It’s tough to criticize Spider-Man: No Way Home, as the event movie that is so exciting and it has brought an end to the generational chasm between fans of the franchise. It has brought fans of the Sam Raimi trilogy, fans of the Amazing Spider-Man series, and MCU fans together, and seeing it in the theatre is a more communal experience than almost any other MCU movie.
But while most viewers’ problems with the movie are mostly nitpicky, some Redditors have some major criticisms of the new release. Between there being too much fan service, underutilizing the multiverse, and claiming it’s too long, not even No Way Home can make every Redditor happy.
Updated on March 17th, 2022 By Kayleigh Banks: With No Way Home now available to stream and buy worldwide, many people are excited to rewatch Holland’s Spider-Man go head to head with the likes of Green Goblin and Doc Ock.
Named as one of the best movies of 2021 by IMDb users, these fans will also be thrilled to hear that the DVDs and streams come with plenty of bonus features (including behind-the-scenes facts, deleted scenes, and cast interviews). There might not be anything too groundbreaking on there, but it might make some fans feel better about the movie if they got to see the extended cameo scenes and fights.
The Way Tobey Maguire Showed Up In No Way Home Was Underwhelming
When Ned opens a portal that Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Man jumps through, it’s the most exciting moment in the movie and it filled multiplexes with gasps and whoops, especially when he whips off his mask. But seconds later, when Ned opens up another portal, Tobey Maguire’s Peter Parker literally walks through wearing slacks and being completely calm.
Maverick_jones926 was not only disappointed by the reveal but that they “would’ve liked to have known more about what Maguire and Garfield were doing before they showed up at Ned’s house.” However, given that the movie is meant to mainly focus on Holland’s portrayal of the web-slinger, it wouldn’t make sense to give the other two actors a limited amount of time in case they overshadowed him. Plus, the audience did get to see Garfield and Maguire’s characters talking about their personal lives and even bonding (whether it was in the science lab, at the top of the Statue of Liberty, or when all three Spider-Men were hugging at the end of No Way Home).
No Way Home Feels Like The Amazing Spider-Man 2
Dramaticredhuman thinks the movie feels like The Amazing Spider-Man 2, but not in a good way. The Redditor argues that it’s similar to the 2014 movie because “it tries to lay down new groundwork using way too much inside humor.”
While there are some cringy one-liners in the MCU and, by extension, No Way Home, the comedy in the movie is far less embarrassing than that of Amazing Spider-Man 2. Given the amount of tragedy that follows also, with Aunt May dying and everyone forgetting Peter at the end, the comedy Jon Watts included helps to provide some relief from this darkness.
No Way Home Is Just Too Long
It seems like superhero movies are getting longer and longer, especially as 2021 saw the release of the four-hour Zack Snyder’s Justice League. It’s almost the norm for these comic book movies to hover around the 2.5-hour mark, and No Way Home clocks in at exactly 148 minutes, but toastedpenguin thinks it was way too long.
In fact, the Redditor calls the film “overstuffed” and believes that “it has a number of weird choices and some clunky plotting.” However, not everyone will agree as some viewers wanted more easter eggs, surprises, and fan service (with fans wanting to see Fantastic Four and even X-Men crop up). Given how the end credits are also around 15 minutes, the movie is really not that long.
Garfield And Maguire Shouldn’t Have Been In No Way Home
One of the biggest selling points of the movie, even though Sony and Marvel tried to keep it a secret, is the return of the previous two Spider-Men. But surprisingly, revenge_for_greedo thinks they shouldn’t have been in the movie. They argue that “we have already had a perfect Spider-verse story just a couple of years ago with Into The Spider-Verse.”
If it wasn’t for Garfield and Maguire, the movie probably wouldn’t have been half as well-received as it is. The movie has had an overwhelmingly positive reception and it’s mostly thanks to the return of the previous two Spider-Men. However, to the Redditor’s credit, if the two actors weren’t in it, it would have freed up some runtime for other characters, as there are so many No Way Home characters that deserved more screentime.
Into The Spider-Verse Is Better Than No Way Home
The movie industry tends to jump on trends, and when one movie finds huge success for doing something unique, a thousand clones of that movie will follow. Recently, that trend is multiverses. Not only does No Way Home feature a multiverse, but there’ll be a multiverse in the upcoming The Flash, and even the A24 indie movie Everything Everywhere All At Once is all about multiverses.
However, it was the animated Into The Spider-Verse that did it first. A Deleted User simply says that “Into The Spider-Verse is better.” Although Spider-Verse is a boundary-pushing animated movie and one of the highest-rated animated films on IMDb, the 2021 movie has gotten rave reviews from critics and general audiences, and it has 9.0 on the movie database.
Audiences Ruined The Best Parts Of No Way Home
Spider-Man: No Way Home is one of the movies best watched as a shared experience, and it almost feels communal when so many fans watch the film at the same time, in the same multiplex.
However, BhimaSelvagga doesn’t enjoy that communal viewing experience, and they claim that they were “honestly disgusted by the obnoxious cheering, shouting, laughing, and clapping.” While clapping at the screen is frowned upon in certain locations, especially in the UK, all the laughs, gasps, and even tears enhance the viewing experience and make it more magical for most fans.
The No Way Home Villains Didn’t Feel Menacing Enough
With the announcement that Alfred Molina, Jamie Foxx, and Willem Dafoe were returning to reprise their roles as the terrifying villains, Doc Ock, Electro, and Green Goblin, many fans were excited to see what the plot would have in store for them.
However, when the movie was finally released, it appears to not have met Reddit user, Toxicshotz21 expectations as they said they “didn’t find the villains menacing enough, not even Green Goblin.” While it’s fair to say that not all the villains in No Way Home, there would definitely be a few fans who would disagree with the user’s opinion on Dafoe’s performance. Not only was he as chilling as ever, with his low, gravely voice but he seemed a lot darker too, with the Goblin obsessed with getting revenge and causing as much chaos as possible. It was something that had fans on the edge of their seats throughout.
The Ending To No Way Home Is Terrible
For Reddit user zzzz4xzzz__, they believed “the ending was the worst part,” calling it “bogus” because they felt that Peter “should’ve told [MJ and Ned] who he was […since] he had made a promise.”
It’s a bit unfair to call the ending “bogus” for this reason when Peter did intend to tell them the truth and actually went to the Donut & Pastry shop to reveal his superhero identity. However, he changed his mind once he saw that MJ and Ned had actually got into their dream schools and were no longer in danger. Since he felt that his “secret” had ruined their lives previously, it’s likely that he felt that he couldn’t burden them anymore (which is why he chose not to say anything). It might not have been the ending fans were expecting but it did fit Peter’s kind and selfless personality.
Peter’s Character Arc Didn’t Make Sense In No Way Home
While No Way Home did provide some interesting storylines that would likely impact the MCU in the future, one thing some fans didn’t enjoy was Peter’s character arc. For Redditor bleachbloodable, they thought the web-slinger had “bad character writing” since they couldn’t understand how he wanted to cure the villains after they killed his aunt but then “randomly attempted to kill Goblin.”
The majority of the MCU fans would likely argue against this point as Peter’s “random” decision wasn’t a result of “bad character writing.” Peter meant it when he said he would help cure the villains, but it’s also important to remember that this is the first time he saw the villain since he killed May so it’s not surprising that he was angry. In fact, he just almost watched Goblin kill his friends again, so it’s not surprising that he considered getting rid of him in this moment. It just showed that even he was capable of making irrational decisions like everyone else.
The Final Fight Scene In No Way Home Was Disappointing
While there have been plenty of MCU final battles that have lived up to fans’ expectations, it appears that No Way Home’s failed to impress some Redditors. For PTFan, they say that “the final fight was really disappointing” since “none of the villains have any chemistry or spark with the spiders.”
Although they are right that the villains should have had more focus in the plot if they were going to be the antagonists, it does seem a little strange to say that the actors had no “spark” or “chemistry” with each other since they did match them up with the predecessors’ pairings (such as Doc Ock & Maguire Spider-Man, Electro & Garfield’s Spider-Man). The final battle also had fans on tenterhooks as it was full of suspenseful and dangerous stunts (with plenty of people’s lives on the line). It was entertaining from start to finish.
The Writers Stripped MCU’s Spider-Man Of His Identity In No Way Home
It’s not that surprising that many audiences were heartbroken at the ending of No Way Home given that Peter ends up alone. However, for Redditor Proud_Nerve_9349, they gave another reason as they disliked the ending. They didn’t like that the writers “stripped Tom Holland’s MCU Spider-Man of everything we love, the Stark tech, the lovable young member of the Avengers etc.”
This might be an opinion that will divide fans since there were actually quite a few people who liked this decision. Not everyone enjoyed that Spider-Man relied on Tony Stark’s technology or The Avengers’ to help him because it made it out as if he wasn’t capable of defeating a villain himself. Some even felt as if he was always living in Tony/Iron Man’s shadow too. Holland’s Peter is the same guy everyone loves. The fact that the writers took all this away meant Peter had the opportunity to prove that he was more than “Iron Man’s sidekick.”
No Way Home Is Terrible
Where many of the fans’ unpopular opinions are generally nitpicky and even aimed at audiences more than the movie, a very small minority thinks the film is completely terrible. ECS420 chimes into the conversation by explaining that they’re “pretty sure they didn’t want anyone over 20 to enjoy it whatsoever.”
Although there are some simpler jokes at points and the plot is a little straightforward, there’s so much that older audiences can enjoy. And if anything, if any age bracket is going to enjoy it most, it’s those 20-somethings and 30-somethings that grew up with the Maguire and Garfield movies.
Peter Parker Is An Idiot In No Way Home
Out of all of the Redditor’s hot takes, this one holds the most weight, and it actually raises some valid points. Making a long list of all the stupid mistakes Peter Parker made in the movie, Tarhabibi argues that Peter is “an absolute idiot” in No Way Home.
While many fans can understand this Redditor’s frustration since Peter didn’t always make the best decisions, it’s important to remember that Holland’s Peter is only turning 18. He hasn’t had much life experience as the other MCU characters so he was going to make a couple of reckless and impulsive mistakes. Sadly, these came with a great cost, but it’s clear that Peter is learning from them and will do whatever he can to stop it from happening again.
The No Way Home Writers Could Have Done More With The Multiverse
In No Way Home, there are three different Spider-Men from three different universes, and five villains all from different universes too. Venom also cropped up too, as did Matt Murdock (and though he seems to be planted in the MCU, he’s still from a completely different series).
But Valhalla0420 thinks that’s not enough and that more could have been done with the concept. They claim that it “felt like it had all the ingredients but it was undercooked.” However, when the dimensions were tearing open, silhouettes of Rhino, Scorpion, and Kraven The Hunter can be found, and it sets up so many Spider-Man movies for the future.
No Way Home Doesn’t Deserve The Hype
Iveseenfootag3 has completely had enough and they are sick to death of hearing about the movie. The Redditor explains that “this film has so many villains, which is the major flaw of every other Spider-Man series.”
But the thing is, No Way Home achieved something unprecedented, as it managed to be coherent, easy to follow, and totally compelling despite having such a high number of villains. No other superhero movie has managed to successfully pull off having more than two villains, at least not to the degree of No Way Home.
