Review: Spider-man: No Way Home, Third Time Lucky.

By Ellis Asher. The following review contains spoilers.

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No Way Home found its way into a new home as my third favourite of the Spider-Man films thus far (Rami, 2 then 1). This film, unlike the prior two, serves as a film dedicated to Spider-Man.

What exactly do I mean by that? Given that the last two are also titled "Spider-Man" as well, shouldn't they also feature the character so famous his name is nearly synonymous with the word 'superhero'.

Well, they did in name, but not in nature by any means.

Up until now, through no fault of his own, Holland's portrayal of the Web-Slinger never really felt like the Spider-Man from the comics it takes its name.

It never felt like the Spider-Man that we grew up watching, reading and perhaps the worst of all, it didn't feel like Peter Parker.

This is in part because the character was intended to be written this way. After a commercial and critical success by nearly all accounts in the 2000's and a subsequent reboot with double the attitude and half the success, Marvel, understandably, wanted to try taking the character in a different direction.

This is why we don't have an Uncle Ben in Homecoming, why we don't see Peter get bitten by a radioactive spider and why Aunt May, rather than being the moral compass to guide Peter, as a good and honest person thrown into trouble, is portrayed as a caricature of another woman entirely.

In its place we've had an unwanted Tony Stark, an overly modernised Aunt May, A surprisingly likable Ned and a completely vacant spot where Peter Parker should be in his own story.

After all of that, I can safely say that No Way Home is a welcome departure from a figurative flight I never thought would take off...

The young man just trying to find which way is up is back and this time he has company. Bringing with him the morality that was so sorely needed, in the form of a wiser Aunt May, and 2 more Spider-Men.

Admittedly, I did love seeing both the Peter's back on screen, even if at times the comedy was a little cheesy.

Tobey Maguire plays the role he seemed perfect for, just as Uncle Ben had given him the simplest but most important of words, and just as (Marisa Tomei's) Aunt May had bestowed them onto Holland's Peter, all 3 seemingly renew the core of the series, giving the heart back to the character that was once nothing more than a cheap Iron Man knock-off.

Values, morality, and Peter's aside, the best thing this film did was its portrayal of grief.

Whilst not quite Ricky Gervais' After-Life, Tom Holland's portrayal of the Anger, the sheer motivation and devastation that all stem from a close loss like this is accurate, and more than that, relatable.

Everyone loses people, at some point in their lives and for many in the cinema, that pain, and all the emotions Peter feels at that moment, and every moment after, are the emotions I saw around me.

I saw the film in 3D, which isn't something I'd normally do. It made it all the more obvious that people around me were genuinely affected by May's death, as they had to take the blocky specs off to wipe their tears.

At some points,

Chris McKenna & Erik Sommers' writing did feel a little fan-servicey, but fan service isn't necessarily a terrible thing.

Had the line, "With great power..." that's so famous you just finished it in your head, been worked in sooner, perhaps by Aunt May earlier, or maybe even by Ned, the use of the line for impact may not feel like such obvious nostalgia bait, almost like the writers are throwing everything at us to make us care about this character at that moment, the equivalent of a character death sentence.

With all that said, did it detract the entire impact of the scene? No, not at all.

Everything in this film comes across as much more meaningful, it's like Peter finally has purpose. The situations are relatable, and Peter's problems are felt as almost genuine.

Jon Watts provides us with more of the great cinematography, Giacchino's score is as always, fantastic, and generally the whole crew tend to bring the same polish we've come accustom to now.

The last thing I would note is that this Spiderman film, in my opinion succeeds because whilst the other films aimed to be different to the prior films in the franchise, No Way Home attempts something far greater.

No Way Home feels unique.