After The Amazing Spider-Man 2 became the lowest-grossing and worst-reviewed live-action installment ever, Andrew Garfield was rather unfairly deemed the least successful live-action Spidey.
With Tom Holland universally beloved, and Tobey Maguire still iconic from the Sam Raimi trilogy, Garfield ended up stuck in the middle. But he more than proved his worth in Spider-Man: No Way Home, reminding us of his potential while giving us some emotional resolution after the tragic death of Gwen Stacy.
Garfield’s Spidey saving the falling Zendaya’s MJ was arguably the best moment of the movie, and judging by videos of audience reactions, it was certainly the most impactful. Now we know that one of the key factors in making it work so well came from none other than Sony head Tom Rothman.
Sound designer Tony Lamberti revealed in an interview with Variety that Rothman gave a key note on the scene:
“It was scored with a giant choir, but when Tom Rothman, head of the studio saw the playback, he told the room and everyone involved that we were selling ourselves short by not making it a real catch-your-breath moment. We turned it into a sound design moment at the 11th hour… Andrew catches her and they come to the ground. They have their little emotional moment, and then it’s back into music.”
Producers often get criticism for needlessly altering movies, but I have to hand it to Rothman for this excellent note. MJ’s fall takes place in the middle of a very loud sequence, and the sudden silence raises the tension instantly. It also let you hear everyone gasp, then cheer, as Garfield’s Spidey finally gets some personal redemption and saves the girl.
It’s destined to go down as one of the finest on-screen Spidey moments, and has contributed to the fan campaign for Garfield to return as Spider-Man once more. Whether he wants to commit to that is unknown, but Spider-Man: No Way Home proved that he’s still got what it takes.