Spider-Man: Far From Home

Reviews From the Dark Side
Spider-Man:  Far From Home
Released 7/2/19

My feelings about the Marvel Cinematic Universe version of Spider-Man are mixed at best.  I recall back to the first time the masses learned of the Webhead's entry into the MCU.  Where were you when you saw the Captain America: Civil War trailer when Spidey flipped into the scene and webbed Cap's shield?  I won't lie.  I almost wept.  Arguably, my favorite fictional character of all time meeting with the movie franchise that has essentially become the new Star Wars?  It's the same as peanut butter meeting chocolate.  Steak meeting Heinz 57 steak sauce.  Slasher killers meeting oversexed teenagers.

The Wallcrawler's next journey into the MCU came in 2017's Spider-Man:  Homecoming.  This is a weird one.  Initially, I liked the movie.  I thought it was solid.  However, upon subsequent viewings, it's not a film that holds up very well.  Aside from Tom Holland who is adequate as Spider-Man and an outstanding performance from Michael Keaton as the Vulture, there's really not a lot to sink your teeth into for many reasons.  It's not a bad movie.  It's watchable.  But, for me, it's definitely on the lower tier of MCU efforts.

Then, we come to our hero's supporting roles in the most recent Avengers films, Infinity War and Endgame.  Again, adequate.  Nothing outstanding with the exception of "Mr. Stark, I don't feel so good."  That made more than one grown man cry.

So, now here we are at this week's release of Spider-Man:  Far From Home, the film after the emotional wrecking ball that was Avengers:  Endgame.  Endgame brought many questions to Spider-Man's MCU mythos.  For me, Far From Home had two hefty jobs facing it.  One, can it sufficiently answer the questions created by Endgame, and, two, can Spider-Man finally stand on his own as a hero in the MCU and step out of Tony Stark's considerable shadow?

Far From Home addresses the first elephant in the room at the start of the film.  Namely, how does Peter Parker's high school account for his five year absence when he was snapped out of existence during Infinity War?  In addition, how do they account for the fact that he hasn't aged in that absence.  It's an adequate, if very contrived, answer.  Granted I don't know if there could have been another plausible explanation.  I do give Kevin Feige, director Jon Watts, and the entire creative crew involved credit for making the attempt and not ignoring what could have been one of the most painfully glaring plot holes in cinematic history.

Once that narrative is completed, Far From Home dives head first into its primary plot.  Peter and his schoolmates in the Science Club embark on a two week European summer field trip where Peter hopes to get closer to the aloof, slightly dark, Michelle, or, M.J. as she's referred to. With typical Parker bad luck, he's kept from his goals by S.H.I.E.L.D. agents Nick Fury and Maria Hill who need his assistance to quell a new global threat that originated in another part of the Multiverse.  Fortunately, Parker and the secret agents have a new ally who has also emerged from the Multiverse, Quentin Beck, dubbed Mysterio by the media.  Despite several self doubts and a burning desire to be normal for the first time in years, Peter, reluctantly lends a hand.  But, again, longtime Spidey fans know what it means when Mysterio enters the picture.  To avoid spoilers, I'll leave that statement there.

Let's deal with the pros of Far From Home.  The visuals are the absolute best that I've seen in any of the Wallcrawler's seven solo appearances.  This was a tight production for the CGI and camera work. There are plenty of slow motion captures of the Webhead in action which are crucial to a character of this nature because those scenes can move so fast. Some of the shots in Far From Home are beyond spectacular.

As in Homecoming, top acting honors don't go to the star of the movie.  That's not to say Tom Holland is bad as Peter/Spider-Man.  But, like Michael Keaton's Vulture before him, Jake Gyllenhaal's Mysterio was the outstanding performance here.  His versatility as an actor has been amazing through the years.  I'm convinced there isn't a role he can't play. One of his strengths is he can change personalities on a dime and be convincing.  As I mentioned earlier, there isn't much I can say about Mysterio without giving away major spoilers.  If you know the character from the comics, you can likely predict what those spoilers are.  But, make no mistake, Gyllenhaal is worth the price of admission in Far From Home.  If you really want to see how good he can be, check out his 2014 thriller, Nightcrawler.

Now I might throw a few of my readers for a loop here, but, I think there has to be something said for Zendaya's M.J.  Followers of the Spider-Man mythos know she is not the traditional M.J. we all know and adore, Mary Jane Watson.  And to the credit of Watts, Feige, and company, they have never indicated she is the wild party girl with the heart of gold who became the love of Peter's life.  Zendaya's M.J. is sarcastic, acerbic, and awkwardly weird at times.  But, her character has started to grow on me.  Especially if I come from the mindset of "She's not Mary Jane."  Even in Homecoming, I was mildly entertained by her weirdness.  She was certainly more interesting than Peter's forced love interest, Liz.  And, yes, Zendaya is infinitely more interesting than the plank of wood who played M.J. in the Sam Raimi trilogy, Kirsten Dunst.  Her budding relationship with Peter is cute and sweet in strange way.  It was surprisingly one of the strengths of the film for me.

Far From Home will also surprise you because it loops back to previous MCU movies in shocking ways.  You have to hand it to the writers for figuring out where certain characters in this film fit into previous continuity.  It gives you a bit of nostalgia knowing there were some nefarious gears grinding from seemingly innocuous scenes in previous movies.

Finally!  Finally!  These films have started to incorporate Spider-Man's spider sense.  Even though it was referred to as the annoyingly unfunny "Peter Tingle", I'm just elated that it was featured in Far From Home at last.  There is a sequence near the end of the movie where he's forced to focus on it in a fight.  And it's a sight to behold.  For the first time, I felt I was seeing the true power of Spider-Man in the MCU.

After a very brief hiatus in Endgame, the mid and end credits scenes return in a big way in Far From Home.  I was extremely pleased on how both were handled.  Usually, Marvel gives you one poignant scene and one over-the-top silly one that can be hit or miss.  Both scenes have a huge impact on how the MCU might be moving forward as they have deep seated ramifications for Spider-Man's future and the Marvel Universe.  And, I know technically the contract between Marvel Studios and Sony has expired with the release of Far From Home, but, the way this ends there's no question the Webhead is going to play a large role in the MCU for the foreseeable future.  The mid credit scene will make you smile and bring a tear to your eye at the same time as a familiar face makes his debut in the MCU.

Now that I've stroked the movie for a few paragraphs, it's time to take the gloves off on a couple of things.  I'm still not crazy about this Spider-Man franchise's supporting cast.  "Sexy" Aunt May (Marisa Tomei) is strange, but, I can live with it.  I do like that she's playing an active role in knowing Peter's secret.  But, she just doesn't feel like an "aunt" who's been raising Peter for who knows how long.  She almost looks like she could be dating him.  In fact, we don't know much, if any, of the backstory of this incarnation of Peter/Spider-Man.  And, the whole romance that's alluded to with Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau) is an issue I'll address in a minute.  Outside of Zendaya, the group of high schoolers in Peter's regular orbit are bland and just plain uninteresting.  His best friend, Ned, still annoys the h-e-double hockey sticks out of me.  Flash just comes off as an arrogant rich kid who should have been bodyslammed ages ago.  Although I do like that his love of Spider-Man has been incorporated from the comics.  Betty Brant made an attempt at a personality in this movie, but, her pseudo-romance with Ned was more silly than funny.

My biggest issue with Far From Home, and, basically, Spider-Man overall in the MCU, is the specter of Iron Man.  I get what's being done here.  Tony Stark has essentially replaced Ben Parker as Peter's guiding light.  His father figure.  At times, the relationship has been sweet as it was when the two were reunited in Endgame.  It's been tragic as when Peter was "snapped" in Infinity War.  And then it's been downright annoying.  I've had discussions with people about Tony's role in Homecoming.  Personally I thought he was a jerk to Peter in that movie.  But, what I find overbearingly irritating is Peter's dependence on Tony, emotionally and technologically.  Can Peter ever make a move without the shadow of "Mr. Stark" hanging over him in some way?  This should be Spider-Man's story, not Iron Man's guest starring Spider-Man.  With Tony essentially leaving Peter in control of E.D.I.T.H., it doesn't look like the Wallcrawler will leave his mentor's world anytime soon.  And, that's sad for me.  Peter should be able to stand on his own.  And, that won't happen as long as he still has a foot in Iron Man's universe.  Even Aunt May is being tied into this with her romance with Happy.  It's so contrived trying to keep Tony's memory this relevant in another character's story.

As with all MCU films, there are several attempts at levity in Far From Home.  Some of it hits.  Some of it doesn't.  Most that doesn't centers around Ned for me.  Have I said before that I don't really like this character?  Honestly, he doesn't even look like he's close to being a teenager.  His court jester antics have always rubbed me the wrong way.  It's a fool's errand to wish for less comedy in the MCU at this point.  It is what it is.  It's what they're known for.  It works for the majority of Marvel's audiences.  All you can hope for is that most of it isn't cringeworthy.

I enjoyed Far From Home more than Homecoming.  I think the story was developed a little better in this film, although I still have some deep seated reservations about some the cast and plot elements going forward.  This one has some re-watch value in my opinion.  It's more than a lower tier MCU film, but, not quite on that upper middle tier.  I probably enjoyed this as much as Ant-Man and the Wasp, an entertaining, but, not great film.  It does what it needs to do.  It moves the plot along into the next phase of the MCU.  One thing that I am hoping for in the next Spider-Man effort is a leap into the future.  Not too far into the future, mind you.  Maybe two to three years.  I'm ready for Peter to leave high school in a big way.  I'm ready for a more experienced Spider-Man.  Sadly, I don't think we've had much of that in the seven solo Spidey films to date.

The Dark Lord of the Sith says:

***1/2 stars

0*= Don't waste your time. Pure dreck! Dreck is too good for this! Blind me please!
1 *= Fuggedaboutit!
2 *= Average, Mediocre, Nothing Special
3 *= Worth a look.  Better than a poke in the eye.
4 *= Great. I'm doing my happy dance!
5 *= Pure eye candy. I have seen the top of the mountain, and it is good