Going into the 2021 film season, no movie was more anticipated than “Spider-Man: No Way Home.” 

Directed by Jon Watts, it follows Peter Parker trying to pick up the pieces of his shattered world after Jake Gyllenhaal’s Mysterio revealed his true identity. Parker approaches Dr. Strange in hopes that he can cast a spell to reverse the adverse effects of Mysterio’s announcement. As a result, Strange inadvertently opens a portal to different universes and Spider-Man’s past foes appear. 

Initially, I had average expectations for “No Way Home.” Fearing fan pandering, average fight sequences, and an unemotional storyline, I was fully ready to leave the theater disappointed in the direction that Marvel was headed.

Boy, was I wrong.

It shattered every expectation that I had by a wide margin. Even if I went into it with high standards, it would still have shattered them. As soon as I left the theater on opening night, watching it again was the only thing on my mind (I may or may not have seen it three more times). 

With any good movie, the plot enticed viewers to see it but the performances by the actors kept them in their seats. Tom Holland gives his best performance so far as Spider-Man and makes a case for himself as being one of the best versions of the web-slinging superhero audiences have seen on the big screen. 

However, no other actor stood out more than Willem Dafoe’s Green Goblin. Dafoe’s performance can only be described as bone-chilling. Every smirk, grimace, and maniacal laugh is nothing less than Oscar-worthy. Defoe has been nominated for four Oscars over the past 30 years but has never taken home the coveted gold statue. There have been few performances in recent years that have completely taken over the screen without being the protagonist. His on-screen presence was so strong and wouldn’t let the viewer take their eyes off of him. 

I was slightly concerned that the movie would lose its gusto on repeat viewings, which was the main problem with “Avengers: Endgame.” 

It was the opposite.

Upon a second and then third viewing, I was able to more closely watch the minor details of the film without fearing missing anything revolving around the plot. The mise-en-scene captured the various different stages that Parker went through and contributed to the overall emotional aspect of the film. 

Another unexpected aspect was how emotional this movie was. I looked to my left and right during certain heart-tugging moments and the entire audience was in tears. Unlike many Marvel movies that try to interrupt tear-jerking moments with one-off jokes that try to suppress the emotions of the viewer, “No Way Home” allows us to feel a wide range of emotions without interrupting scenes with non-funny, corny jokes. 

This movie made Spider-Man’s problems real. Typically, superheroes are always right and win and villains are always wrong and lose. The audience is forced to question this idea and ask themselves “what makes someone truly good or bad?” Parker needed to ask himself the same questions in the movie and the viewer is taken along with him on that journey of self-actualization. 

“Spider-Man: No Way Home” was not what I expected in all the best ways possible. It went against the typical Marvel formula to create a unique viewing experience for the audience upon each different watch. It sets a new precedent for the way Marvel develops a character in their own solo movies.