DVD Review: SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME

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Apr 17, 2022 Posted by Kyle Nolan in DVD/Blu-ray, Reviews | Comments

Spider-Man: No Way Home is the exciting final chapter in the most recent Spider-Man film trilogy. As the previous movie came to a close, Peter Parker (Tom Holland) had just defeated Mysterio, a supervillain who had made the world believe he was a hero and Earth’s savior. However, in an attempt to bring down Peter, Mysterio made it look like Spider-Man had murdered him, and in his dying breath revealed that Peter Parker was the web slinger—a story that J. Jonah Jameson, the ruthless head of The Daily Bugle, made sure was broadcast to the world. Now that his secret is out, Peter finds himself in a chaotic situation, with no privacy. Some people are calling him a murderer, while others, like schoolmate Flash Thompson, are suddenly his best friend and trying to get info on he and MJ’s (Zendaya) relationship. As Peter enters his senior year of high school, he’s trying to concentrate on applying to college, but soon finds that his outed identity is hurting his chances of getting into his dream school, MIT. And Parker’s best friends MJ and Ned (Jacob Batalon) are also seeing their college dreams crushed due to their association with him. So Peter does what any normal teen would do, he seeks out his old wizard friend Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), hoping that he can once again turn back time and prevent Mysterio from revealing his identity. But Strange no longer has the time stone, and reluctantly agreeing to cast a spell to make everyone forget Spider-Man’s identity. However, Peter keeps changing the terms mid -spell, insisting that his friends and family still remember him, but Strange’s attempt to make everyone who knew that Peter Parker was Spider-Man before the reveal still remember causes some unintended side-effects.

The crack in the multiverse has opened up, and super-villains who had previously faced off against Spider-Man in other universes and discovered their Peter Parker’s true identity are suddenly appearing in this universe. Peter and his friends must now track down and capture these folks before they wreak havoc on their own universe—the gang now finds themselves up against folks like Dr. Otto Octavius aka Doc Ock (Alfred Molina), Max Dillon aka Electro (Jamie Foxx), Flint Marko aka Sandman (Thomas Haden Church), Dr. Curt Connors aka The Lizard (Rhys Ifans), and the worst of them all, Norman Osborn aka Green Goblin (Willem Dafoe). With Doctor Strange’s help, they plan to send all of these villains back to their own universes. However, when Peter discovers that each of these villains will meet his fate at the hands of their own Spider-Man, he sees another option—to try to rehabilitate/cure these villains before just sending them home to their deaths. However, that is easier said than done, and the more Peter messes with things, the worst the situation gets. He soon realizes that he is making a lot of the same mistakes that his alter-egos did in their own universes, and the situation soon grows bigger than he can handle on his own.

Spider-Man: Far From Home is a thoroughly entertaining and satisfying conclusion to director Jon Watts’ Spider-Man trilogy. Keeping with the previous films, Far From Home has a somewhat lighter tone, and continues the high school theme that’s been explored throughout this trilogy, as Peter and his friends enter their senior year and start planning for college. While there’s lots of fun comedic moments, the film still takes some darker and more dramatic turns that allow Peter and the other characters to evolve and grow, and build to a definite conclusion that wraps up the trilogy but also leaves things open to continue or for a more back-to-basics reboot of sorts.

While Doctor Strange makes an appearance to initially kick off the spell and cause everything to go awry, he then takes a back burner for much of the film, allowing it to be very much a Spider-Man movie. There is a lot of humor and excellent web-slinging action as Peter tries to take down these supervillains. There is also some great character growth and evolution for both Parker and the villains. For many of these bad guys, they get a chance to redeem themselves and consider why they are evil in the first place. At the same time, the Green Goblin is more intent than ever to make Peter pay, becoming the main big bad of the film.

Bringing back characters from the previous Spider-Man films may sound like a gimmick, but their introduction and integration into the story feels very natural and organic. It adds a lot of fun nostalgia to the movie, but also allows the filmmakers to explore another side to these characters and give them a different send-off and sense of closure. Defoe really shines in his over-the-top return as Green Goblin—he is more menacing than ever, and his cackle is still haunting every time. There is also a lot of humor brought in with the return of these characters, such as one scene where the villains describe how they got their powers, with Flint Marko and Max Dillon mentioning how they respectively fell into a supercollider and into a vat of electric eels. There are also some other great characters from the previous Spider-Man movies that show up, which leads to some genuinely emotional moments, but I will veer away from potential spoilers in case there are some who have not already been spoiled. However, this too doesn’t feel like fan service, but rather a well-integrated part of the story that is also fun and exciting to watch.

Spider-Man: Far From Home is easily one of the best MCU films to date, reaching an epic scope while still concentrating on a character-driven friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. I really enjoyed Jon Watts’ trilogy, and Holland has been (for lack of a better word) amazing in this role. As with the previous two actors who played Peter Parker, I was nervous to see what happened next for Spidey when their roles seemingly came to an end, but if history is any indicator, things should just keep getting better. Whether it’s Holland returning for more films, or some new incarnation of Spider-Man, I look forward to seeing more of this web slinger.

I was sent the DVD version of this release for review. It often baffles me why people are still buying DVDs when we have higher-quality Blu-rays and 4K discs now, especially for these big epic action-packed spectacles. That said, the picture quality still looks quite good and pretty solid for a DVD, but it definitely lacks that that extra level of clarity and detail an HD or 4K picture provides, as well as the Dolby Vision/HDR10 color-grading of a 4K release. The DVD audio provides a solid viewing experience, with clear dialogue and nice use of the stereo and surround channels to amp up the action, but it is missing that more-immersive feeling of the DTS-HD MA and Dolby Atmos tracks offered on the Blu-ray and 4K discs respectively. Those who have 4K TVs and/or sound systems that can support these better audio formats should definitely consider either the 4K digital release or the Blu-ray/4K discs.

The DVD release also offers only a pared-down selection of the bonus material, with just 2 behind-the-scenes featurettes included on the disc. All told, the release contains over 80 minutes of excellent bonus material, which can mostly be found on the digital copy. This includes a gag reel, lots of behind-the-scenes featurettes, and more, but unfortunately no deleted scenes as previously advertised. The DVD disc is packed in a standard DVD case without a slipcover. An insert provides instructions on how to redeem an SD Movies Anywhere-compatible digital copy of the film.

What’s Included:

Film: (2:28:28)

480i / Anamorphic Widescreen 2:39:1
Audio: English 5.1 Dolby Digital, English Audio Descriptive Service, French 5.1 Dolby Digital, French Audio Descriptive Service, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital
Subtitles: English, English SDH, French, Spanish

Digital (Limited time offer):

SD digital copy, redeemable via Movies Anywhere or Vudu

Extras:
Only two of the features are included on the DVD disc itself, these are denoted with an *. The remaining features can be accessed via digital.

Action Choreography Across the Multiverse (6:26)
The cast and filmmakers discuss the challenges and techniques involved in filming the stunts, fights and action sequences, especially the Green Goblin and Statue of Liberty sequences. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, pre-vis footage, and interviews with 2nd unit director/stunt coordinator George Cottle, associate producer Emily Fong, fight coordinator Jackson Spidell, producer Kevin Feige, and stars Zendaya (“MJ”), Willem Dafoe (“Norman Osborn / Green Goblin”) & Tom Holland (“Peter Parker / Spider-Man”).
Bloopers & Gag Reel (4:02)
Stars Jacob Batalon & Zendaya introduce this fun blooper reel that finds the cast falling over, flubbing lines, cracking each other up, and having fun on set.

A Spectacular Spider-Journey with Tom Holland* (6:16)
Star Tom Holland and the filmmakers talk about the actor’s long journey and evolution playing this character for the past 7 years, and the incredible work ethic, passion and professionalism of the young actor. Includes audition and behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with producer Amy Pascal, co-producer Chris Buongiorno, director Jon Watts, 2nd unit director/stunt coordinator George Cottle, and stars Tobey Maguire (“Peter Parker / Spider-Man”), Andrew Garfield (“Peter Parker / Spider-Man”), Benedict Cumberbatch (“Doctor Strange”) & Alfred Molina (“Dr. Otto Octavius / Doc Ock”).
Graduation Day* (7:07)
The cast talk about their time working on these film together as their journey with these characters and each other winds down. Includes audition and behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with stars Zendaya, Tony Revolori (“Flash Thompson”), Tom Holland & Jacob Batalon (“Ned Leeds”).
Realities Collide, Spiders Unite (8:10)
The cast and filmmakers talk about uniting all of the Spider-Man, the challenges of keeping it a secret, the joy of working together, giving closure to Garfield’s character, making each Spider-Man feel unique in the fight sequences, and more. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with director Jon Watts, producer Kevin Feige, director of security for Marvel Studios Barry Curtis, supervisor of global content control & security for Marvel Studios Peyton Evans, producer Amy Pascal, executive producer Rachel O’Connor, fight coordinator Jackson Spidell, and stars Zendaya, Andrew Garfield, Tobey Maguire & Tom Holland.
Enter Strange (5:05)
The cast and filmmakers talk about bringing Doctor Strange into this world, his relationship with Peter, designing the look of the Sanctum and the ancient chamber, and more. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with director Jon Watts, producer Kevin Feige, writers Chris McKenna & Erik Sommers, production designer Darren Gilford, and stars Tom Holland, Benedict Cumberbatch & Benedict Wong (“Wong”).
A Multiverse of Miscreants (6:39)
The cast and filmmakers talk about bringing back the rogue supervillains, working with the other actors—Willem Defoe’s intense Green Goblin, Alfred Molina’s jokes, Jamie Foxx’s improvisation—the actors filming their own fight sequences, and more. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with director Jon Watts, 2nd unit director/stunt coordinator George Cottle, fight coordinator Jackson Spidell, and stars Jamie Foxx (“Max Dillon / Electro”), Andrew Garfield, Tom Holland, Willem Dafoe & Alfred Molina.
Weaving Jon Watt’s Web (7:19)
The cast and filmmakers talk about working with director Jon Watts, his vision of making the films like lighter high school comedies, how he allows the actors to have fun and improv, and more. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with director Jon Watts, producer Amy Pascal, co-producer Chris Buongiorno, executive producer Rachel O’Connor, production designer Darren Gilford, associate producer Emily Fong, 2nd unit director/stunt coordinator George Cottle, co-producer Mitch Bell, and stars Jon Favreau (“Happy Hogan”), Tom Holland, Alfred Molina, Willem Dafoe, Tobey Maguire, Jamie Foxx, Jacob Batalon, Andrew Garfield, Tony Revolori & Zendaya.
Alternate Reality Easter Eggs (4:42)
A look at some of the hidden references to other Spider-Man & MCU films and comics hidden in the film.
A Meeting of the Spiders – Heroes Panel (7:24)
Stars Tom Holland, Tobey Maguire & Andrew Garfield sit down together to discuss what it was like working together and the amazing cast, getting back into the roles/action, the skintight Lycra suits, and more.
The Sinister Summit – Villains Panel (8:44)
Stars Willem Dafoe, Alfred Molina & Jamie Foxx sit down together for a fun discussion of what it was like playing their sinister characters again, working with Tom Holland, how the technology has changed since their original films, and more.
The Daily Bugle (4:14)
Three new DailyBugle.net news stories presented by J. Jonah Jameson. Play All, or select from:
- Spider-Menace Strikes Again (1:15)
  A story about Peter Parker destroying power lines takes an unwanted pro-Spider-Man turn.
- Web of Lies (1:18)
  A story about New Yorkers demanding to see Peter Parker’s birth certificate.
- Spider Sycophant (1:41)
  A story about Flash Thompson and his tell-all book about his friendship with Peter.
Stunt Scene Pre-Vis
Picture-in-picture comparison between stunt scene previsualization footage and the final scenes. Play All, or select from:
- Shield Fight (1:50)
  Final fight between Peter and Green Goblin.
- Apartment Fight (1:46)
  Fight between Green Goblin and Peter in Happy’s apartment.
Theatrical Marketing Materials (4:18)
Play All, or select from:
- Tom & Jacob Lie Detector (1:59)
  Stars Tom Holland and Jacob Batalon take a lie detector test.
- Tom’s Press Tour (1:04)
  Star Tom Holland kicks off the film’s press tour in Paris.
- Georgia Promo (1:15)
  The cast and filmmakers discuss the benefits of filming in Atlanta. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with co-producer Mitchell Bell, producer Amy Pascal, producer Kevin Feige, and stars Jamie Foxx, Benedict Cumberbatch & Benedict Wong.

Final Thoughts:

My Rating

Film:

Video:

Audio:

Extras:

Must Own
Get the 4K or Blu-ray

Spider-Man: No Way Home is a thoroughly entertaining film that is not only epic in scope but also provides some excellent character growth and an emotionally-satisfying conclusion to this latest trilogy of Spider-Man films. The film is action-packed with a lot of humor and a very natural integration of nostalgia for longtime Spidey film fans. This is definitely a must own for any Spider-Man or MCU fan!. While I was sent the DVD version for review, I highly recommend going for the 4K or Blu-ray releases instead, as those contain increased picture and sound quality as well as the all of the great bonus material on the actual disc and not just digitally.

FINAL THOGUHTS