This week’s double-length episode of the Film After 11 podcast is a doozy. With Spider-Man: Brand New Day in theaters, my son Thomas and I started off talking about its predecessor, 2021’s Spider-Man: No Way Home. Somewhere along the way, the conversation went off the rails and… well, let’s just say that, like any Marvel movie, it went on way too long and we needed to have an after-credits scene. It gets a little surreal. You’ll see.
For me, No Way Home is a very enjoyable movie and maybe one of the best post-Endgame MCU efforts, though I can’t say that definitively because I’ve missed a few. The fan-service is a little thick, but I can’t deny that seeing all three live-action Spider-Men share screen time is lots of fun. Still, I’m left feeling that the animated Into the Spider-Verse and its sequel Across the Spider-Verse already covered this ground in a more wildly inventive fashion.
| Title: | Spider-Man: No Way Home |
| Year of Release: | 2021 |
| Director: | Jon Watts |
| Watched On: | Fandango at Home (rental) |
| Also Available On: | 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Blu-ray Disney+ Various VOD rental and purchase platforms |
Video Streaming
Sony released Spider-Man: No Way Home on both Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray in 2022, and I didn’t buy either one because my Marvel burnout hit quite a while ago. The movie’s currently streaming on Disney+. I could have, and probably should have, just watched it there, but I got a bug in my head that the picture quality might be slightly better on Fandango at Home, so I sprung for a one-time rental. I doubt that was necessary, but I have no regrets because the picture and sound quality are both pretty terrific.
Even for streaming, the 2.35:1 image is about as sharp and detailed as anything I’ve seen in 4K. It also has great colors, contrast, and HDR. Highlights pop nicely during Doctor Strange’s magic spells.
Marvel movies have an unfortunate reputation for weak bass, but the Atmos track here amps that up quite a big with some nice rumble. The music also sounds pretty good but, like far too many modern action movies, it’s entirely bland and generic, and is suppressed too low in the mix.
Related
- Zendaya
- Benedict Cumberbatch
- Willem Dafoe
- Marisa Tomei
Note: Any screenshots on this page were grabbed off a web browser, and came out looking much softer than actually watching the movie on a streaming device. They are used for illustration purposes only.
The Video File Blog 