Thoughts on 'Spider-Man: No Way Home' (All spoilers hidden)

First off, there is NO way to talk about the film's story without giving away massive spoilers, and I mean MASSIVE. If you take nothing away from me, let it be this: If you love Spider-Man in any way, shape, or form, you will love this movie. If I had to make a choice right now, I would say that this is now my favorite superhero film, even beating the Avengers and every other Marvel movie to date. Other superhero films have deeper plots, more meaningful character arcs, and more spectacular action scenes, but this film... My God, this movie is FUN. My throat is still slightly raw from how many times I cheered (and at one point, screamed in shock), and I can't wait to go see it again.

Okay, if I'm going to talk about anything else, I have to get into spoiler territory. And I beg you, PLEASE don't read this if you haven't seen the film yet.

1. OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD THAT WAS AMAZING AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.

2. THEY BROUGHT BACK TOBEY! TOBEY CAME BACK! TOBEY CAME BACK! And not just him, but Doc Ock, Green Goblin, and Sandman, too! And Andrew came back, and brought Electro and the Lizard with him! And they all interact with each other! And they even chill in an apartment like it's a goofy sitcom and OH MY GOSH THIS IS TOO MUCH FUN AND AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.

3. Doc Ock... my God, Alfred Molina was born to play this role. I loved, loved, LOVED seeing him become a true, genuine superhero who comes to the three Spidey's aid at the climax. And having him and Tobey come face to face again for the first time since 2004 made me choke up in the most wonderful way.

4. Tobey... I can't even express how happy I am that Tobey Maguire came back to reprise his role. He slips right back into it as if he never left, and he's just as charming, funny, and warm as he was back in the original trilogy. They even crack jokes about his infamous, 'My back!' line from the second film! Hell, the man's 46 and he still does Spidey so well; his age even plays a huge part when he passes on to Tom Holland how taking revenge won't make things better, and having him wordlessly stop Tom from killing Goblin at the climax is such a powerful way to convey that knowledge... and I thank God the filmmakers didn't kill him; the scream I mentioned above? That was when he was stabbed by Goblin. Tobey's Spider-Man was MY hero when I was a teenager, and to see your childhood idol get hurt in a way where he could clearly die shakes you to the core. But, thankfully, he's spared and survives the film. And best of all? It's said that his relationship with M.J. has lasted since Spider-Man 3, and that they've made it work. He got his happy ending, and it's not undone.

5. I was not expecting Aunt May's death to be so emotional; I had no emotional investment in the Holland-generation of Spider-Man, but her death scene was unexpected and incredibly well done, especially in how long they hold off that she's fatally injured.

6. William Dafoe's Goblin is even more ruthless and vicious than he was in the original 2002 film! I know that William Dafoe didn't do a majority of his fights or stunts considering his age, but damn, they made it look like it was really him fighting and beating Holland to a pulp with ease.

7. No other film I've ever seen takes full advantage of bringing in characters from multiple movies and franchises and playing them off each other. Seeing Goblin, Ock, Electro, Sandman, and the Lizard interacting with each other (and in a few cases, fighting each other) is like fan-fiction done perfectly, especially when they point out to each other that they died at various points. And having Ock actually fight Goblin (even if only for a few moments) was freaking awesome!

8. Compared to so many other legacy sequels that have come along and defiled their franchises and classic characters (I'm looking at you, Star Wars sequel trilogy), 'No Way Home' is a perfect example of how to do a legacy sequel right: it respects what came before, honors our heroes who helped make those things happen, and DOESN'T turn them into depressed losers: Tobey and Andrew are still regular guys who don't hesitate to help save the day and play a major role making it happen. And even better, our three Spidey's share a hug before departing to their home universes. Awww!

9. Have I mentioned how awesome this movie is? Because it is! Now go see it!

Comments

[Tillion]

Just saw it at our local dine-'n-recline theater, and I have to echo

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

But seriously, was super happy when Tobey's Peter brushed off the stabbing (though he does admit he's in pain), I grew up with him as spoder, he was what drew me into comics and all of it