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Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)

Please note that there are spoilers in this review!

One of the biggest releases of the year was undoubtedly Spider-Man: No Way Home. Marking the last installment of the latest Spider-Man trilogy, we get to see Tom Holland make another great outing as everybody’s favourite neighbourhood superhero, Spider-Man. The film follows the aftermath of Spider-Man’s identity becoming known to the world following the events of Spider-Man: Far From Home and Peter Parker’s attempt to rectify the situation after his life and the lives of those he loves most including girlfriend MJ (Zendaya) and Ned (Jacob Batalon) as the trio are rejected from every college they applied for due to Peter’s notoriety. Inspired by previous events within the MCU, Parker seeks help from the reclusive Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) to fix the situation but the spell goes awry and the multiverse is opened, bringing in previous villains from other Spider-Man films including Green Goblin (Willem Dafoe), Doctor Octopus (Alfred Molina), Sandman (Thomas Haden Church), Electro (Jamie Foxx) and Lizard (Rhys Ifans). The villains’ inclusion was known from the outset, but there was been a lot of speculation in the lead-up to the film’s release as there were rumours that Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield were due to join forces with Holland in order to fight the group which was in fact true and the result is a fantastic battle.

Spider-Man: No Way Home sees Jon Watts returning to direct following his previous efforts on Spider-Man: Homecoming and Spider-Man: Far From Home and is written by Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers. Where some franchises within the Marvel Universe can become inconsistent, especially when the teams behind the camera are changed on a regular basis but it feels that Sony and Marvel have done a great job ensuring that this Spider-Man trilogy is not only consistent, but shows growth and character development in a way that is slow-burning and believable meaning that watching them on release ensures that nothing feels too different from the preceding film while watching the three films together will clearly show Peter’s maturity develop and allowing the audience to see clearly differences between Peter at the start of Spider-Man: Homecoming and the end of Spider-Man: No Way Home.

Tom Holland is just as likeable as ever and in a film littered with even more stars from the Spider-Man universe, he is able to maintain his standing as the leading man with ease and hold his own against Macguire and Garfield’s Parker. What is great about Holland’s performance is that we see a more mature Peter compared to the previous installments while also capturing that glimpse of naivety that teenagers have during times of trouble. It’s a balanced performance that shows Holland capable of presenting us with a protagonist who finds that what is right and what is moral can be conflicting and the results of which can be devastating. His chemistry with Zendaya is also undeniable and the relationship between Peter and MJ feels as though it has grown so much since Spider-Man: Homecoming adding yet another layer to his performance as Peter.

As one of a couple female characters in the film, Zendaya is fantastic as MJ. MJ is not simply identifiable as Peter’s girlfriend but is defined by her intelligence and personality which shines through and the writing and Zendaya’s fearless performance ensure that MJ is an active part of the plan to defeat the villains. Where in the other Spider-Man films (as in Maguire and Garfield’s run), Mary Jane and Gwen were often reduced to the damsel in distress and used as a ploy for villains to get Spider-Man to fight them, MJ is never put in that box and consistently comes up with solutions for Peter to follow, despite not having the powers that he does.

The main event of the film was undoubtedly the return of Maguire and Garfield who bring their interpretations of Spider-Man to the film and the results are fantastic. Rather than just turning up at the final fight, Garfield and Maguire turn up around halfway through which gives plenty of time for the three Peters to become acquainted with each other and build a rapport that is enjoyable to watch and makes for one of the year’s best teams on film. It’s clear that each actor is having a blast with the role and that radiates from their performances. The writing picks up on the differences between each Spider-Man’s universe and includes jokes and comments such as Maguire’s Peter having no idea who the Avengers are while Garfield’s Spider-Man reflects on the loss of Gwen Stacy (which happened in The Amazing Spider-Man 2).

When it comes to the villain performances, the highlights are Alfred Molina as Doctor Octopus and Jamie Foxx as Electro. Doctor Octopus is initially seen as an unofficial leader of the group and Molina can always be counted on to provide a brilliant performance. Molina’s performance as Doctor Octopus is gripping from the outset as he has to deal with the confusion of being in an alternative universe while also encountering figures from his past who he believed had died. Spider-Man: No Way Home does a great job at blurring the lines between superhero and villain and this allows Molina to delve even deeper with Doctor Octopus’ character than ever before. Jamie Foxx is another highlight but in a different way. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 did not give Electro’s character the development and nuance needed for Foxx to really shine while the writing in this film does and Electro proves to be one of the best villain characters in the entire film thanks to his sharp wit and strong power that makes him incredibly hard to defeat. It’s clear that Foxx is even more comfortable and confident in the role in this film and the writing also helps to make Electro’s interactions with others feel more natural and believable when compared to his appearance in The Amazing Spider-Man 2.

On the surface, it can seem that there is too much going on in Spider-Man: No Way Home but the pacing of the film is perfectly done while still giving plenty of character development for the returning faces which makes it a fantastic watch. Being able to do justice for an interesting character like Electro who wan’t given much in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 was nice to see as well as allowing Holland, Maguire and Garfield to have plenty of fun as a team which makes the fight sequences incredibly fun to watch.

What did you think of Spider-Man: No Way Home? Let me know what you think in the comments below!

Spider-Man: No Way Home is available to view in cinemas now!

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Pixar Features: Final Ranking

Way back in June 2019, I began my reviews and rankings of the Pixar feature films. Over a year later and I have managed to finish this task. It was just one of those things were I kept forgetting to complete it and before you know it, two more films had been released!

Pixar is one of the strongest animation studios in the world and it’s not hard to see why. The feature films have collectively won 16 Academy Awards with 10 of them for Best Animated Film. From the brilliantly developed characters, stunning animation and star-studded casts, Pixar has been churning out blockbusters since they brought out their debut feature Toy Story in 1995 which won the studio a Special Achievement Oscar as the Best Animated Feature category was introduced in 2002.

You can catch up with the reviews here:

Films 1-5

Films 6-10

Films 11-15

Films 16-22


Here is my ranking from bottom to top:

22) Cars 3 (2017)

21) Cars 2 (2011)

20) Cars (2006)19) The Good Dinosaur (2015)

18) Monsters University (2013)

17) Brave (2012)

16) Finding Dory (2016)

15) The Incredibles 2 (2018)

14) A Bug’s Life (1998)

13) Toy Story (1995)

12) Toy Story 4 (2019)

11) Onward (2020)

10) The Incredibles (2004)9) Finding Nemo (2003)

8) Monsters, Inc (2001)

7) Toy Story 3 (2010)

6) Rataouille (2007)

5) Inside Out (2015)

4) Coco (2017)

3) Toy Story 2 (1999)

2) WALL-E (2008)

1) Up (2009)So that’s that. The next Pixar film due to be released is Soul however I am not sure if it has been delayed and if so then for how long.

What did you think of my reviews and rankings? Let me know what you think in the comments!

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Pixar Features Ranking: Films 16-22

It’s about time I added the final installment for this series of posts and get myself up to date. Admittedly I did not do this in time for Toy Story 4 or even Onward like I wanted but better late than never I suppose. Much like Disney, we’re well into the era of sequels, prequels and remakes and Pixar isn’t exempt to this although the enormous success of Inside Out has opened Pixar’s eyes to dedicating itself more to creating original content. Only three of the six films in this post are original but the fact that Pixar have planned several originals for the future and less franchise releases shows a step in the right direction. Pixar thrives off its originality and it is the imagination of these films that make them stand out.

If you need to catch up with the series, here are the links to the previous posts below:

Films 1-5

Films 6-10

Films 11-15

As I have mentioned before, the films in this post do follow the trend for nostalgia and rebooting franchises by bring back loved films from the Finding Nemo and The Incredibles universe as well as the long-awaited sequel to Toy Story 3. I am glad that Pixar have originals planned for the future because the prequel/sequel trend has worn thin now and the films aren’t bad but they don’t hold their ground against the originals.

Here are the reviews for Pixar films 16-22:

16) The Good Dinosaur (2015)

Set in a world where dinosaurs didn’t go extinct, The Good Dinosaur chronicles the friendship between a shy Apatosaurus named Arlo and a young boy called Spot. Featuring a starry cast including Frances McDormand and Jeffrey Wright, this film sadly became Pixar’s first box office bomb despite it’s positive reviews. It’s a rare Pixar original during the flurry of franchises and coming after the brilliant Inside Out, it didn’t really stand a chance. I felt really underwhelmed by this film overall. I loved the background design and nature backdrops but the animation of the film’s characters clashed in a way that made for a confusing viewing experience. The film feels as if it doesn’t quite give the emotional punch that it could have done as it explores the deep confusion and complexity of losing a parent at an early age. It’s a film that means well but sadly doesn’t fill its potential.

17) Finding Dory (2016)

Finding Dory follows everyone’s favourite forgetful fish who finds herself swimming across the ocean to locate her parents who she lost when she was younger. Dory (voiced by Ellen DeGeneres) is just as lovable as ever and it’s great seeing her get her own film. She ventures to the Marine Life Institute in California where she is captured and quarantined leaving Marlin and Nemo in a position to rescue her. Dory is one of the best loved characters in the Pixar universe and the film’s critical and commercial success (which saw the film break $1 billion at the box office) proves this. The film suffers from feeling unoriginal as the situation is identical but on the other side of the world with the characters swapped around. I understand that the title makes that clear and the search for her parents makes it different but I felt underwhelmed by the film as a whole.

18) Cars 3 (2017)

I did not go into this film with high hopes. Anyone who has been following my Pixar rankings will know that the Cars franchise is simply not my cup of tea. What baffled me the most about this sequel is that it feels really forced and added on. Like Cars 2, it feels as though protsgonist Lightning McQueen hasn’t actually learned any lessons from the previous installment and must take yet another whole film to his humility and learn the importance of friends and family. It’s not clear what the intention of Cars 3 is as McQueen struggles with the realisation that his racing days may be coming to an end. The character arc from the previous two installments should present a McQueen who is eager to pass on the mantel and train the next generation but what we are presented with is the McQueen from the beginning of the first two films who is arrogant and refuses to accept anything other than a first place win.

19) Coco (2017)

By far the best film in this list and a true testament to Pixar’s love of incorporating different cultures into their films, Coco is a Mexican based tale set on Dios de las Muertos and follows aspiring musician Miguel who longs to sing despite his family’s strict ban on music. It’s a tale that explores the importance of family and identity and is guaranteed to have you in tears at the climatic scene with his Grandma Coco. It also portrays dementia in an accurate way that is educational for children and emotionally relatable for adults. Coco isn’t afraid to delve in darker topics such as death as the majority of the film takes place in the afterlife where Miguel encounters his dead relatives. The soundtrack, written by duo Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez is even better than Frozen in my opinion. I think the songs really capture the heritage and tone of the film perfectly with songs such as the Oscar-winning “Remember Me” and “Proud Corazon” bringing the film to life.

20) The Incredibles 2 (2018)

One of the Pixar films that I did not imagine would ever get a sequel, The Incredibles 2 follows directly on from the first. As expected, the dialogue was punchy, Mrs. Incredible (voiced by Holly Hunter) is feminist as always and the score is somehow even better than the first. My only problem with this film is that it is pretty much a carbon copy of the first film but the roles are reversed with Mrs. Incredible taking on the challenge and Mr. Incredible staying at home. I also had a bit of an issue with the animation itself. With it being a superhero movie, I expect it to be fast-paced with a lot of colours and flashing lights but there was one particular scene that had so much strobe lighting that it was hard to concentrate and was (literally) painful to watch and gave me a headache. It was an uneasy sequence to watch and ruined the film a bit for me, particularly because it didn’t need to be in there.

21) Toy Story 4 (2019)

I wrote a full review when I went to see this which you can read here so I won’t spend too much time repeating myself. Featuring the star-studded cast lead by Tom Hanks and Tim Allen, the fourth installment follows the toys in the care of Bonnie, the lovable little girl who Andy gifts the gang to. Woody finds it hard to belong under Bonnie’s care and what follows is an adventure of identity and family. It’s wasn’t a necessary film but it definitely was worth the wait. Not to mention that Forky is one of the best characters to come from the Toy Story franchise.

22) Onward (2020)

The first of two original Pixar films initially planned to be released this year (I’m not too sure if the release of Soul has been delayed or not), Onward is set in a mythical alternative universe populated by trolls, goblins and pixies among other creatures. Following young elf teenager, Ian Lightfoot (voiced by Tom Holland) and his older brother Barley (Chris Pratt) as they navigate being seen as outcasts by their peers. When Ian turns 16, their mum Laurel (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) gives the boys a wizard staff that belonged to their father before his passed. Ian finds out he possesses some powers and managers to resurrect his father’s legs and the boys are against the clock as they have to figure out how to resurrect the rest of him within 24 hours. Of course, in true Pixar fashion, the film explores the brothers’ relationship and their relationship with their mother and others. Despite the film’s fantasy setting, I found its depiction of parental loss and its affect on the children to be among the most accurate put to the film. The desperation to see their father again and the pain the brothers go through organic and real as they constantly bicker and argue like siblings but would do anything for each other. I think the film is hugely underrated and feel that it is among the better films Pixar has released in recent years.

So with all of the reviews completed, I am now faced with the task of ranking them. It wasn’t as difficult as previous posts (mainly the second installment) but it’s interesting to see where the likes of Coco and Toy Story 4 rank up against the legendary films. I do think that Coco is the film of this bunch that is likely to become the best known one and with good reason.

Here is the up-to-date ranking:

1) Up (2009)

2) WALL-E (2008)

3) Toy Story 2 (1999)

4) Coco (2017)

5) Inside Out (2015)

6) Ratatouille (2007)

7) Toy Story 3 (2010)

8) Monsters, Inc. (2001)

9) Finding Nemo (2003)

10) The Incredibles (2004)

11) Onward (2020)

12) Toy Story 4 (2019)

13) Toy Story (1995)

14) A Bug’s Life (1998)

15) The Incredibles 2 (2018)

16) Finding Dory (2016)

17) Brave (2012)

18) Monsters University (2013)

19) The Good Dinosaur (2015)

20) Cars (2006)

21) Cars 2 (2011)

22) Cars 3 (2017)

Looking at the final ranking, it seems such a shame that the calibre for Pixar films reaches a slump. They had such a flourishing first decade and dominated cinema but then crippled by Disney’s desire for sequels and prequels. This evidently lowered Pixar’s standards but hopefully they will continue to make the original films that audiences really love.

What do you think of my final ranking? Which Pixar film is your favourite? Let me know in the comments below!