MCU CHAPTER 32
Not too long ago I felt that Sony's approach to their Spider-Man films (Venom included) were outdated, somewhat stuck in the 2000's while Marvel Studios' films were forging ahead and paving the way for the future of the genre. When a deal was made between Sony and Marvel Studios, and Marvel Studios had a hand in crafting this latest Spider-Man trilogy, I thought that Marvel Studios had "saved" Spider-Man. I loved Homecoming and Far From Home, attributing their success more to Marvel Studios than to Sony.
Then Marvel Studios' 2019 slate came along and, while fine, began declining in quality. I'm in the minority here, but Captain Marvel was rather bland with some questionable story choices and muddying the continuity. And then Avengers: Endgame came along and, while sticking the landing (if only just barely), my opinion of it has only worsened with age. But then Far From Home came and was excellent through and through. My faith wasn't shaken in Marvel Studios, I just felt they had a bad year with the exception of Far From Home.
Phase 4 of the MCU began in earnest this year with WandaVision, Falcon & Winter Soldier, Loki, Black Widow, What If...?, Shang Chi, Eternals, and Hawkeye. The first two Disney + shows I did not enjoy and so I quit watching them (I haven't seen Loki, What If...?, nor Hawkeye and, quite frankly, I haven't heard much to convince me to watch them). I was tepid to the three feature films from Marvel Studios this year as well. Combined with their two films from 2019, my faith in them was shaken. And from everything I'm seeing from their plans, the future of Marvel Studios seems uncertain to me, approaching their content with caution rather than enthusiasm.
Weirdly, I went back and rewatched Venom, finding my original assessment of the film to be a little harsh. I actually really enjoyed Venom upon my second viewing. This last week I have been giving a lot of money to Sony it seems. I saw GHOSTBUSTERS: AFTERLIFE and loved it! I blindly bought VENOM: LET THERE BE CARNAGE and really enjoyed it too! The action scenes in particular were well done I thought.
And this last Friday I saw SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME. Given my feelings toward the MCU that I outlined above, I was understandably suspicious. After that first trailer for the film, I was worried that Doctor Strange would be turned into an ineffectual moron (which, the MCU has been doing to many of its characters of late). That, and the whole premise of No Way Home could've been instantly solved by the shapeshifting Talos of the Skrulls (who was present at the end of Far From Home). I liked the idea of bringing back the villains from the previous films, but I was worried the entire plot was going to be founded on a terrible idea. The writing in the MCU has been declining sharply as of late and I had all of Phase 4 as evidence to backup my trepidations.
Please don't mistake my ramblings as "hating" on the MCU. I've supported the MCU for well over ten years, enthusiastically and passionately (just check out the links below for my previous MCU reviews). I'm critical because I care a lot about this franchise, its characters, and the source material. If I become apathetic towards the MCU then that means I truly don't care anymore. Clearly I still care or I wouldn't be writing this. But from the trailers of No Way Home I was led to believe this decline in writing and general quality dip would continue here.
I WAS WRONG!
I loved Spider-Man: No Way Home!
My worries were put to rest (the trailers were misleading) and I loved the way everything was handled herein. Spider-Man has a quality trilogy at last! And this is far and away the best chapter of the MCU since Far From Home (and handled far better than Endgame i.e. no rats that save the day).
And here's the weird part; I think Sony may have been the reason why this movie landed as well as it did as opposed to Marvel Studios (something I never would've said or even fathomed a few years ago). Since 2019, I personally feel that the best parts of the MCU have been the films coproduced with Sony.
Without getting into specifics, I loved how they handled everything. The movie did a lot but it never felt frenetic nor scatterbrained, giving scenes time to breathe and powerful moments to linger. The quotient of bathos was low too, which was a relief and very appreciated. All of the actors from the different films arrive on the scene feeling nigh picture perfect from how we last saw them (some almost 20 years ago!) both in terms of appearance and personality (albeit with one exception, which was an improvement in my opinion).
And the filmmakers give you exactly what you want. There's no pointless subversion of expectations or needless deconstructions of characters. The characters act and feel like they should, they are put through ordeals that challenge them and change them, and it feels natural and in keeping with who these characters are. There are moments that pay off beats from films that have been dangling for nearly ten years or more, which for someone whose seen all of these past films when they came out originally, felt shockingly satisfying.
THE IRON BOY AND THE PROBLEM WITH THE MCU SPIDER-MAN
I've liked Spider-Man since I was a kid and always felt he was a good character, but Spidey has never been a favorite of mine personally. I know and recognize that he may be the greatest super-hero of all-time, but my heart has always belonged to other characters. I've enjoyed each one of the MCU's Spidey appearances, loving how well he was integrated into the MCU as a whole, demonstrating some of the best execution of MCU continuity. I liked how connected he was with Iron Man, Happy Hogan, Doctor Strange, and the others.
But remember, I'm not a big Spider-Man fan. I've heard criticisms laid against the MCU's (Tom Holland's) Spider-Man from legitimate Spider-Man aficionados, many of which despise what Marvel Studios were doing to the character. In a nutshell, the core of Spidey was wrong. Instead of the guilt of Uncle Ben hanging over him, he was a charmed boy who succeeded and often got what he wanted. He did not live by his creedo nor seem to struggle much. He had inherited the wealth and resources of Tony Stark and was a team player on the Avengers. All of these things, more or less, are not who Spider-Man is in the eyes of many. To many in the Spider-Man community, he was Iron Boy rather than Spider-Man.
I am not unsympathetic to this. I feel many of my favorite characters from the comics have been bastardized with the MCU incarnations to the point that they scarcely resemble the characters I loved from the comics. And perhaps the greatest achievement of No Way Home is that, by the end, they fix Spider-Man. By that I mean Peter Parker ends the film in a place that more closely resembles a comics accurate Spider-Man (or Spider-Man as he should be).
No Way Home still functions and feels similar to Homecoming and Far From Home, yet pays homage to the Spider-Man films that came before them and the legacy that began in 2002 with Sam Raimi's Spider-Man film all the while moving Tom Holland's Spider-Man forward with genuine character growth. By the end of this film, Tom Holland feels more like Spider-Man than he ever has before. The journey that the MCU's Spider-Man has undertaken may have been backwards and, at times, anathema to how the character should be. But at the time of its release, such an approach felt necessary to a degree. At last though he is finally where he should be (if only they'd "fix" all of my favorite heroes in the MCU too. I highly doubt it).
All in all, the more you know about the Sony Spider-Man movie legacy the more No Way Home gives back to you.
Overall Ranking: 9 out of 10
I loved it. The best chapter of Phase 4 with a bullet and easily among the top five best MCU films. Sony has been batting a thousand of late in my opinion. I hope they can keep this going with Morbius and Across the Spider-Verse (especially Morbius because, unlike Spidey, I actually do love Morbius).
I can't wait for Morbius in a month! And I'm cautious and a bit nervous about Doctor Strange 2 (worried Marvel Studios will continue down their current path and ruin another of my favorite characters in the name of character deconstruction and the subversion of expectations). Even so, Doctor Strange 2 is the only slated film from Marvel Studios that I'm most excited for coming up. Not to be pessimistic but I honestly feel Doctor Strange 2 is going to be straw that breaks my back and be where I get off of the MCU train... to paraphrase what MJ keeps saying in No Way Home, "If you expect disappointment then you'll never be disappointed."
Fingers crossed that Marvel Studios nails Doctor Strange 2 and that Sony continues their hot-streak with Morbius!
And for more of my thoughts on comic book films, Sony super hero films, and the MCU, check out the posts linked below!
And always leave a comment below and let's discuss!
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