Film Review: "Spider-Man: No Way Home" (2021).

"The Multiverse Unleashed" in Spider-Man: No Way Home. This superhero film directed by Jon Watts, written by Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers, and based on the titular Marvel Comics character created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko. It is the sequel to Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) and Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019), and is the 27th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. For the first time, our friendly neighborhood hero's identity is revealed, bringing his Super Hero responsibilities into conflict with his normal life and putting those he cares about most at risk. When he enlists Doctor Strange’s help to restore his secret, the spell tears a hole in their world, releasing the most powerful villains who’ve ever fought a Spider-Man in any universe. Now, Peter will have to overcome his greatest challenge yet, which will not only forever alter his own future but the future of the Multiverse.

By August 2019, after the release of Far From Home, development on two new Spider-Man films had begun with Sony hoping Watts and Tom Holland would return for both. By then, Marvel Studios and its parent company The Walt Disney Studios had spent several months discussing expanding their deal with Sony. McKenna and Sommers were hired to return to pen the script for the third film. By late September, thanks to Holland's involvement, Sony and Disney announced a new agreement, which would allow Marvel Studios and Feige to produce another Spider-Man film for Sony with Amy Pascal, scheduled for July 16, 2021, keeping the character in the MCU. In June 2020, Watts was confirmed to return as director. By early November 2020, it was announced that Tom Holland, Zendaya, Benedict Cumberbatch, Jacob Batalon, Jon Favreau, Marisa Tomei, J. B. Smoove, Martin Starr, Benedict Wong, Tony Revolori, Angourie Rice, and Charlie Cox, would reprise their roles from previous MCU projects, with Jamie Foxx, Alfred Molina, Willem Dafoe, Thomas Haden Church, Rhys Ifans, J. K. Simmons, Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield reprising their roles from previous Spider-Man films. However, Maguire and Garfield's return was the subject of intense speculation, and Sony and Marvel attempted to conceal their involvement ahead of release. Additionally, Michael Giacchino was confirmed to return to score the film. At the same time, principal photography commenced and wrapped in late March 2021. Filming took place in New York City, New York and Atlanta, Georgia under the working title Serenity Now. The film was previously set for a July 16, 2021 release date, but was pushed back to November 5, 2021, before it was further shifted to the December 2021 date, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Holland once again excels as the titular character. He manages to bring just the right mixture of innocence, charm, and uncertainty. But the best parts of the film are Foxx, Molina, Dafoe, Church, Ifans, Maguire and Garfield, whose characters single-handedly elevate the movie from a C to a B+.

A standard superhero movie, but introduces a few new elements I haven't seen in a Spider-Man film and would like to see explored more.

Simon says Spider-Man: No Way Home receives:

Also, see my reviews for Spider-Man: Far From Home and Eternals.