--- title: "Spider-Man: No Way Home: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/spider-man-no-way-home/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/spider-man-no-way-home" critics_score: 68 critics_reviews: 16 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021): what the critics said Critics' score 68 from 16 reviews: 10 positive, 4 mixed, 2 negative. Most critics respond warmly to Spider-Man: No Way Home, with praise clustering around Tom Holland’s earnest performance and the emotional weight given to Peter Parker’s relationships. The multiverse reunions offer considerable pleasure for fans, but the favourable reviews also credit Jon Watts with keeping Peter’s humanity visible amid a crowded cast. For these critics, the nostalgia works because the returning characters have something to do beyond being recognised. The spread is wide, however, and the same crowding becomes a central complaint elsewhere. Reservations concern uneven pacing, thin character development and action that lacks visual invention. Even some positive reviews find Peter’s own story overshadowed. Little White Lies sees enjoyable nostalgia with too little substance, while Vulture objects more sharply to the plotting and lifeless CGI. The main divide is over whether the emotional scenes justify the dependence on earlier films. ## Los Angeles Times — Justin Chang Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 14 December 2021. The critic describes the film as a joyous valentine to Spider-Man movies and their fans that largely succeeds at its elaborate multiverse reunion conceit. He singles out the persistent human touch and emotional core amid the spectacle, especially Holland's anguished close-ups. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2021-12-14/spider-man-no-way-home-review-tom-holland) ## Radio Times Rating 4/5. 15 December 2021. It is full of fan-service but also really, really good, with returning characters given depth and arcs while Holland is put through the wringer. Director Jon Watts juggles a huge cast without losing sight of the main character or emotional stakes. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movies/spider-man-no-way-home-review/) ## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 18 December 2021. The film delivers an overflowing cornucopia of treats for Spider-fans through its meta, self-referential multiverse approach and greatest-hits style. It is a good deal of fun, with Tom Holland’s endearing, puppyish enthusiasm singled out as the USP amid the eye-popping spectacle. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2021/dec/18/spider-man-no-way-home-review-more-is-more) ## Time Out — Helen O’Hara Rating 4/5. 14 December 2021. The film nails its emotional beats and keeps Peter’s relationships front and centre while delivering genuinely touching moments of redemption and closure. It makes you care deeply about Peter Parker as a good guy who sacrifices to do the right thing, with the challenges of being good as its shining heart. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/spider-man-no-way-home-2021) ## Variety — Peter Debruge Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 13 December 2021. The critic finds that Watts wrangles the unwieldy multiverse premise into a consistently entertaining entry that ties up two decades of loose ends. He singles out the empathy and emotional foundation that redefines heroism and rewards longtime fans with resolution. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2021/film/reviews/spider-man-no-way-home-review-tom-holland-1235132550/) ## The AV Club — A.A. Dowd Rating B. 14 December 2021. The review highlights the fun scavenged from the return of iconic villains like Green Goblin and Doc Ock and the nostalgic hits, while noting the film is messier than average with tonal whiplash and an overshadowed coming-of-age arc for Holland's Peter. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/spider-man-takes-on-a-cross-franchise-rogues-gallery-in-1848211194) ## The New York Times — Manohla Dargis Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 16 December 2021. The critic calls the film lively and amusing yet review-proof due to its spoiler-heavy marketing and notes that it is too long and overstays its welcome at two and a half hours. She singles out Tom Holland's sweet, earnest performance as the best of the live-action Spider-Mans. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/16/movies/spider-man-no-way-home-review.html) ## Little White Lies — Hannah Strong Rating 3/3/2. 15 December 2021. The third solo outing brings familiar faces to the party for nostalgia overload that is fun but ultimately a long way of saying not very much. It feels like a greatest hits package of fan service with lacklustre action and little character development or indication of where the story is going. [Read the review](https://lwlies.com/reviews/spider-man-no-way-home) ## The Hollywood Reporter — John DeFore Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 13 December 2021. The critic finds it catnip for hardcore fans but less fun than the previous Watts/Holland entries, with some fan service landing well and some feeling unsubtle. It praises the multiversal story for addressing the Iron Man-ification of the character while noting it looks stodgy next to Into the Spider-Verse. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/spider-man-no-way-home-film-review-1235062148/) ## Total Film Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 15 December 2021. The review finds the film both delightful and underwhelming, praising standout turns from returning villains like Green Goblin and Doc Ock for their menace and chemistry but criticising it as overstocked, underpowered in places, and ultimately forgettable. [Read the review](https://www.gamesradar.com/spider-man-no-way-home-review/) ## The Telegraph Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 15 December 2021. The superhero universes collide in a fan-pleasing but visually unconvincing way that resembles an all-star Zoom call with a VFX budget. Willem Dafoe’s Green Goblin is praised for his lip-licking relish, while the overall execution feels wan and pixelated. [Read the review](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/spider-man-no-way-home-review-superhero-universes-collide-pixelated/) ## Vulture — Bilge Ebiri Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 17 December 2021. The critic calls the film aggressively mediocre, faulting the sheer idiocy of key plot decisions, the lifeless CGI action, and the lack of visual or imaginative spark compared to prior Spider-Man films. It singles out the fan-service returns of Garfield and Maguire as highlights amid the blandness. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/article/movie-review-marvels-spider-man-no-way-home.html) ## Empire — Dan Jolin 15 December 2021. The critic calls the film crowd-pleasing and audacious, praising its multiverse fan service, emotional stakes, and character-driven second-chance themes while noting it stays neighbourhood-friendly despite epic scale. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/spider-man-no-way-home/) ## Screen Daily 14 December 2021. It is the most satisfying Marvel instalment in quite some time, eventually conjuring grandeur and emotional impact. The picture builds to a thoughtful, touching final act that does justice to the heroism and self-sacrifice central to Spider-Man’s appeal, though it is a little convoluted and indebted to nostalgia. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/spider-man-no-way-home-review/5165973.article) ## Sight and Sound — Kim Newman 15 December 2021. The film is the epic-length equivalent of a 'very special episode' that brings back characters from previous Spider-Man iterations with mixed but mostly pleasurable results. Holland's Peter finally receives a harsh life lesson and emotional wringer that provides a satisfying conclusion to his trilogy. [Read the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/spider-man-no-way-home-is-satisfying-trip-through-multiverse) ## The Times — Kevin Maher Rating ★★★★☆. 15 December 2021. This is a dynamite blast of smarty-pants postmodernism that never abandons its emotional core, with Tom Holland owning every inch of the role. The spine-tingling set-pieces bring enormous emotional weight, making it satisfying to watch. [Read the review](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/film/article/spider-man-no-way-home-review-tom-holland-casts-web-captures-your-heart-hq3pfjhqc) ## Digital Spy — Ian Sandwell Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 14 December 2021. The review calls the film a surprising and thrilling crowd pleaser that lives up to the hype with terrific set pieces and grounded emotional weight. They single out the pulsating finale and the way emotional beats are allowed to linger without being undercut by gags for praise, while noting some characters feel underserved. [Read the review](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a38511903/spider-man-no-way-home-review/) ## Collider — Vinnie Mancuso Rating B. 14 December 2021. The critic finds the multiverse too crowded, drowning out the strong core story of Peter Parker while praising Tom Holland's performance and the emotional beats for the main trio. [Read the review](https://collider.com/spider-man-no-way-home-review-tom-holland/) ## /Film — Hoai-Tran Bui Rating 7/10. 14 December 2021. The critic finds the film a happy marriage of fan service and character writing that mostly lands as a sweet, moving Spider-Man story. They single out the aw-shucks sincerity of Holland's Peter Parker shining against the outsized villains, especially Dafoe's Green Goblin, for praise. [Read the review](https://www.slashfilm.com/706310/spider-man-no-way-home-review-a-web-of-genuine-character-drama-and-fan-service/) ## Polygon — Joshua Rivera Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 14 December 2021. The review calls it a messy but often fun trilogy capper that juggles fan service with Peter's high school finale, praising the emotional core, Holland's work, and some action while criticizing reliance on other films. [Read the review](https://www.polygon.com/reviews/22833733/spider-man-no-way-home-review) ## Deadline — Pete Hammond 14 December 2021. The critic calls the film the most exciting, surprising, and emotional Spider-Man movie yet, and one of the year's best overall. They single out director Jon Watts for weaving magic on the series and creating pure movie fun of the highest order with the returning cast. [Read the review](https://deadline.com/2021/12/spider-man-no-way-home-review-1234890632/) ## Den of Geek — Don Kaye Rating 4 out of 5. 14 December 2021. The critic praises Tom Holland's most heartfelt performance as Peter Parker yet and the film's emotional depth as an MCU epic. They single out the action sequences, particularly the first battle with Doc Ock, and the climactic confrontation for their emotional beats and fan service that works effectively. [Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/spider-man-no-way-home-review/) ## The Wrap 14 December 2021. The review finds the film delivers fan service alongside genuine emotion while staying rooted in the characters' humanity. It highlights the sweet and funny kid stuff at the core, along with lucid and fluid battle sequences. [Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/spider-man-no-way-home-film-review-tom-holland-zendaya-2021/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/spider-man-no-way-home.md