Spider-Man: No Way Home was probably my favorite of the “trilogy” with an okay story, albeit thin and on the contrived side, but the character and their developments were pretty entertaining.
Spider-Man: No Way Home
(2021)
Genre(s): Action, Science Fiction
Sony Pictures | PG13 – 148 min. – $38.99 | April 12, 2022
Date Published: 04/18/2022 | Author: The Movieman
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Sony Pictures Entertainment provided me with a free copy of the Blu-ray I reviewed in this Blog Post.
The opinions I share are my own.
This review does contain many spoilers so reader beware!
THE MOVIE — 4/5 |
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Plot Synopsis: With Spider-Man’s identity now revealed, our friendly neighborhood web-slinger is unmasked and no longer able to separate his normal life as Peter Parker (TOM HOLLAND) from the high stakes of being a superhero. When Peter asks for help from Doctor Strange (BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH), the stakes become even more dangerous, forcing him to discover what it truly means to be Spider-Man. Review: Spider-Man: No Way Home is sort of the conclusion of a trilogy and set-up for the next phase for your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man, and serves as a wonderful send-off for the other two incarnations, at least more proper than what we got with Spider-Man 3 and The Amazing Spider-Man 2, especially for the much maligned Andrew Garfield version, though admittedly I actually quite enjoyed his first bout in the role (second one, not so much).
Tom Holland once again shows he was perfect in the role, showcasing the youthfulness that I think was missing from the Maguire and Garfield versions and his relationship with “MJ”, played once again by Zendaya, was far better than in Homecoming and Far From Home. I put a spoiler warning earlier but at this point we already know the big reveal of seeing Maguire and Garfield and their scenes with Holland were excellent, and not just fan service but give some depth and help with Holland’s Peter Parker and what he has to deal with. The story itself was a concern going in finding it to be a bit out of character for someone like Doctor Strange to mess with time in the first place, but still kind of works and once I got past it, just sat back for the fun ride. Along with the previous Spider-Men but nice to have some of the villains back, a couple also getting redemption for how they were treated, namely Electro and Lizard. With Venom being part of the Sony MCU, no surprise we don’t see one for Topher Grace/Venom.
What I especially liked is No Way Home does serve as a reset of sorts for Tom Holland’s Spider-Man, where he’s on his own, no Stark tech and really no support system due to the events in the finale. Interesting way to go back to the basics and I am intrigued to see what’s in store for Holland’s fourth outing if it ever comes fruition (I mean with Holland, I’m certain Sony is keen on getting the next one off the ground ASAP). Spider-Man: No Way Home sees the return of Jon Watts in the director’s chair and he does another solid job with some decent action sequences, albeit nothing I’d call mind-blowing or terribly memorable, although shows his strength in characters, which has been his strong suit throughout this “trilogy”. Meanwhile, the script was written by Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers, who also wrote Homecoming and Far From Home, as well as Ant-Man and the Wasp.
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SPECIAL FEATURES – 3¾/5 |
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This release comes with a slip cover and inside the redemption code for the Digital HD copy. Bloopers & Gag Reel (4:01) provides some line flubs and general tomfoolery on-set. Action Choreography Across the Multiverse (6:25) details the action sequences with behind-the-scenes footage and sound bites from the stunt coordinator and others. A Spectacular Spider-Journey (6:16) — This featurette looks at Tom Holland’s time as Peter Parker/Spider-Man over the course of seven years. Realities Collide, Spiders Unite (8:09) is about the bringing together of Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield and Tom Holland. Graduation Day (7:07) looks at Tom Holland, Zendaya, Jacob Batalon and Tony Revolori and their time through the three films. Enter Strange (5:04) — Featurette on Benedict Cumberbatch and his character’s involvement in the film. Weaving Jon Watts’ Web (7:18) is a featurette on the director and his vision for his third Spider-Man film. Alternate Reality Easter Eggs (4:41) shows the Easter eggs in the film. A Multiverse of Miscreants (6:38) on the variety of villains that the Spider-Men fight/cure. A Meeting of the Spiders: Heroes Panel (7:23) — A chat amongst Tom Holland, Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield with some behind-the-scenes footage. The Sinister Summit: Villains Panel (8:44) features Willem Dafoe, Alfred Molina and Jamie Foxx discussing their characters and involvement in Far From Home. The Daily Bugle (4:06) — Are three “segments” from J. Jonah Jameson’s (J.K. Simmons) show. Stunt Scene Pre-Vis (3:31) shows off the “Apartment Fight” and “Shield Fight” sequences with pre-visualization. And last up are Theatrical Marketing Materials (4:09). |
VIDEO – 4¾/5 |
| Spider-Man: No Way Home swings onto Blu-ray where it’s presented in its original theatrical 2.39 widescreen aspect ratio. As one would expect for a big budget new movie, this one looks great in high-definition. Detail is relatively sharp and colors have a good balance between the lighter elements, including the reds in Spider-Man’s suit (and blue in the case of the last scene), to the darker scenes, particularly at night. No significant or obvious signs of aliasing, artifacts, pixilation, banding or other flaws so it is a clean looking picture. |
AUDIO – 4½/5 |
| While I’m sure the 4K got the more advanced Dolby Atmos track, for whatever reason the Blu-ray has the standard DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track. While for the most part this is a solid lossless track, I did feel it was a bit underwhelming. Dialogue does come across with good clarity and the action scenes have some okay depth, I did think the LFE channel was a bit light. |
OVERALL – 4¼/5 |
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Spider-Man: No Way Home was probably my favorite of the “trilogy” with an okay story, albeit thin and on the contrived side, but the character and their developments were pretty entertaining and seeing some old characters back again was fun. I don’t think it’s anything amazing yet still entertaining as a whole. |
Check out some more 1080p screen caps by going to page 2. Please note, these do contain spoilers.