MCU Spider-Man and The JON WATTS Problem

With Jon Watts' Spider-Man trilogy completed, I wanted to take a look back at it and discuss some of my issues with the movies and Jon Watts' directing style. Or lack there of. #mcuspiderman #spiderman #spidermannowayhome

[joekiger]

Good video and valid points. Also the NAACP joke caught me so off guard and made me laugh out loud and I rarely ever laugh at YouTube videos anymore GREAT JOB

[calebs]

I think what the homecoming trilogy needs more of is just a story thats free of whatever marvel is doing in the grand scheme of things. Which, by the looks of it, might not be too big of an ask after how no way home ended. Whatever we get with future installments I just hope for a spiderman that is more of a working class hero than the one we got out of the homecoming trilogy. those films, while great, took a character that represented average people and turned him into an upper class science wiz kid that worked with the ultra rich, which wasn't a very thrilling character choice in my opinion. Instead of watching spiderman build his own suit he got it handed to him by a billionaire, instead of watching him rebuild his suit from the ground up and remake himself in far from home he just got some stark tech and then rebuilt the same suit, only in no way home do we finally see a spiderman that is forced to rebuild himself from the ground up which gives me a lot of hope for the future of this character.

[valk]

I think the real issue is the lack of creative freedom directors get once they step into the MCU. You can see this with Jon Watts, especially in Homecoming and Far From Home. Homecoming was a "less important" movie in the grand scheme of the MCU, so Watts had more room to express himself, even though there were still limitations (like being told not to include certain Spider-Man elements that had been used in previous films, like swinging scenes, something Amy Pascal mentioned in an interview for Far From Home). But at least Homecoming felt like Watts was making his own movie. With Far From Home, however, it was the first film after Endgame, and you could tell it was heavily influenced by that. The writer, Christopher Ford, who had worked with Watts on his previous films, didn’t return, and Watts wasn’t credited as a writer this time, which was unusual for him since he’s usually involved in the writing process. A lot of the film also felt like a 3D animated movie due to the overwhelming amount of CGI. Sure, the CGI was impressive, but it felt more like a stylistic choice dictated by the MCU’s formula rather than the director’s vision. Directors are typically given the freedom to handle the scenes that serve the story, but action sequences tend to be taken over by second units or VFX teams, something Watts pointed out in an interview for his new film, Wolfs.

Now, I’m not saying Watts is the next Stanley Kubrick, and maybe he wouldn’t have made masterpieces if the studios hadn’t interfered, but he’s a solid director—like many others in the MCU—who isn’t given the creative freedom to fully express himself or showcase his talent. The result is often a film with a generic, greyish look, a mediocre story, and an anonymous style. It’s a missed opportunity because, when directors are allowed to do their thing, you get movies like the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy, The Avengers (2012), Iron Man, Doctor Strange, Thor (2011), and Captain America: The First Avenger.

[koltonknox]

if my boy spidey has a slick suit and swings i'm there for it

meaning TASM 2's intro swinging is my favorite part of any of these movies and i have issues

[Caleb]

In Watts's defence, it's hard to know how much studio decisions factored into his direction choices. Having Spider-Man so closely connected to Stark and the greater MCU was a fatal flaw for the character from the start. Marvel was always going to milk RDJ and Iron Man for every last drop of hype and Spider-Man became a convenient vehicle for that.

Btw I'm still really bothered by the Water Elemental from Far From Home. How tf did a bunch of drones manage to cause all that water damage? Were they all equipped with a bunch of hoses or something?

[NotCoolBunn]

Cmon we all know that the best spider-man media was very obviously the electric companies spider-man duh /j

[trevturp]

Spiderman Far From Home didn't commit the biggest sin of any of these movies.

[darkskinvince]

in defense of jon watts style, I belive he has a real nack for comedy . Especially in homecoming and no way home he utilizes socially akward characters and makes peters school feel diverse and modern . I think thats his biggest strength compared to the other spdierman directors. Especially when you consider spider-man is a comedic / light hearted character . Lastly while the trilogy isn't perfect I would so overall its the most consistent and best written out of the three. ( sam rami is right behind him )

[abdulmuqsit]

This explains why the new Spider-Man movies feels so bland and style less

[trevturp]

Taking Spiderman out of New York wasn't a bad idea.

[Hopper]

Jon Watts isn’t a director. He’s an employee hired to pilot a ship on a path his boss has picked.

[tyraebrooks]

No way you used me and you from let it shine as the background music😂

[trevturp]

The fans wouldn't have bitched about it, they would be satisfied.