Jacked In Reviews ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ (2021)

For fear of having to dodge spoilers like the Green Goblin’s pumpkin grenades, Jacked In’s Jack hit the theatre bright and early on December 15th, 2021 to get involved in Spider-Man: No Way Home (in IMAX of course). 

As we hear the infamous voice of J.K. Simmons’, J. Jonah Jameson – slandering Spider-Man the way he does best – over the opening credits, it seems the story is continuing from where it left off in Far from Home (2019). Peter Parker (Tom Holland) is surrounded by numerous intrusive bystanders after the late Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal) has just revealed Spider-Man’s secret identity to the entire world. The best thing about the way this movie’s predecessor ended was that it left audiences with their mouth agape, wondering how the hell Spidey was going to get himself out of this mess.

Due to the trailers before this movie’s release, we already had a pretty good idea, that Peter would seek out Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), to try and erase Mysterio’s reveal from everyone’s memory. Whether you knew this plot point or not, it takes nothing away from Peter’s journey of being in the public eye in the first act. One of the strengths that Holland has when it comes to playing the famous web-slinger is his ability to contrast being this hero with these amazing abilities, but deep down is still a teenager that gets scared and overwhelmed just like everyone else. That being said, by the end of this movie, Peter seems more of a Spider-MAN than ever before.

Cue the nostalgia as some very familiar faces return from previous/alternate Spider-Man movies (Spider-Man 1, 2 & 3 and The Amazing Spider-Man 1 & 2). However, you could describe these returning characters as the same car, but with someone else behind the wheel. Jon Watts has a more light-hearted, “Brat Pack” style with his Spidey movies and that certainly comes across when you see these old characters in new surroundings.

A fun movie that nails the comradery, has plenty of action, not to mention some absolutely jaw-dropping moments and was able to be a brilliant third instalment like no Spider-Man movie before it. All in all, it’s fair to say this is definitely the most ambitious live-action Spider-Man movie yet and it totally pulls it off. It may not have had as flawless of a multiverse approach as Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018), but it’s brilliant in what the movie has accomplished, creating a bridge between old and new fans alike, as well as opening numerous doors for the future of the MCU.

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