SPOILER-FREE Review: 'Spider-Man: No Way Home'

Sony/Marvel, 2021.

With great power (i.e. advanced knowledge of what happens) comes great responsibility (like not to reveal even the slightest spoiler).

Here's what I CAN say: "Spider-Man: No Way Home" is finally hitting theaters...it is the third full-length Spider-Man film featuring Tom Holland as Peter Parker...and it picks up where things left off at the very end of "Spider-Man: Far From Home," with the world discovering the real identity of your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.

***NO SPOILERS ARE CONTAINED IN THIS REVIEW, OTHER THAN WHAT IS SHOWN IN THE ALREADY RELEASED TRAILERS FOR THE FILM***

Grade: B+

We may revisit the ins and outs of "Spider-Man: No Way Home" in a future article, a few weeks down the road when its deemed socially "safe" to discuss such things. Right now it's all about my "reaction" and hopefully if you're reading this far, that's what you're looking for. So here are some SPOILER-FREE take-aways:

• There is a LOT going on in "Spider-Man: No Way Home," and the stakes are high and very real.
• Some of the set-up for the story - as well as some plot developments - are a bit of a let-down. Some characters behave in ways that don't seem genuine to what we've come to know about them.
• With a large cast of characters, the movie does a great job of juggling them all and giving each memorable moments.
• Fans of Spider-Man will LOVE what's in store for them.
• I have no idea what the developments of this film mean to the larger MCU picture or the upcoming "multi-verse" storylines ahead in other films, other than to say that this will surely be a massive topic of online conversation and debate.
• As we've grown accustomed, make sure to stay for not one but TWO end credit scenes, the final one in which made me genuinely leap out of my seat with excitement.

That's it. That's all I can say. Go check it out in theaters and remember not to spoil anything for those that haven't had a chance to see the movie yet. We'll circle back in a few weeks (months?) with a SPOILER-HEAVY conversation and review when the time is right.

Excelsior!

Grade: B+

Genre: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi.
Run Time: 2 hours 30 minutes.
Rated PG-13.

Starring: Tom Holland, Zendaya, Benedict Cumberbatch, Marisa Tomei, Jon Favreau, Angourie Rice, Benedict Wong, Tony Revolori, Jacob Batalon.

Directed by Jon Watts ("Spider-Man: Far From Home," "Spider-Man: Homecoming," "Cop Car," "Clown").

"Spider-Man: No Way Home" is in theaters on Friday, December 17th, 2021.