Finally, I have had the opportunity to see the long-awaited movie “Spider-Man: No Way Home.” This movie has been anticipated since the ending of the previous sequel “Spider-Man: Far From Home,” where Peter Parker’s identity is revealed by the villain Mysterio, accusing Peter of murdering him. Now in the final movie of the Homecoming trilogy, we get to see how Peter deals with his newfound fame and accused murder.

Soon finding out that life is more chaotic than ever before Peter looks to his accomplice, Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), for help asking him if he can create a spell that erases everyone’s memory of him being Spider-Man. During the spell, Peter tempers it with too many requests, causing villains who know other versions of Peter Parker to appear from the multiverse. Can he get them back, or do they have No Way Home? I will be reviewing and rating this movie on characters, cinematography, and entertainment value out of five. Before I get started I would like to clarify that this will be a spoiler-free movie review. 

The first thing that comes to mind when characters are mentioned are the villains that were brought back from previous Spider-Man movies, starring Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield as Spider-Man. These characters are so special and iconic because it’s astounding to see villains you grew up with come back in a new light. I would especially like to recognize Willem Dafoe for his chilling performance returning as the Green Goblin. His sinister laugh still lives up to its alarming reputation 20 years later. The audience will even get to see some of the villains develop throughout the story.

On the other side of the villains we have the heroes and allies. Considering that Marvel has put out movies with little-to- no character development for new characters, it’s really refreshing to see Peter Parker (Tom Holland) go through relatable things and keep developing throughout the Home trilogy. First starting out as a young teen now changing into a young adult, the character development for Peter Parker has been taken into great account. Another character I would like to recognize is MJ (Zendaya) for her take on the character. It’s different from what we’ve seen in past years, and she has a unique personality that people can relate to. That’s what makes characters likable when making a movie: having them have some sort of normality that the audience looks at and says ,“Hey, I know what that’s like,” or, “I’ve been through that.” In all honesty the characters in “Spider-Man: No Way Home” have a strong connection with the audience despite whether they are good or bad. I rate them a 5/5.

Cinematography in movies is usually what makes it come to life with lighting, camera angles, location, and setting. This is a Spider-Man movie, so I did have high expectations for the cinematography with either the swinging scenes or the shots of the fights. The audience gets to see many up-close swinging scenes with Peter and MJ starting right where the last movie left off. I really enjoyed this because with movies from other Spider-Man franchises the swinging was either super CGI or it wasn’t logically correct, but within “No Way Home” everything looked real. Another scene in the movie with great cinematography is of Peter in the rain looking distraught. You can see every detail whether it’s the light illuminating from the city, the rain falling onto his face, to the tears in his eyes. It really is a beautifully done shot that captures the emotions of Peter. I would give the cinematography a 5/5.   

 Though the cinematography was cool, Doctor Strange took the cake with the special effects. Even featured in the trailer you can see the effect of how his powers take shape. They created patterns and loopholes, constantly changing angles, making it look like Peter was falling through time and space itself. Everything about the scenes with Peter and Stephen Strange was executed uniquely and paid well attention to detail in the background of the scenes. You can definitely see the work that the editors put into the movie day and night to get it to theaters. Overall, I thought No Way Home had some of the most breathtaking scenes in Marvel cinematography and special effects history, and it deserves a 5/5. 

When it comes to entertainment value, I could describe No Way Home in one word: WOW! There was never a dull moment, and I was drawn in the entire time. Not only was I drawn in, but I was constantly on the edge of my seat waiting for what was going to happen next. Honestly, you could walk into this movie not knowing anything about Spider-Man and still be blown away by the end. Most of the people going to watch were previous fans, though, so that makes it even more entertaining to watch. During some of the most intense scenes in the theater fans were going wild, cheering on the characters, really feeling a part of something that has been long-awaited. The film had the perfect mixture of comedy, action, and seriousness, and the reason the entertainment in this film is so good is because Tom Holland has really created his own sense of humor for Peter Parker that we don’t see with other characters in the MCU. One clip shown in the trailer of Doc Ock pinning Peter to a pillar thinking he is the Peter from his universe. As soon as Spidey takes off his mask, he realizes they’re not the same person saying, “You’re not Peter Parker.” As exciting this was to see in the trailer it was even more thrilling in the theater. To see these characters have this interaction is unreal and will always be amusing especially because of the humor they have. I would give the entertainment value of “Spider-Man: No Way Home” a 5/5. 

Fortunately, “Spider-Man: No Way Home” has been receiving the credit it deserves by the fans as well as critics. It has broken world records including the third-highest-grossing movies ever, making $600.8 million worldwide on its opening debut. Also, it’s the biggest worldwide hit since COVID started. So far the movie has made over one billion dollars and is now Sony’s biggest movie yet. Overall, I would give the movie 5/5. Tom Holland’s performance was so incredible and was one his best. I think It would be safe to say that he is the new face of the MCU.

Some exciting news that producer Amy Pascal revealed is she plans on making a second Spider-Man trilogy and it’s in the works. If you’re able and it’s safe, make sure to go check out “Spider-Man: No Way Home” in theaters. Just remember: with great power comes great responsibility.