Anton van Beek, David Gelmini, Steve Kirkham, John Martin, and James Whittington take a critical look at the latest sci-fi and fantasy video releases...

SCIENCE FICTION LIBRARY

SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME Out in cinemas. ★★★★★

This was one of the most hyped films of 2021, and with good reason. Put simply, this is quite possibly the best Spider-Man film ever made, so you should certainly believe the hype. Whether you happen to be a hardcore fan or a more casual viewer, No Way Home is still a highly commendable superhero movie which should demand your immediate attention.

Tom Holland returns as the titular Wall-Crawler, who finds his life falling to pieces after his identity as high school student Peter Parker was revealed to the public by the villainous Mysterio at the end of the previous film, Far From Home.

In an effort to undo Mysterio’s actions, Parker asks Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) to cast a spell to make people forget the shocking revelation, but instead of having the desired effect, the spell tears apart the fabric of reality and causes villains from all corners of the Multiverse to appear in Peter and Strange’s version of Earth.

It goes without saying that No Way Home mainly focuses on the Marvel Cinematic Universe version of Spider-Man from Earth-199999, although as you probably know by now, the film also features appearances from the alternate universe versions of Peter Parker from the previous Spider-Man movies, who are respectively played by Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield. While it had been common knowledge for quite some time that they would appear in the film, fans will still be left speechless during the scene where they come through the portal. If you watch No Way Home in a packed cinema, you can bet audiences will burst into applause when this occurs.

But while the appearances from the previous Spider-Man actors will certainly please fans, Holland is the real star of the show here. Having played Spider-Man in six films across the MCU, he has clearly grown into the role as though it were a second skin, and his performance in No Way Home is by far his strongest yet. Holland perfectly captures the essence of a determined young man caught between two worlds who desperately wants to do the right thing against all odds, and for a British actor, his New York accent is flawless. His strained relationship with his girlfriend MJ (played by Zendaya) comes across as sincere and genuine, as does his friendship with his socially awkward classmate Ned Leeds (Jacob Batalon). This is also clearly Holland’s most challenging performance as Spider- Man to date, and a scene where a character dies in his arms while he sobs hysterically and begs for them to come back will have most viewers in tears. At this point, all the people who say Marvel films are badly acted really just need to shut their mouths.

Willem Dafoe is also phenomenal as the evil Norman Osborn. Not only does he deliver a dedicated and downright chilling portrayal of a completely unhinged maniac, but Dafoe is clearly able to effortlessly switch between depicting Osborn as both a calm and mind-mannered scientist and the psychotic monster he becomes whenever his Green Goblin persona takes hold. On the other hand, despite the large abundance of characters, everyone on-screen is given a decent amount of development, so Oscar-winner Jamie Foxx gets to monologue about how his version of Electro wants to use his powers to change the world, while Doctor Octopus, played by Alfred Molina, bluntly rebukes Aunt May when she awkwardly tries to flirt with him. Performances aside, No Way Home is also an emotional rollercoaster which will no doubt have viewers on the edge of their seats until the credits roll.

Considering how this is a film with a complex plot and a lot of necessary exposition, director Jon Watts is still able to strike the perfect balance of drama, humour, and tension to keep audiences thrilled, and there are some wonderful surprises in store for fans who have been following the MCU since day one.