Spider-Man: No Way Home was released to theaters on Dec. 17, 2021, and boy did it make a splash. Marvel’s newest full-length film has so far been a box office miracle, earning $1.37 billion dollars as of Jan. 5 of this year. 

What exactly has so many people talking about the new Spider-Man movie, and does it live up to the ocean of attention it’s been receiving?

From this point on, there will be major spoilers, so reader discretion is advised.

What most die-hard fans and passive audiences may be hesitant to admit is that much like Avengers: Endgame, Spider-Man: No Way Home is a very mixed bag, but luckily, with more good than bad. 

 To focus on the positives a little bit before getting into some of the movie’s flaws, I think that if there’s one thing this movie does well, it’s making bold decisions. Every so often, superhero films defy audience expectations by making major decisions that incite a hugely dramatic and emotional response. For example, in The Dark Knight, the decision to kill off Rachel Dawes (Bruce Wayne’s longtime love interest) was an extremely impactful and dark moment. After all, since when has the story arc of a superhero film been to kill the damsel in distress? 

Naturally, when less complex films tried to make lightning strike in the same place twice, it fell short. I’m specifically talking about Amazing Spider-Man 2 where everything about the last two films was so inconsequential that the sorrow of Gwen’s death was more of a disappointment due to how stupid of a decision the move was. So what bold choices did this new Spider-Man film make?

The first one was to kill Aunt May. After two sets of Spider-Man movies where Uncle Ben dying was the focal point of the character development of Spider-Man, it never occured to me that Aunt May wouldn’t be one of the characters to make it through the whole set of films. The move hits almost as hard as the surprise death of Rachel in The Dark Knight, and I think it was ultimately the right choice due to how much tension and intrigue it built for the rest of the film.

The second choice was to make it so that the entire world forgot Spider-Man. After showing many tender moments between Peter Parker and MJ, the fact that the happily-ever-after storyline didn’t get to play out in the perfect way that it does in every other mainstream superhero film was somehow refreshing and tragic at the same time. It also does show an actual consequence for the actions of Peter, as well-meaning as they might have been. I think if there’s one thing that mainstream action films are bad at, it’s making the claim that you can do whatever you want and make big decisions without facing any sort of personal consequences. In the end, that’s not how life works, and I think it’s a really poor message to be sending given the age of the target audiences of these movies. With that said, I’m really glad the film went in the direction that it did.

The final thing that I believe sets this Marvel movie apart from all others is how dark it is, especially in comparison to the first two Tom Holland Spider-Man films. Far From Home feels constantly foreboding and, at times, downright depressing. The somber ending is especially dark, in particular with it being shot during the winter. This might not work for some people, but I think more serious audiences will find this very refreshing.

Now for the less exciting moments of the film.

I believe that the movie is fundamentally flawed in just a few places. Whenever you start messing with parallel universes or time travel in a movie, things are bound to get messy, and it gets even worse when there’s no attempt to explain the rationale behind any of it. The fact that characters from alternate realities could be plucked out of different realities because of some cosmic nonsense is something that I can get behind in a superhero movie. After all, weirder things have happened within the last five films of Marvel’s multiple installments. 

What I absolutely do not understand is how the Green Goblin is pulled out of his reality moments before he dies, and how that has no effect on Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man, Doc Ock, or the Sandman. There’s no attempt to explain the concept whatsoever, and although casual viewers won’t care as much, that doesn’t change the fact that it’s a gaping plot hole in the middle of this movie.

My only other complaint lies with the performances of Tobey Maguire, and to some degree, Andrew Garfield. It’s not that they do poorly at all, but they just seem so different from the characters they played in their original movies. Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man lost a lot of the meek charm that made his original Spider-Man so likable, and Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Man doesn’t seem to know what he should be doing outside of riding the coattails of Tobey’s Spider-Man and smiling a lot. Again, in the context of solely this movie, I think both Maguire and Garfield do a fine job.  In the bigger picture of the consummate product of all seven films that have led up to this moment, I think they fall short.

So, returning to the original question, is it worth it to see this movie? The answer is a very strong yes. No matter whether you love or hate the story and the performances, the film will keep your attention for its whole runtime, and the movie’s pacing is just about perfect. I would recommend any Marvel or action movie fan to check out this film if they have not already.