Spider-Man: No Way Home

Spider-Man: No Way Home – With Peter’s anonymity now smashed to pieces, he and those closest to him start to suffer. Desperate to find a way to make things right, Peter visits Doctor Strange for a spell that could help. But after Peter accidentally interferes with the casting, far reaching consequences are unleashed. Now, with new villains to fight who seem to know the name of Peter Parker but not his face, can Peter fix things before the world is changed irreparably?

Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) – Director: Jon Watts

By https://www.sonypictures.com/sites/default/files/styles/max_560x840/public/title-key-art/spidermannowayhome_keyart_1400x2100_v2.jpg, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=69217407

Rating: 12A

Running Length: 148 mins

Starring: Tom Holland, Zendaya, Benedict Cumberbatch

Genre: Comic Book / Action / Comedy / Drama

REVIEW: ‘SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME’

Tom Holland has been an entirely new type of Spider-Man. He has Tony Stark’s technology, he’s fought with the Avengers and helped to defeat Thanos after being ‘blipped’ for 5 years. Somehow he still maintains his ‘friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man’ demeanour. Unfortunately, now that his face and name have been revealed to the world, the dangers he faces have become a little too close to home. So, his friend Doctor Strange comes to the rescue but of course, nothing in the MCU is ever easy, so unexpected consequences occur during an already difficult to cast spell.

You may, or may not have an inkling of what happens during the movie but as Alfred Molina’s excellent Doc Ock has been shown extensively in the trailers, there’s a good chance you can guess what comes next. Knowledge of previous Spider-Man movies stretching back the past 20 odd years will be beneficial due to numerous in-jokes throughout. Such things round out a satisfaction to the faithful, yet ‘No Way Home’ is perfectly enjoyable on its own merits.

Now that Peter no longer has Tony Stark to fall back on, having Doctor Strange be his next port of call is a nice touch that cements the relationship they established in previous films. The previous two Tom Holland Spider-Man movies worked so well as they were essentially light-hearted and fun muckabouts. ‘No Way Home’ shifts into a closing off pathos, with Peter branching out on his own and battling very real stakes and consequences. This gives welcome growth as a character but also gives Holland an opportunity to deliver a powerful maturity in his performance. Now that he is taking matters into his own hands and having the choice of helping or harming, will Peter choose what is easy, or what is right?

There is one mid-credits scene and one more at the end.

CONTENT: IS ‘SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME’ SUITABLE FOR CHILDREN?

Peter brings MJ back to his home after a panicked escape from crowds. Although the pair are acting in a totally innocent way, Aunt May and Happy hear what sound like passionate grunts and moans coming from behind Peter’s closed door. When she opens the door suddenly, MJ is helping Peter to remove his Spider-Man costume which obviously looks less than innocent! Peter rushes after May trying o explain but a few seconds later in a snippet of their conversation, she can be heard saying ‘…talk about sex Peter!’

After being arrested, Ned and MJ are questioned by the police. As Ned is a large guy, the cop offers him a snack – something that he doesn’t do with MJ.

Peter’s bully, Flash, (who loves Spider-Man) becomes excited to be associated with his idol and starts being nice to Peter. At one point, Ned makes a cutting remark about how he and MJ are actually friends with Spider-Man and Flash is crest-fallen. Although it could be argued that he deserved this after his former treatment of Peter, parents may not wish to encourage this form of unnecessary retaliation.

Peter suddenly finds himself in a dark, spooky place. As he walks around, a character appears out of the darkness and lunges towards him.

When Electro first appears, the electricity in his body makes him glow white, including his wide eyes. There is a close-up of his face which could be a little frightening for younger kids.

Norman Osborn is clearly suffering from severe mental health issues and hears his Green Goblin mask speaking to him as a separate entity. It encourages him to take on his alter ego which will hurt and kill innocent people and he struggles to fight against it. While in a fight with Spider-Man he is punched hard repeatedly in the face but maintains an insane grin on his face and then cackles menacingly. This visceral portrayal of a real personality disorder could be scary and upsetting for some children.

An established character is hurt badly and their injuries become more severe as they move around. Some blood is seen although the severity of their injuries is implied rather than shown, This scene could be quite upsetting, especially as a loved one becomes very upset as it progresses.

A character produces web fluid inside their body and shoot it from their wrists which is something Peter can’t do. Interested in how this works, he asks ‘Does it come out of…anywhere else?’

Peter is full of rage when fighting a character and is clearly trying to kill them. Most of the fight scenes up until this point have been action-based and somewhat light-hearted but this tonal shift is stark in comparison. Kids may not pick up on this but parents may wish to have a discussion about Peter’s state of mind and why he is so much angrier than usual if there is any confusion.

A character is unexpectedly stabbed and collapses. However this doesn’t become overly upsetting.

Peter has to say a sad goodbye to several characters.

CAN I SEE A CLIP?

VERDICT: IS ‘SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME’ OK FOR KIDS?

Tom Holland continues to prove his ability to play everyone’s favourite web-slinger and although ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ throws a lot of plot and characters at us, the excellent story writing makes it quite possible to keep up and remember what’s going on. Due to some intense fight scenes we recommend this movie for kids aged 8 and over.

• Violence: 3/5 (minimal blood but several violent fights0
• Emotional Distress: 4/5 (two to three upsetting scenes that linger)
• Fear Factor: 2/5 (mild jump scares)
• Sexual Content: 2/5 (some innuendo)
• Bad Language: 3/5 (infrequent mild and moderate cursing)
• Dialogue: 2/5 (threats and references to death)
• Other Notes: Deals with themes of family, friendship, putting your loved ones at risk, helping those who need it, fighting against your instincts and taking responsibility for your actions.

Words by Laura Record