Spider-Man: No Way Home

…um, there’s probably not a whole lot more to add about this 9th and final installment of the highly popular Spider-Man franchise from Marvel. Except I seriously doubt this is really the end of the line for our web flinging, high-wire swinging superhero with “Spidey sense.” Why do I think that? Because the script sets it up in the closing sequence. There may not be another Spider-Man stand alone film for a while but Peter Parker is part of the MCU now. Enough said.

I wrote a review of this movie December 17, 2021 if you want more details from yours truly. As you know, the hero’s real identity is nerdy young Peter Parker, who is accidentally transformed into a superhero when, owing to a freak lab incident, has his DNA blended with that of a spider. Parker maintains his boyish innocence in spite of this boon, which he, like Clarke Kent, keeps secret. The role has endured through many interpretive iterations over 20 years and has featured Toby McGuire, Andrew Garfield and Tom Holland in the titular role.

All three actors make appearances in this film. Several villains return to taunt and wreak revenge on Spider-Man, thanks to a Dr.Strange spell gone awry, but Wilhem DeFoe as the Green Goblin takes the lead as king homicidal maniac. There’s no denying that Spidey’s first official collaboration with Marvel Studios hit it out of the park. International box office gross to date is $1.37 billion (#12 on the all time top grossing movies list) and the tally is still counting at two weeks in. No Way Home is set to climb even higher on the all time biggest charts.

Ambitious isn’t a big enough word to describe this installment. But, in spite of its record setting box office, multiple, well orchestrated surprise cameo appearances, complex structure, off-the charts CGI and lightning fast pace…Wait. Just trying to fit all those descriptions into one sentence is overload. That’s ultimately how I felt about the movie on a strictly visceral level. I can keep up with it because movies of all genres (except horror) have been a priority all my life.

As a fanboy (fan person?) flick the filmmakers know their target audience and give them all they’ve got. If you’re not part of the Spidey community then this movie probably isn’t for you. But really, who cares? This movie is about as successful, for what it is, as it gets.