Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) - 9/10

Taking another sharp pivot again - this time from an incredible obscure indie comedy to a mega blockbuster superhero film deep into the Marvel Cinematic Universe's progression. Definitely no whiplash at all if you're trying to follow these posts chronologically. 

I also want to start off with an apology. I totally get it when people shit on the now advanced stages of the MCU. For casual film goers and cinema snobs alike, the MCU probably represents many of the negative things or trends of the film industry as a whole. This film in particular is the 3rd Spider-Man movie of the 3rd reiteration of the same character not including any animated, TV or video game counterparts. Point being, this isn't a film designed to stand on its own - it comes with homework. 

Nevertheless, we are going to dive into it (and unfortunately for some, other MCU movies as well) because they can actually be pretty dope. And like them or not, they have become a major part of the zeitgeist since 2008. But enough blabbing - lets go to the rubric. 

1. Acting

Superhero movies often get dismissed in term of acting which I think is a mistake. I honestly can't help you if you don't see the incredible work someone like Robert Downey Jr has done during his tenure as Tony Stark just because he wears a CGI suit and does ridiculous things like fight big purple aliens. 

More specific to this movie, a gigantic cast of fantastic characters helps bring this story to fruition. Leading the show is of course Tom Holland as the title character. He turns in what is clearly his greatest performance as the young superhero. It runs the gamut of well timed humor to gut wrenching pain and anger and sadness. It is probably one of the best performances in the entire MCU in fact. 

His supporting cast are no slouches either. MCU staples like Zendaya, Jacob Batalon, Marisa Tomei and Benedict Cumberbatch all turn in great performances. And for the diehards, we get to see the return of the likes of Willem Dafoe and Alfred Molina who were staples of the original Spider-man trilogy. And of course, the return of previous iconic Peter Parkers with Andrew Garfield and Toby Maguire reprising their roles.

2. Cinematography

There is really no denying that the MCU has a certain 'look' to it. Highly polished, highly colorful, VFX galore; the list goes on and on. But I think there is still room for these films to break from the 'mold' of the MCU, though it may just be in subtle ways like camera movement or shot direction. Nothing stands out from this film that makes it obviously different from its other counterparts. But the technical execution of large set pieces, stunt work, VFX shots and the like show that the team were more than up to the task for this late stage MCU feature. 

3. Production/Costume Design

A lot of production/costume design for large budget films like this can be hard to distinguish from the VFX. Which sets are real vs blue screen is just one area that makes it hard to be judged. More objectively the world of the characters and the New York backdrop all feel very real and help tell the story.  

Things that stick out the most would probably be the costume design team that is doing a lot of the heavy lifting trying to either modernize, or recreate the look and feel of characters who had been absent from the screen for over a decade.

4. Writing

The writing for No Way Home feels definitely above average compared to other MCU films. In particular Tom Holland's exploration of Spider-man's wants vs needs felt well fleshed out. However, like many superhero movies, there is a lot of bloat to manage in terms of characters. Giving everyone adequate screen time to have an arc is difficult, though ultimately satisfactory for most. 

The plot for this film is also a bit controversial. Some people prefer self-contained stories that stand on their own, which is more than fair. However, this film, and its many successes, is largely due to the wealth of groundwork that laid before it. The impact that No Way Home has on you will revolve mostly on how invested you were in every movie that came before it, both within previous Spider-man trilogies, as well as the MCU- and that may be its largest flaw to overcome.

5. Sound Design

Well executed, but doesn't necessarily standout in any particular way. The strengths are mostly in the subtlety. Making sure the sounds of web slinging is right and recreating the sounds of past movies like Doc Ocks arms or Green Goblins bombs. 

One standout moment involves knowing when to pull back - the scene of Spider-man standing in the rain while he watches JJJ report on a big screen is made better by reducing almost all sound other than JK Simmons' voiceover. 

6. Editing

Slick, well composed, largely invisible. The runtime is nearly 2.5 hours but feel much quicker. 

7. Visual Effects

A tremendous job on multiple fronts. The VFX looks great on this film and blend into the story nicely. It is a level of execution that you expect from a large budget superhero movie. 

However, just imagining all of the work that went into this is mindblowing. The VFX teams had to be adept at multiple specialties including De-aging for older actors, large scale sand and lighting simulations for Electro and Sandman, puppetry animation for Doc Ock arms, a full CGI character for a humanoid lizard, as well as many others. And that not even addressing basically digitally recreating New York City.

8. Originality or Strength of Adaptation

As I already mentioned, this movie stands on the shoulders of what came before it. So it is absolutely not original. But I also absolutely don't care. I groan often when the MCU throws in some blatant fan service moment - but not here. I loved every fan service moment and I think it is because the creative team understood and cared about the history of Spider-man and the characters that have appeared on screen. They picked moments carefully and understood what this would mean for fans. And if it is not for you, I get it. But being in the theater opening weekend and hearing the crowd absolutely lose their shit when the Spider-men of old appeared for the first time is the type of feeling that I am always chasing with watching crowd pleasing films like this. 

9. Stunt Coordination

As a big budget blockbuster this is obviously an element you have to get right. You also have the rare chance of working with a great lead actor who excels at doing his own stunt work when he can. 

However, in these modern blockbusters, sadly stunt work often gets replaced by CGI doubles for obvious reasons. Whatever stunt work that remained in the film is executed well. And most likely a great deal of pre-vis from the stunt team helped inform the VFX artist after filming was complete.

10. Direction

Marking his 3rd outing as Director for Spider-man, Jon Watts clearly has a good feel for his characters and story. Being a director within the MCU probably makes it hard to put your mark on something. Because Marvel has that certain 'feel' to all its movies, the individual styles of directors can get left by the wayside. However, where Watts shines most, is by creating probably the best execution of a Superhero film outside of the Avengers movies. He handled a very large cast,  kept the story on the rails, and paid tribute to the fans and all the Spider-man films before this.

Bonus. Legacy

No Way Home was one of the first, and by far the best, post Avengers: Endgame film within the MCU. However, that also means that its legacy is largely tied up with the rest of the MCU. If anything, NWH shows that you can do fan service without it being overly contrived. You don't have to slam an easter egg into every scene or fall flat on your face with some unearned 'moment' when a character says or does something that 'fans should know about'. If you understand your story, characters, and the context around them, the fans will appreciate that more than being able to point at a screen and go 'hey look it's that thing/guy from the other thing and now they're doing the thing they do'.