Just over a year ago, the entire Marvel fandom was waiting with bated breath for the (at the time) impending Spider-Man: No Way Home. Rounding out a banner year back for the MCU, No Way Home delivered a Multiversal experience unlike anything seen before. The film brought together three generations of Spider-Men, earning near-universal praise and becoming one of the biggest movies of all time.
Now, nearly a year - and one extended cut - later pretty much everyone has sounded off with their thoughts on the Wall-Crawling threequel. At the time of release, The Direct's very own Matt Roembke gave the film a glowing review, calling it a "love letter to [the character of] Spider-Man."
But not everyone has been so positive about the project. Some have been critical of the fan service seen throughout the movie, and that is exactly the case in this Game of Thrones star's look back at the film.
Arya Stark's Spider-Man Disappointment
Talking on her Frank Film Club podcast, Game of Thrones' Arya Stark actress Maisie Williams gave last year's Spider-Man: No Way Home her personal 'most disappointing film of the year' moniker.
After being asked by her cohosts what her most disappointing film of last year was, Williams quickly responded "My biggest film disappointment was the new Spider-Man:"
“My biggest film disappointment was the new 'Spider-Man'. Not 'Far From Home'. They all have really similar titles. But it just wasn’t my fave. They had Benedict Cumberbatch come in and play Doctor Strange. And then they had the three Spider-Men all together. It was that one."
The Arya Stark actress said that No Way Home "missed a little bit of the soul" found in the past two MCU Spidey movies. She noted that she "[loves the MCU] reboot" and "will watch the next one" but ultimately walked away "a little bit [disappointed]:"
"And I feel like they were just so excited to get them all on screen together that it just missed a little bit of the soul. But I love this new reboot and I will watch the next one. But it was just a little bit disappointing.
I just think that they started exploring so much. Like, I was so with these characters. Just above it being Spider-Man, I was loving the journey of each film. But this one felt like it was lacking just a little bit."
Willaims finished her short explanation off by noting that when "Aunt May died" in the film, she found herself thinking "Oh, somehow I don’t really care." But does make mention that maybe it's just that "[she's] changed” as a fan:
"Aunt May died, and in that Andrew Garfield reboot I was sobbing, and like when Aunt May died [in 'No Way Home'] the pacing of it, I was like 'Oh, somehow I don’t really care.' Maybe I’ve changed."
Big Words from a Big Star
While some fans may see Williams' criticism here and completely blow it off, there may actually be some truth in it. Maybe calling it the biggest disappointment of 2021 might be a little hyperbolic, but her critiques may actually have some merit.
Yes, No Way Home was a love letter to everything that this hero has been on the big screen up to this point. But if someone was looking for a direct continuation of that smaller-scale high school story, that was not present here.
In the MCU Spidey threequel, gone were the science lab problems and school dances of Homecoming, and in their place were some Multiversal shenanigans that, while fun, were a little less down-to-Earth than what came before (and what could be on the horizon)
So if that grounded Jon Hughes-style storytelling was what the viewer wanted more of, plus maybe they don't have a deep history with Tobey Maguire or Andrew Garfield's versions of Peter Parker, then there totally could be a case to be made for it being a little bit disappointing.
Spider-Man: No Way Home is available at home on Blu-Ray or digital now.
