Spiderman: No Way Home Breakdown Review Part II (Major SPOILERS!!!)
If you have not read the first part of my Spiderman review you can read it here: https://thecinematicalgorithm.tumblr.com/post/674060922113966080/spiderman-no-way-home-breakdown-review-part-1
Thank you in advance to any who take the time to read my thoughts, and remember always feel free to respectfully share your own. With that said, let’s move on to the second part of my review and remember spoilers spoilers spoilers!
One of the biggest reasons I wanted to see this film so badly was the chance to maybe see the faces of Tobey Maguire’s and Andrew Garfield’s Peter Parkers. Tobey Maguire is the Spiderman I grew up with and watched in theaters when I was a child. He was the reason I first fell in love with the web-crawler. Then in my early 20′s I watched as Andrew Garfield gave his spin on the character and despite the disappointment so many had for his version I loved it and I was entirely disappointed that Sony did not go on to complete his storyline. So when rumors abound stated that Tobey and Andrew would indeed be appearing in No Way Home you can bet your ass that I and the rest of my family pre-ordered tickets. And as you all know we Spiderman fanatics were far from disappointed.
Before I get on with expounding on why Andrew and Tobey’s appearances were not only so welcome but vital to the success of this movie, I want to point out that if they had not appeared, aside from inevitable fan disappointment, this movie would still not have been half-bad. The plot, the acting from Tom and side characters, the lessons learned and the sacrifice he makes at the end stands on its own, but having Tobey and Andrew’s Peters appear and help Tom to take that step into adulthood elevated the story-line so that it was damn near perfect, and it opened up a floodgate of opportunities for the character.
Having our favorite Spidermen interacting and working together on screen is a comic book fan dream come true. If you had told me that this would happen when they first introduced Tom’s Spiderman in the MCU I never would have believed it. But now having seen No Way Home I feel I should have known when given the chance Marvel would always give fans what they want. The Avengers films have already proven that. Funny too because after Endgame I had been feeling kind of flat with a lot of the projects they’ve released. They’re not bad but I guess I felt that I was becoming bored with Marvel films and I’m exhilarated to know that Marvel still has the ability to blow my mind with their storytelling.
And that is what Marvel has done by not only successfully bringing Tobey and Andrew back, but giving them absolute relevance and influence to the plot without overshadowing Tom. As I’ve said Tom’s role stands on its own. It has substance that rounded out the Home trilogy as a beautiful arc of self-identify, coming-of-age and a superhero origin story. By including Tobey and Andrew in that crucial moment of shouldering adulthood and all its consequences however, we were able to bring much needed closures to all three Peters. Now before everyone attacks me over being misinformed or behind the times, I’m not indicating that this is the last we will see either actor as I am aware they have been confirmed, or at the least highly rumored, to be returning at some point in their own projects. However, this film acted as a closure to each of the story lines they had all been part of while simultaneously being a beginning for each of them.
Tobey Maguire’s Peter Parker from the original Spiderman trilogy is definitively the most rounded and mature of the Spidermen. If, as a fan I had to choose for one of the three to not appear in any more Spiderman movies, I would have to go with Tobey. I absolutely look forward to seeing him again, but after this film his Peter’s story feels the most complete. However, from what I’ve heard we will most likely being seeing him in further projects. I read in an interview that Tobey and Andrew were meant to be less like older mentors to Tom and more like mirrors, or glimpses of what he could be. It is highly significant that it was Tobey that stopped Tom from killing the goblin, and nearly sacrificed himself to do so, rather than Andrew. Tobey has already traveled the road of forgiveness and mercy. He has experienced darkness and overcame it and as he told Doc Ock, he has been trying to do better. For Tom to stare into the eyes of a Peter Parker who has learned this lesson, we see Tom glimpsing a future in which he has moved beyond his pain, beyond his hate, and is at peace with the world despite its darkness, and has indeed become a better version of himself.
Andrew’s Peter however acted as a mirror into what Tom could become if he chose a darker path. While Andrew is by no means an evil Spiderman he entirely conveyed a Peter who was broken, lost, lonely and as he claimed, bitter. If Tobey represented the Peter that has overcome loss and hatred then Andrew represents the Peter who has allowed himself to be weighed down with his grief and rage. Andrew gave a subtle but powerful performance as a Spiderman who is not at peace with the world or himself but rather haunted by Gwen’s death and simply trying to go through the motions of living. Having these other versions of Peter included into the MCU allowed for Tom’s Spiderman to make the right choice and then to make an incredibly difficult sacrifice and ultimately transform a boy into a man. It also allowed us to see Tobey round out his character’s maturity and transform into a wise, mature Spiderman who is ready to lead another generation, and it allowed Andrew to redeem his Spiderman and open a door into a re-discovery of purpose.
If each Spiderman were to get his own film going forward this is what I would love to see from each. From Tobey I would love to see a Spiderman 4 film in which he discovers Miles Morales and becomes a mentor and partner in which he ultimately passes the torch of Spiderman and then retires to live out his days with MJ and possibly some spider babies. From Andrew I’d like to see him return to his Amazing Spiderman franchise and portray a Peter who has new life breathed into him and sets out to continue to redeem himself from Gwen’s loss and subsequent bitterness. From Tom the possibilities are endless.
Aside from the incredible plot lines and story arcs achieved in this film, all three actors have proven themselves to have an incredible knowledge of their character, a strong grasp on the mannerisms we’ve come to expect from each Peter, and praise-worthy acting abilities to be able to pull it all together with seemingly effortless ease. The actors had wonderful chemistry and gave subtle yet powerful performances without overshadowing one another and I sincerely hope we will see all three together on the screen again.
Thank you again for reading and here’s to hoping from more Spiderman news soon!
