Story

Picking up where the previous Spider-Man movie, Far From Home, left off, Peter Parker (Tom Holland) faces the reactions to a leaked tape suggesting that Spider-Man is responsible for the murder of Mysterio. This instantly throws his life into chaos as well as the lives of his girlfriend, MJ (Zendaya), and best friend, Ned (Jacob Batalon). When all three are refused entry to MIT, Peter goes to see Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), hoping that he can go back in time and fix things so that no-one knows he’s Spider-Man.

Doctor Strange can’t do as Peter had hoped, so they compromise with a spell that will erase the world’s collective memory, causing everyone to forget who Spider-Man is. When Peter requests some changes mid-spell, something goes wrong with the universe. Suddenly supervillains from alternative dimensions descend on Peter’s world bringing more chaos and wreaking more havoc than Peter could ever have imagined. They include Electro (Jamie Foxx), Green Goblin (Willem Dafoe), Doc Ock (Alfred Molina), The Lizard (Rhys Ifans) and Sandman (Thomas Hayden Church).

With the help of MJ and Ned, Spider-Man must capture the supervillains and send them home before they destroy everything that he cares about. The only problem is Peter’s Aunt May (Marissa Tomei), who believes that everyone deserves a second chance and encourages Peter to help those who can’t help themselves. Peter believes she’s right, so he does all he can to transform the destinies of those he once sought to destroy. Unfortunately, not all of them want his help and prefer to continue feeding on power, fear and destruction.

When Peter is broken by the death of a loved one, his friends and some unexpected visitors give him the courage to continue, the ability to choose the hardest path, and the power to make peace with something he should have done in the first place.

Themes

Death of a parent figure; loss of loved ones; guilt by association; playing god with the lives of others; the pursuit of power at all costs; good versus evil

Violence

Spider-Man: No Way Home has some violence. For example:

  • Someone throws a brick through a window at Spider-Man, and a blind lawyer catches it before it hits anyone.
  • Doc Ock attacks Spider-Man on a bridge, sending cars over the barrier. The cars crash, flip over and fly into Spider-Man, as he tries to save people’s lives. Cars explode along the bridge and Spider-Man is crushed into pillars and thrown around. Green Goblin also appears in this scene.
  • Electro blasts Spider-Man with electricity, repeatedly trying to kill him before he’s brought under control and contained in Doctor Strange’s dungeon.
  • There’s a description of how all the supervillains died and how Spider-Man killed them all in some way.
  • Doctor Strange blasts Peter out of Spider-Man’s body.
  • Spider-Man is attacked by a cape and falls through levels of a mirror dimension as buildings collapse in on themselves. He and Doctor Strange continue to fight until Spider-Man grabs a box and the ‘mirror verse’ appears to break apart.
  • Electro threatens Spider-Man, telling him that he’s going to fry him from the inside out.
  • Doc Ock is thrown out of a window. The Green Goblin throws Spider-Man through a window, through a balcony and into a hallway. There is punching, kicking and fighting as the Green Goblin cackles incessantly.
  • The Lizard slams Spider-Man into the side of a building and through numerous floors. He’s strangling Peter, and Aunt May tries to stab him. Green Goblin blasts through the door and slices Aunt May with his glider. She crumples to the floor and lies among the debris.
  • Green Goblin grabs Spider-Man by the head and it looks like he’s about to crush it. There’s a massive explosion and Peter seems to be burned.
  • The police shoot at Peter and he seems to be hit.
  • Other versions of Spider-Man tell how they’ve watched their loved ones die and how they’ve survived the pain.
  • There is a huge fight scene where all the supervillains come together to stop Spider-Man and his helpers. The scenes features hitting, punching, crushing, stabbing, flipping, suffocating and electrocuting. They villains keep attacking while Spider-Man tries to inject an antidote into their systems before he sends them back to their own dimensions.
  • MJ is thrown off a building and Spider-Man tries to rescue her but is knocked aside. She’s saved at the last moment.
  • Spider-Man picks up a sharp object and is about to bring it down on Green Goblin in an effort to decapitate him.
  • Green Goblin stabs Spider-Man in the back just before being forcibly injected with the antidote.

Sexual references

Spider-Man: No Way Home has some sexual references. For example, when Aunt May walks into Peter’s room and finds him in his underwear with MJ, she assumes they’re about to have sex. She briefly cautions him about being prepared while Peter tries to explain the Spider-Man situation.

Alcohol, drugs and other substances

Spider-Man: No Way Home shows some use of substances. For example, in a scene at the end of the movie, a man is at a bar drinking and says he’s drunk.

Nudity and sexual activity

Spider-Man: No Way Home has some nudity and sexual activity. For example:

  • Peter is briefly shown in his underwear while changing out of his Spider-Man costume.
  • Another character is naked after changing back into his human form. He’s only shown from the chest up.
  • Peter and MJ share a passionate kiss.

Product placement

The following products are displayed or used in Spider-Man: No Way Home:

  • Lego toys are briefly shown.
  • Spider-Man is part of the vast MCU franchise, which has a lot of merchandise for sale both online and in shops. Themed products, like memorabilia cups, are available for purchase in selected cinemas.

Coarse language

Spider-Man: No Way Home has some coarse language.

Ideas to discuss with your children

Spider-Man: No Way Home is an action adventure and the third Spider-Man movie starring Tom Holland from Marvel Studios. It’s suspenseful, surprising and occasionally emotional. This isn’t a movie for younger children. It’s most likely to be enjoyed by older teenage and adult audiences and Spider-Man fans.

These are the main messages from Spider-Man: No Way Home:

  • With great power comes great responsibility.
  • Everyone deserves a second chance.
  • Good deeds send ripples out into the universe, helping and inspiring others.

Values in Spider-Man: No Way Home that you could reinforce with your children include compassion, helpfulness, courage, sacrifice and teamwork.

Spider-Man: No Way Home could also give you the chance to talk with your children about the real-life consequences of things like:

  • making hasty decisions
  • being quick to pass judgment on someone else and slow to look beyond the surface
  • pursuing power at all costs
  • trying to control the destiny of those you love
  • seeking revenge
  • using violence to solve conflict.

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