<Review by: Sailesh Ghelani>

Directed by Jon Watts. Starring Tom Holland, Zendaya, Marisa Tomei, Jacob Batalon, Benedict Cumberbatch, Jon Favreau, Willem Dafoe, Alfred Molina, Jamie Foxx, Benedict Wong and others 😉

While the first half is pretty standard, the second half is where No Way Home shines with the addition of some eagerly anticipated, amazing characters and a showdown that is both witty and emotional.

Nostalgia seems to be in nowadays. We’re going back to the good old days when characters were memorable and movies were touching. Not just popcorn and eye candy and lots of CGI action sequences like they are now.

Tom Holland’s modest performance like the Spider-Man/Peter Parker who doesn’t always know what he’s doing and can sometimes get things right but not with a sense of entitlement is refreshing. He is naive at times and very vulnerable too. Which is why his interaction with the other two web-swingers is so interesting and fun to watch.

Peter and Dr Strange

Who can ignore that voice: Willem Dafoe as Norman Osborne steals the award from the villain’s side but his kinship with Peter Parker when he isn’t the stark, raving lunatic Green Goblin, is touching. And it’s always a treat to watch Doc Oc (Alfred Molina) and hear his sharp-witted dialogue.

Dr Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) seems to be here just as an instrument to set off the film’s chain of events. His part seems irrelevant at times but it also establishes him as being fallible.

What I love about No Way Home is how it gives each character moments to develop their backstory and for the audience to even empathise with the villains who perhaps deserve a second chance, just like Aunt May (Marisa Tomei) tells Peter.

The battle

Andrew Garfield may have been the Spidey with the shortest life, but his entrance is one of the highlights of the movie. Such a great actor, he overshadows all of them. But my heart has always been with Tobey Maguire’s/Sam Raimi’s films. They had heart, soul, story, great villains, web shooters coming out of his wrists and just the right amount of humour and drama.

What happens next is anyone’s guess what with everyone forgetting who Peter Parker is but this may set up a brand new way to reboot the franchise, hopefully not another actor. Sony and Marvel have signed a new deal and that will ensure Spidey’s continuity into the MCU.

Watch the Trailer: