It has been collectively agreed upon that Spider-Man: No Way Home is the best phase 4 film. It’s filled with familiar faces with much-needed fan service. The problem is, this re-release of No Way Home: More Fun Stuff is just for extra money. Many of these scenes are cut for a reason, and instead of enjoying these extra minutes, it just solidifies why these scenes were cut.
We open with a clip of Tom Holland, Tobey Maguire, and Andrew Garfield give the audience a greeting to remember. Holland and Maguire finally say ‘I love you’ to Garfield, and it’s sweeter than you can image.
For the sake of these extra cuts, they will be ranked 1 to 5 to see if it’s worth an extra movie ticket.
Scene #1: The interrogation(s)
The police ask Peter Parker (Tom Holland) many questions, and it lets the viewer think about the many adventures Spider-Man has embarked in the last two previous films. We also get more insight into who May (Marisa Tomei) was as a troubling teenager, but it’s never expanded for the audience to care. It’s fun to see May squirm a little at the mention of her past, but since we are never revisited to this new revelation, it deserves to be on the cutting floor.
Score: 3/5
Scene #2: Harry Holland
Tom Holland’s younger brother has a cameo as a robber. Spider-Man stops him, but the civilians that are around begin to place judgment on Peter. Some people come to his defense, but it’s not long until someone throws the green slime on him. In the original cut, the sequence is about five seconds long, so seeing the context makes more sense.
Regardless of how fun Harry Holland’s cameo was, the scene was just dragged on far too long. It was an excellent call to have sped up the scene in the final cut. In reality, most of the scenes could have easily been shared on the internet or maybe a Disney+ special. Instead, Sony and Disney are milking the cow for more money.
Score: 3/5
Scene #3: Midtown High
Most of the eleven-minute extensions are spent at Midtown High, and there are different reactions about Peter Parker by the Midtown students. It was interesting to see the students interact with the knowledge of Spider-Man identity.
The greatest takeaway from these scenes is when Peter climbs the gym wall in front of his gym class. We truly understand what the school feels about Peter. They see him as a hero and a toy of some sort. There are only a few people that doubt his heroism.
The star of these scenes was Betty Brant (played by Angourie Ric). She is much different than her counterpart in the comics, but her bubbly personality keeps us entertained as she interviews the many different students and teachers at Midtown. The interviews run a little too long; however, it reminds us of the tone of the previous two Jon Watts’ Spider-Man films. They were teenage-based, and as Peter continues his journey, it grows darker with fewer laughs and more tears.
Score: 4/5
Scene #5: MJ and Ned Montage
There is not much to say about these scenes. Their niche and MJ (Zendaya) and Ned (Jacob Batalon) are the mold of who Peter is as a person. So it’s good to see them in a comedic style. Was it needed in the final cut… no. That’s precisely why it was cut.
Score: 3.5/5
Scene #6: The Elevator
There is a massive gap between the montage scene and the following extended scene, which is only a five-second elevator scene where all the bad guys ride their way up to Happy’s apartment. It’s wasted, simply. They could have incorporated some funny dialogue between the villains, but sadly, that was not the case.
Score: 1/5
Scene #7: Matt Murdock
Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) has an extra scene with Happy (Jon Favreau) as his client. Even though this scene is short, it added a little flare to his previous cameo. It was just a one-and-done scene. Murdock now lives in the MCU, and he is here to stay.
Score: 5/5
Scene #8: The 3 Spidermen talk.
There was a reason why some of the dialogue between the Spidermen were cut… but it was still enjoyable to watch the three interact more. Tobey Maguire Spider-Man gives everyone massive Dad vibes with his very zen Spider-Man. He’s grown up. In comparison, Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Man shows great interest in the other two Spider-Men, showing how lonely Peter (Garfield) is in his universe. It makes more sense why Garfield’s Spider-Man said I love you. He truly loves these guys.
Score: 5/5
There is a brand new after-credit scene, so stick around to see more of Betty Brant and Midtown High.
Final Score: 3.5/5
The film is still enjoyable, but the flow is slightly off by the added scenes. Extended scenes are supposed to add to the enjoyment, not boredom. Ultimately these scenes should have been released for free, or they could have released an extended cut on DVD. None of the scenes make a difference to the plot. It just added fluff with the same outcome.
We shall see what will happen next with Tom Holland’s Spider-Man. Reminder: A piece of Venom was left in his universe. Hopefully, an announcement will come out soon for the next Spider-Man trilogy.