‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ Is the Anti-Woke Blockbuster We Crave

“Fan Service” gets a bad rap, and for good reason.

Hollywood’s latest trend is to offer Easter eggs in abundance, harkening back at past TV and film shows to energize our nostalgic circuits.

There’s nothing wrong with that, on paper. It’s a problem when a movie summons the past without delivering a memorable present – i.e. A great story.

You won’t find a better example of fan service done right than Spider-Man has no way home. It’s silly, smart and occasionally sublime. You might like Avengers: Infinity War, There is no way home careens from punchlines to heart-tugging exchanges, and you’ll watch it all with a lopsided grin on your face.

Action picks up right where the overrated left off Spider-Man is Far From Home ended. The world now knows Peter Parker IS Spider-man, and that’s a burden that falls on both the web slinger (Tom Holland, superb) and his pals, M.J. (Zendaya) and Ned (Jacob Batalon).

We catch up with Spidey’s plight at breakneck speed. The film’s biggest flaw is how frantic, and unwelcoming, these early segments prove. Is there a brake pedal to stop this madness?

Yes, J. Jonah Jameson stalks our hero anew. This time, he’s framed as an Alex Jones-style pundit. Any movie with J.K. Simmons is immediately better, and he’s not in There is no way home enough.

Peter looks to Doctor Strange, his friend from the MCU, for assistance (Benedict Cumberbatch is still one of the most important casting decisions since Robert Downey Jr.). The mystical warrior can cast a spell so that everyone forgets Peter is Spider-man.

He can, but doing so could trigger a multi-verse meltdown, summoning figures from Spider-man’s past into the present.

Some familiar faces are already known, such as Willem Dafoe, the Green Goblin. There is no way home. It is amazing how many of these villains turn out to be better the second round. This we discover early and often.

2002 Spider-Man covered Dafoe’s face with a mask, robbing us of the actor’s craggy, expressive features. That’s fixed here, and Dafoe’s performance is fierce and frightening.

The same goes for other returnees, but we’ll avoid name checking all of them for spoiler-free purposes.

In fact, it’s hard to discuss much of There is no way homeWe don’t want to ruin the fun. Yes, Jon Favreau and Marisa Tomei will bring Aunt May, and Happy Hogan back. It’s the crush of other returnees that should be experienced mid-movie, and not a second before.

Holland’s previous Spidey efforts dabbled in wokeism, often via Zendaya’s progressive character. This is not the case. The emphasis is on fun, loyalty, Spidey’s expanding moral compass and, yes, that aforementioned fan service.

It’s one reason the sequel is so exhilarating. Audiences know they’re in good hands, and that entertainment is top of mind.

Dear Hollywood: Please, more.

Some of the inside jokes will sail past some, but they’re often so smart they show how much care went into the production. Some bits are silly while others allow minor characters to shine. MCU films that are truly great allow the cast to shine, even though they have very little screen time.

Peter’s arc here offers another highlight. He’s always been a sweet superhero, but he learns about responsibility here in a way most super-flicks can’t match. His naivety feels cloying, early on, but by the third act we see how he’s grown through his mistakes.

The first Spider-ManTobey and Tobey maguire made a funny love story with the addition of origin mechanics. We’re treated to something similar here, as M.J. stands by her man and our hero realizes saving the world can involve deeply personal costs.

Many Hollywood stars insult those who have made them famous and rich these days. Many films have done something very similar. Don’t Look UpProjects that are more stressful than they are rewarding.

These days, even James Bond cannot crack a smile.

Spider-Man has no way homeThis is the sequel to the original course correction. It is a sequel that loves its audience and its lore, as well as its ability to transport us for more than two hours.

HiT and Miss: Spider-Man has no way home is everything you crave in a superhero film…and more.

[Cross-posted from Hollywood in Toto]