If there was anything needed to truly send 2021 off with a bang, “Spider-man: No Way Home,” might just be that special something. The film managed to secure a $600 million worldwide debut placing it third behind “Avengers: Endgame” and “Avengers: Infinity War,” respectively. But how much of that revenue was from the all-mighty powers of Marvel movie mania? After all, the franchise now has an impressive record of producing hit superhero action thrillers. Luckily, as a bit of a Marvel enthusiast myself, I can safely say that the newest edition to the Spider-Man franchise masterfully balances the usual action thriller and comedic relief usually found in Marvel films with new, darker themes and homages to the past Peters.

  Before diving into the nitty-gritty part of what makes reviews so much fun, I feel like it is important to warn my intrigued readers. Many of the details and nuances I am about to go over can very easily spoil the film for those who haven’t seen it yet. Of course, there’s always the chance that you’ve already been spoiled by the media or a multitude of rumors that always float around big releases. However, for the sake of the impressive (or not so impressive if you did get spoiled) secrecy and mystery surrounding this movie, I implore only those who have watched the film to read on.

  “No Way Home” enters onto the big screen following the events of the traditional after-credits scene. Peter Parker, played by Tom Holland, has had his identity revealed and his whole world is about to get incredibly chaotic for a teenager trying to get into college. Besides the usual celebrity shenanigans that go with being a superhero, Peter also contends with his superhero actions affecting both his and his friends’ academic futures. Fearing for both himself and his friends, Peter ends up teaming up with Doctor Strange played by Benedict Cumberbatch. After a spell meant to fix everything goes wrong, the web-slinger is forced to fight villains from other universes alongside past iterations of the web crawler.

  Starting off with what is easily the most poorly kept secret in Hollywood, both past Spider-Mans, Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire return and reprise their iconic roles in what I feel is the most ambitious and complex Spider-Man yet. Seeing all three actors fighting crime together definitely gave a sense of nostalgia as the trio’s chemistry and quips to each other perfectly matched the atmosphere.

  Another addition to the movie that longtime fans appreciated was the return of numerous past villains. SandMan, Dock Ock, Electro, Green Goblin, and The Lizard all make a comeback, and it’s a good thing that there are three Spider-Mans because they sure do pack a punch. One downside to so many characters being present, however, is that with so little screen time for such a large cast, it’s hard to set up personalities that haven’t already been established in past films. If you haven’t watched every Spider-Man movie, and even some Marvel movies on top, there’s a good chance that you won’t understand what’s going on. This is of course a problem with the Marvel universe at large, but as more and more movies are released I fear more new fans bawk at the mountain of movies they would need to watch to even remotely be caught up.

  One thing the new movie adds is the darker tones often seen in past iterations of Peter Parker’s life. Spoiler Alert, Aunt May dies and utters the famous, “With great power comes great responsibility,” line with her last breath. It’s enough to make even the toughest men cry. We see Holland’s Spider-Man grieve and almost give up before almost succumbing to the need for vengeance. It’s a nice change from the relatively perfect world that he’s been living in. The film’s ending also adds a twist to an otherwise expected turn of events with Parker making the sacrifice play like Tony Stark before him. It’s another sign of him growing up and maturing from his time as a friendly neighborhood Spider-man.

  Overall, “Spider-man: Far From Home” pays homage to past films while simultaneously building on Holland’s story in the Marvel Cinematic Universe/Sony universes. Despite its decidedly long run time the film never overstays its welcome and if anything could have had an additional part. It certainly feels like the ultimate spidey collaboration and will be hard to top. I, for one, am excited about what the web crawler will do next.