By: Jesse Rosenfeld
The much-anticipated trailer for Spider-Man: No Way Home dropped this month, and it does not disappoint. In the newest installment of the Marvel franchise, Peter Parker/Spider-Man becomes public enemy #1. Doctor Strange informs the friendly neighborhood hero that his spell to make the world forget Spider-Man’s true identity has caused a rip in the multiverse, allowing nearly 20 years’ worth of wrongdoers to invade their world.
The menacing clink of a Pumpkin Bomb and the evil yet somehow nostalgic laugh of Willem Dafoe’s Green Goblin takes us back to Tobey Maguire’s initial installment of the series. With the return of Tom Holland’s Peter Parker and Zendaya’s MJ comes some other well-known villains from the Spider-Man universe, such as Jamie Foxx’s Electro and Alfred Molina’s Dr. Otto Octavius.
After Doc Ock’s inquisitive remark, “You’re not Peter Parker,” it appears that he works in tandem with Parker’s crew to get back to his world. The Green Goblin stays true to his inception from nearly two decades before with action-packed battle scenes and insightful one-liners. The true contention in this film looks to be between Doctor Strange and Spider-Man after the former’s warning that the villains’ fate is to die at the hands of the web-slinging protagonist. There even appears to be a cameo from Spider-Man 3′s Black Spider Suit, which turned Peter evil at the hands of the Symbiote.
The harrowing tale of New York City’s beloved superhero is not marred solely by the dramatic weight of his criminal foils. We can see that Tom Holland still excels at infusing his character with the spark of lighthearted jokes and jabs that make Peter Parker who he is. Likewise, some humorous exchanges between MJ, Doctor Strange, and Dr. Octavius imbue a new take we wouldn’t necessarily have seen in earlier installments. In addition to the return of some fan-favorite characters, there are echoes of 2014’s The Amazing Spider-Man 2 when Gwen Stacy met her heartbreaking demise.
In the vein of the former eight Spider-Man films, impressive and seamless visual effects, beautifully constructed costuming, captivating acting performances, and stunning settings are evident in the three-minute trailer. For die-hard fans that have been following since the early aughts or new watchers, it’s easy to see that Spider-Man: No Way Home will have everyone hooked, or in this case, webbed.
