Like most people, Spider-Man has been a big part of my childhood and young adult years. I grew up watching the Rami films and often imagined myself jumping from building-to-building shooting webs. As a teenager I reconnected with the Web-Slinger by watching The Amazing Spider-Man films, and then going into college, I quickly became hooked on the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s version of Spider-Man. At my first college musical audition I wore my favorite Spider-Man jacket, infact, I wore that some Spider-Man jacket all through-out college and despite it having a few badly patched holes in its pockets, I also wore it to watch Spider-Man: No Way Home.

I was excited for Spider-Man No Way Home, albiet I was a bit concerned going into it. I wanted all my concerns to be invalid and to exit the theater feeling like I’ve just witnessed the greatest Spider-Man movie of all time. However, that is not my story. I left the theaters a bit disappointed. And so far, I seem to be in the minority.

At the time of writing this, Spider-Man No Way Home sits at a 94% fresh in Rotten Tomatoes Critics Score and its audience score is even higher. Everyone I’ve spoken to about the movie seems to adore it and many would even rank it above Infinity War and Endgame. I wish I could say the same, but for some reason I can’t. Perhaps I was a bit tired, or perhaps I overanalyzed its flaws. But something felt off for me and I wanted to figure it out.

I’m currently trying to learn what makes a story good, and the hard part about this is that art is subjective. I’ve had arguments with my friends over this, while certain things in life are objectively good or bad, there can be things that suit one person’s taste and is sours to another. I wouldn’t quite say No Way Home was sour to me, but I will say that it didn’t meet my expectations. Perhaps that is half the problem.

I’m not here to convince you that Spider-Man No Way Home is a ‘bad movie.’ Art is subjective; however, I want to lay out the reasons why it missed the mark for me and hopefully hear some opposing viewpoints to help me enjoy the film more. Also, while I have some major critiques, I also absolutely adored certain aspects of the movie, so I will be taking about that as well.

Since I’m viewing this article as more of analysis, it will be full of spoilers. So, if you haven’t seen the movie, here is your official… SPOILER ALERT!!!

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