It is impossible to be online within the last few months without seeing a "For Your Consideration" poster for Spider-Man: No Way Home, the latest success from Marvel Studios. Along with the fans, the studio and producers were pretty excited with the idea of the movie getting into the Academy Awards' main nominations, like Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, or Best Actor in a Leading Role, aside from the almost granted technical categories.

Well, Disney tried, Marvel tried, Sony tried, Tom Holland tried, and the fans were supportive, but none got what they wanted. Even with the massive campaign from the studios, Spider-Man: No Way Home, the final movie of the trilogy that started with Spider-Man: Far From Home in 2017, only got a nomination for Best Visual Effects. But why did it happen? This is the question popping up not only in the fans' minds but also with critics and movie enthusiasts.

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Why Does the Film Deserve a Best Picture Nomination?

no-way-home
Sony Pictures, Marvel Studios

Following the Black Panther nomination for Best Picture in the 2018 Academy Awards, it was expected that the Academy would be a little more receptive to comic adaptations and superhero movies. As a critically acclaimed movie, Spider-Man: No Way Home has a 93% Fresh in Rotten Tomatoes and a 98% Audience Score, one of the most well-evaluated movies of 2021 on the website. Understandably, the film was seen as a strong contender for the next superhero movie to be nominated in the main Oscar category.

The movie has everything we look for in a picture. The heartfelt acting by Tom Holland – one of his best acts yet – makes the audience happy when it is needed and genuinely emotional. Despite not appearing as much in the first two movies, Zendaya robs the scene when she is on screen. It is also impossible not to highlight the short but amazing performance from Benedict Cumberbatch as the superhero - and now Spider-Man's reluctant mentor - Doctor Strange.

Willem Dafoe as the Green Goblin is an amazing Marvel villain: the character is insanely scary, his laughter can make even the most courageous person tremble with fear, and the fact that he made the scenes without the Green Goblin mask makes his acting even more incredible.

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Why Does the Screenplay Deserve a Nomination?

MJ Falls
Sony Pictures, Marvel Studios

The screenplay is another gem. An ongoing discussion between fans and enthusiasts asks if Marvel movies are canned and follow a formula. Well, after more than ten years in cinemas, 27 released films, and a small but relevant number of series, it is to be expected that the movies have one or two similarities in their story arcs. But, what Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers did with the Spider-Man: No Way Home screenplay is precious. We are talking about a screenplay that has all the classic Marvel elements--the jokes, the action scenes in the middle of important dialogues, the lovely characters, and memorable villains--that make the film even bolder than the other Spider-Man - and Marvel - movies.

And there are the technical categories. Even the nomination as Best Visual Effects didn't do the film any justice. Its sound editing and score are perfect, making the action scenes come to life even more on the screen and giving the dramatic scenes more emotion. The injustice can be seen as one of the most popular and commented-on movies of the last year didn't get enough Oscar nominations from the Academy despite fan enthusiasm.

But it is impossible to deny that Spider-Man: No Way Home is much more than an entertaining movie and a fan favorite. It is one of the biggest phenomenons in cinema story, and even more impactful when we realize as the film was released during one of the most disastrous times in society. Nominating No Way Home as a Best Picture would have been a great way of getting the audience into watching the Awards ceremony – and trying to revive a show that, year by year, has fewer and fewer people watching it.

Perhaps opening a space for popular movies can be good business for the Academy Awards. This little gesture can call for a new audience and make the award connect with a much younger audience. Another suggestion: Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness isn't even released yet, but it can be a contender for a nomination for Best Picture and the acting categories.