put together, certain flaws seemed to stand out. One of these is the reliance on nostalgia to drive the plot. While the callbacks to previous Spider-Man franchises were enjoyable, not all of them were necessarily relevant or understood. Considering the franchise started in 2002, the general viewer often missed the significance of certain moments. Another problem was within the plotline. Not much was explained about the movie’s resolution, and the conclusion to the villains’ arc of the story is unclear.

“Spider-Man: No Way Home” manages to balance the fun and excitement of the previous Spider-Man installments while also maturing the character of Parker, not afraid to show dark, more serious moments throughout the film. While recent Marvel installments such as “The Eternals” and “Black Widow”  have failed to live up to the success of their predecessor, “Spider-Man: No Way Home” matches and even exceeds its expectations, crushing pandemic box office records,  capturing the attention of millions of fans globally.

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