Spider-Man: No Way Home had a lot to live up to. From constant leaks to fans expecting the world at their fingertips, there was a lot to cram into a less than three hour-long movie and while it isn’t perfect, Spider-Man: No Way Home is the ideal third movie for Tom Holland’s Peter Parker and for fans of our friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.

Directed by Jon Watts and written by Erik Sommers and Chris McKenna, No Way Home had to deal with the aftermath of Mysterio and Peter Parker navigating a world where everyone is against him except for those who truly know and love him. But let’s get into what makes No Way Home such a beautiful love letter to fans.

THIS IS A SPOILER-FREE REVIEW OF SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME.

This is a movie that relies on fans not being spoiled. Every moment of shock brought me joy and happiness in a way that stems from my love of Peter Parker as a character and each watcher should also be gifted that ability without having someone ruining it. So, while I cannot talk spoilers and will explore this film in thinkpieces later on, I will say this: No Way Home understands Spider-Man fans like no other Spider-Man film before it.

There are moments that feel so cheesy to start but then hit in a way that feels like a punch to the gut and that’s why this character stands apart and has had such a long-running life in the world of comics. Peter Parker is, on paper, the perfect ideal of what a superhero should be, which can come across as insincere or “cheesy,” as I said. In No Way Home, the cheesiness of Peter Parker is balanced out with McKenna and Sommers making those emotional punches worth the cheesiness of it all.

Multiple times I found myself just crying and thinking of Peter Parker and his dedication to being a “hero” even when everything seems stacked against him. And in a movie that has several supervillains coming for him, there’s a LOT on Peter Parker’s plate.

Peter Parker vs. His Villains

My biggest fear going into this movie was that it would feel like there was just too much trying to get done in the span of one movie. That didn’t happen and everyone had wonderfully fleshed out character arcs that worked in the film without feeling to heavy-handed. Maybe that’s built in because we knew all these villains beforehand but they still work and give us a bit of closure on characters like Otto Octavius and Norman Osborn.

Where Spider-Man: No Way Home shines, though, is in Tom Holland’s performance. Peter Parker, for the most part, is a character who never believes in himself, and this movie is a good example of how he believes in himself as Spider-Man but not as Peter. Throughout the movie, MJ (Zendaya) will reinforce his ability to do something and remind him who he is, and the utter shock and love on Holland’s face is a beautiful reminder of just how young his Peter Parker is and how he’s still learning and growing.

The love story of MJ and Peter Parker is one that has spanned decades and inspired so many of us, and No Way Home really nails their dynamic in a beautiful way, despite the movie not giving them that much time to just be happy together.

To keep audiences from being spoiled, I will say this: No Way Home took on a behemoth of a task and delivered a nearly perfect Spider-Man movie for fans to love. This Spidey-loving girl loved every second of it and I cannot wait to go back again and again!

(image: Marvel Entertainment)

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Rachel Leishman

Rachel Leishman (She/Her) is an Assistant Editor at the Mary Sue. She's been a writer professionally since 2016 but was always obsessed with movies and television and writing about them growing up. A lover of Spider-Man and Wanda Maximoff's biggest defender, she has interests in all things nerdy and a cat named Benjamin Wyatt the cat. If you want to talk classic rock music or all things Harrison Ford, she's your girl but her interests span far and wide. Yes, she knows she looks like Florence Pugh. She has multiple podcasts, normally has opinions on any bit of pop culture, and can tell you can actors entire filmography off the top of her head. Her current obsession is Glen Powell's dog, Brisket. Her work at the Mary Sue often includes Star Wars, Marvel, DC, movie reviews, and interviews.

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