Spider-Man is back - sort of - in the rerelease lengthily entitled Spider-Man: No Way Home - The More Fun Stuff Version. There are no crew changes from director Jon Watts (Spider-Man: Homecoming) or writers Chris McKenna (Ant-Man and the Wasp) and Erik Sommers (Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle) - and none worth mentioning from the additional footage, either.
Peter Parker (Tom Holland), still reeling from his battle with Mysterio, is revealed to the world as Spider-Man. Now, instead of a few core people in on his secret identity, everyone knows. To make matters worse, J. Jonah Jameson (J.K. Simmons) takes advantage of this and uses selective footage to make Spider-Man a terrorist and murderer. So Peter goes to Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) and asks that he make the world forget he is Spider-Man. But in the middle of the spell, Peter interrupts, asking Strange to exclude MJ (Zendaya), Ned (Jacob Batalon), May (Marisa Tomei), and Happy (Jon Favreau), which throws the spell into disarray. Now, the multiverse has collided, and five of the most dangerous villains have appeared in this Peter's reality. Stopping them will take everything he, and some unlikely allies, has, changing Peter's future forever.
The story remains tight, and as an entry into the Marvel universe, McKenna and Sommers did a top-notch job of scripting. The tale keeps the viewer entertained from beginning to end and moves along without any stalling moments. That is, until it reaches one of the added scenes. For the most part, they interrupt the film's pace without adding much entertainment. This is unfortunate because the film stood solidly on its own in the original release. Even the actors, and there are a lot of them, seem awkward in these scenes. This is probably part of why editors removed them in the first place. All that said, the movie is still excellent, with first-rate direction from Watts. This allows Willem Dafoe to perform as an exceptionally compelling Norman Osborn/Green Goblin. All the other performers do well, but everyone else's presence shrinks when Dafoe is on the screen.
The cinematography is remarkable, particularly in the mind-bending multiverse scenes. The battle between Spider-Man and Doctor Strange stands out, and while it should have been challenging to follow, it flows. This is a testament to not only the camera operators but also the stellar special-effects crew, who manage to bring The Lizard (Rhys Ifans) and The Sandman (Thomas Haden Church) to life without the actors ever being on set.
Spider-Man: No Way Home - The More Fun Stuff Version still stands tall as one of the better superhero films of the modern era, with a fantastic story, sure-footed direction, and noteworthy acting. But the additional scenes, while sometimes interesting, may leave audiences wondering if it really was more fun or just more fluff.