Genre:
Action, Adventure, Comedy, Superhero
Produced by:
Amy Pascal, Kevin Feige
Directed by:
Jon Watts
Written by:
Chris McKenna, Eric Sommers
Production Company: Sony Pictures, Marvel Studios
Starring: Tom
Holland, Samuel L. Jackson, Zendaya, Cobie Smulders, Jon Favreau, J.B. Smoove,
Jacob Batalon, Martin Starr, Marisa Tomei, Jake Gyllenhaal
Runtime: 129 minutes
SYNOPSIS:
Peter Parker (Tom Holland) decides to take a short break from being Spiderman and
join his friends on a European vacation. But soon, duty calls when Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) intercepts the trip,
asking Peter to help him deal with a threat that’s above his pay-grade: giant mystical creatures called the Elementals.
Peter must team up with a fellow recruit and Elemental expert Quentin Beck/Mysterio
(Jake Gyllenhaal), to stop the
creatures from creating more chaos.
REVIEW:
Where would the live-action Spiderman movies be now without Marvel
Cinematic Universe (MCU)? It’s not as if the character has never tasted any
success in the cinematic world before, but it’s hard to argue that subsequent
movies post-Spider Man (2002) has
mostly seen diminishing returns, hence the belief that Spiderman fatigue is
real.
Since the MCU is the current talk of the
town, the only way to make Spiderman relevant again is by joining them. Based
on the positive response in the character’s cameo debut (now played by Tom Holland) in Captain America: Civil War (2016), Spiderman is once again
relevant. And the Holland-era truly
kicks into gear when the character takes the lead in his first MCU-era solo
outing Spiderman: Homecoming (2017). On
a financial standpoint, it was the most successful Spiderman movie ever since the Sam
Raimi trilogy. On a story standpoint, the teen comedy angle is a refreshing
change of pace for the franchise.
More MCU appearances follow with the
recent two Avengers movies (Avengers Infinity War (2018) and Avengers Endgame (2019)), albeit in a
supporting capacity. Despite being involved in two of the biggest movies in the
world, Marvel’s most popular character is certainly meant to do more than just
play second fiddle.
And his time playing second fiddle ends
with his second MCU-era solo outing Spiderman:
Far From Home. The task at hand for returning director Jon Watts and his team is far from simple. As a Spiderman sequel, Far From Home now carries the burden of
having to live up to or even improve upon Homecoming.
But this isn’t just a regular Spiderman sequel. As an MCU movie, Far From Home is their first movie after
the Infinity Saga finale Endgame.
With most of the original Avengers stars leaving, many thought that Endgame was the end of the MCU. And so,
this epilogue to MCU’s Phase Three needs to prove with its latest star that the
franchise does have a future.
Spiderman:
Far From Home
does more than enough to confirm one thing: the MCU is not done yet. Not even
close. In its jaunty, childlike way, the franchise’s 23rd installment
still feels as fresh and subversive as its first, demonstrating their full
commitment to push the envelope when it comes to what the superhero genre can
do. Who would have thought, in 2019, that Eurotrip
(2004) would be spoken in the same breath as the new Spiderman movie?
In fact, much of the basic plot in Chris McKenna and Eric Sommers’ script borrows from Eurotrip. Both movies chronicle
the European misadventures of a group of high school teens. If that’s not
enough, there is even a scene where Peter crosses paths with a group of
football hooligans, which serves as a small and fun homage to Scotty’s wacky
encounter with the Vinnie Jones-led
Manchester United hooligans back in 2004. If the cinematic homage doesn’t ring
a bell, then the self aware joke might.
Featuring a lead character that is
essentially a pop culture reference-spouting machine, Far From Home has reached that stage where it is not only aware of other
movies’ popularity, but also its own movie’s popularity. Peter’s encounter with
the hooligans highlights the movie’s awareness of Tom Holland’s popularity as an actor, courtesy of some comically coincidental
similarity between the team the hooligans support and the current Spiderman
actor’s surname.
And yes, rarely do those teen misadventures
involve fighting giant mythical creatures. But that is only a mere impersonal distraction.
The movie keeps Peter’s personal problems grounded in reality, whether it’s by dealing
with high school romances, the prospect of growing up or the culture shock of
experiencing different countries. In that sense, Far From Home stays true to its humble teen comedy roots.
As a Spiderman
movie, it fares even better. Far From
Home is by far the best in the MCU-era. Building on the momentum of Homecoming, it takes his solo movies to
not only the next step, but also the right step. Straddling a very fine line
between spectacle and the human drama with a stronger footing than before, Far From Home is the first MCU Spiderman
movie to truly earn its place as a proper summer blockbuster entertainment.
As far as action goes, Far From Home is a giant superhero fare
full of sound and fury, signifying pure popcorn fun. Closer to the operatic
heights of the Sam Raimi trilogy than
it is to the street-level realism of Jon
Watts’ previous effort Homecoming in
scale and scope, Watts’ newfound sense
of grandiose approach to his
sophomoric effort displays confidence and mature understanding in his part on
how to handle the superhero movie action sequences. In fact, he makes the most of the script’s globetrotting
Spidey adventure premise to raise the bar on what qualifies as a Spiderman
action sequence. Shots look like reality imitating comic book art.
Consider the first action sequence where
Spiderman teams up with the enigmatic Mysterio to fight off a water Elemental
creature rising from a Venetian canal, which sets the tone for the type of
action throughout Far From Home. On
paper, it might look like the standard-issue superhero stuff. But it doesn’t matter that much if it’s well-executed.
In a theme park ride fashion, the Venice sequence alone blends big budget
bombast and visceral tension with a similar type of awe and thrills that all of
the action sequences in Homecoming
lacked.
For one, the change of scenery from
Queens, New York to Europe helps. Make no mistake, watching Spiderman spins webs
in the quiet suburbs was a refreshing move for the franchise, but there is no
doubt that the character has always thrived in tall buildings and crowded
places. On that end, Far From Home multiplies
the thrilling Washington Monument sequence in Homecoming by like a tenfold.
Almost throughout its runtime, Spiderman
has to overcome pulse-pounding, gravity-defying stunts like hopping through dozen
crumbling debris, swinging through exploding buildings, or even clanging his
head accidentally onto a huge bell. Since most of the action involves more
people than just Spiderman and his villain, they also have some element of
danger to spare.
And the same goes for the reintroduction
of Spiderman’s Spidey Sense (renamed as the “Peter Tingle”), which is seemingly
abandoned in its predecessor. This movie makes effective use of his iconic
power to build up suspense, evident through the point of view shot of Peter
staring at a vibrating manhole, reminiscent of the vibrating water shot in Jurassic Park (1993).
Let’s not forget the special effects
extravaganza, provided by Mysterio and the Elementals. Many shots in their
Venice showdown in particular look so convincingly rendered that it truly captures
the imagination. In fact, the effect takes Far
From Home from being just another fun Spiderman action movie into an epic. The
creature design and sweeping camera angle creates the impression that the
Elementals are J.R.R. Tolkien creation.
Mysterio’s mastery of illusion are stunningly translated from comic book to the
big screen, not only with the smoke, but also later in a mind-bending, illusion-driven
sequence towards the second half where he gets to show off the full extent of his
powers.
Far
From Home
also doubles down on the comedy. The movie is a laugh-out-loud riot that’s
equal parts goofy and charming and the MCU’s funniest entry since Thor: Ragnarok (2017).
No matter how grim the events preceding Far From Home might be, it manages to
find the light in tragedy without losing the gravity of the situation. Look no
further than the way this movie addresses the elephant in the room: Endgame.
It even opens with a low-quality video
tribute to the heroes who didn’t make it past the last two Avengers movies (yes, Vision’s death in Avengers: Infinity War (2018) does count) while an iconic 90’s pop
ballad soars in the background. If one still questions how low quality the
video is, there is an image with Gettyimages watermark inserted in between. Considering
how emotional those movies were, the idea of playing them for comedy is risky. Eventually,
it pays off.
That scene walks the fine tightrope
between paying tribute and poking fun. Imagine what an In Memoriam video
tribute would look like if it’s made by a teenager: well-intentioned yet at the
same time, so amusingly nonchalant and tone-deaf. Since humor has always been inherent
to the MCU heroes’ personality, it is only fitting that the characters bid
goodbye to them with a few good laugh.
That’s only the tip of the iceberg. Far From Home uses the Endgame incident and its barely aging teen
characters to put a unique spin on the arrested development comedy genre. If
the last movie explored how the Snap a.k.a. the Blip affects the survivors,
then this movie explores how it affects the victims. That is not easy since
they’ve lost five years of their lives.
A playful, yet effective running gag
throughout the movie sees Peter and his high school friends navigate through a
world where things have outgrown them. At one point, a teenage character, who
was just a kid five years ago when they were all snapped, is suddenly their age.
At another, Flash Thompson (Tony
Revolori), who would have been 21 had he not been snapped, can’t even buy
an alcoholic drink.
Despite the weird circumstances, the
basic idea is as common and serious as any coming-of-age story. Growing up is
about adapting to the current reality, even if it’s different to one’s
perception.
Far
From Home
has more than just Endgame jokes. The
movie also takes full comic aim at Peter Parker’s bad luck with girls. It makes
a compelling case for establishing the character as an underdog rom-com hero. In
a way, the script is much more of a love story than it is a superhero movie. His
character arc here is as simple as get the girl.
And that girl is MJ (Zendaya). In every rom-com, there are
always the odd few obstacles, whether it’s a love triangle or a needy,
overprotective authority figure, leading to some awkwardly hilarious moments in
which Peter keeps messing up any opportunity he had with MJ, whether it’s by getting
caught on the wrong end of a conversation or a situation. Take a scene in the
theater as an example, where his struggle to have a heart-to-heart moment with
MJ while listening to Nick Fury’s instruction leads to an unfortunate
misunderstanding. It happens so constantly that it’s hard not to root for Peter
to find love.
Far
From Home
also wears its heart on its sleeve. Spiderman might have gone through various
incarnations, but the theme remains the same. In the words of Uncle Ben, “with
great power comes great responsibility.” Especially after the dramatic
repercussions of Endgame, that quote cannot
get any more relevant. In that sense, Far
From Home provides a fresh meaning to Uncle Ben’s iconic quote.
This incarnation finds Peter Parker at
the most traumatic stage of his life. Despite being Spiderman, Peter is still just
a kid, who is too young to be thrown in the intergalactic fray of the previous
movie. As the movie unfolds, it’s clear that the experience in Endgame scars him. He even goes as far
as taking a break from being Spiderman. In that case, Far From Home is a deeper character study into the duality between
the boy and the mask, which ties together sweetly with its coming-of-age story.
It’s as if the mask represents growing up while the boy holding onto one’s
youth, something he can’t quite decide yet. Such perspective makes the
character’s ordeal all the more human.
At the same time, Peter still has a
tough time not only getting over the death of Tony Stark, but also having to
live up to his great legacy. The script explores his feeling of loss and
pressure with pathos and nuance. It does not need a Robert Downey Jr. cameo to depict Stark’s ever-dominant presence in
this movie. Iron Man murals, candlelight vigil and even an in-flight Tony Stark
documentary are spread all over the world, making for some poignant, powerful,
yet haunting imagery. Those imageries imply that Stark is still guiding Peter,
even from underneath the grave. Stark’s evolution into a Messiah-like figure serves as
a beautiful metaphor for responsibility, how it is not something that Peter can
run away from.
Far
From Home‘s
social commentary on superhero obsession and post-truth society suggests a
movie that is definitely of its time. Just like how superhero sells more than
star power in the movies, in the reality of the MCU, superheroes are the new
type of celebrity. The fact that most of them don’t keep their identity secret
helps elevate their popularity. And so, the characters’ insouciant attitude to
superheroes stem from the assumption that anyone who wears a cape is always the
good guy.
Interestingly, the script uses Mysterio,
the guy with a cape and a silly-looking fishbowl helmet, to question such assumption.
For that matter, he’s one of MCU’s most compelling characters due to how he
represents the post-truth era. His most memorable line throughout the movie
kind of says it all: “people will believe anything these days.”In a way, people
will just believe anything that they can see as the truth, without any
qualifiers, not even questioning how he is seemingly the only one who can beat
the Elementals.
Not every aspect of Mysterio’s
characterization works. Here, it seems that the movie tries to have its own
cake and eat it too. One half of the movie deviates from how he was portrayed
in the comics, while the other half sticks closely to it. Separately, there’s
nary to nitpick. But the way the writers bridge the gap between these two
halves are rather unsatisfying. Midway through the movie, there is an
exposition dump sequence in a bar where Mysterio lays out his true motivation. And
unfortunately, it’s a weak motivation on an emotional and logical level. Without
spoiling too much, it doesn’t quite justify his actions in the second half.
Far
From Home’s
problem with establishing a believable character motivation extends to Nick
Fury. His motivation is pretty clear: he wants to convince Peter to help him
fight the Elementals, which Peter refuses initially. And obviously, Fury
doesn’t take no for an answer. His way of forcing Peter to say yes though is
ludicrous. It involves relocating Peter and his high school friends to another
city where an Elementals attack is about to come. Rather than evacuating
people, Fury prefers sending a bunch of teenagers to the slaughterhouse.
Eventually, the ending explains this ludicrous decision, but that’s just the writers
copping out at last minute.
In his fifth outing as Peter
Parker/Spiderman, Tom Holland has
made the iconic role his own. For one, it helps that he acts and talks as a
high school student in a more believable way than his predecessors. At the same
time, he easily blends the good old teen angst with natural comic timing and
heart. His few scenes of mourning Tony Stark’s loss allow him to showcase his
dramatic chops.
Zendaya is given a lot
more to do here than in Homecoming as
Peter’s love interest MJ. Her acting is fully-realized, just like her
characterization and screen time on the script. MJ remains the sarcastic, witty
freak from the old, but with a fresh addition of sincerity, which makes her
feel more like a human being than a movie character. And as a part of a rom-com
couple, she sells every sweet, awkward meet-cute moment with Tom Holland.
Jake
Gyllenhaal’s
offbeat sensibility is seemingly a fit not only in the comic book world, but
also in realizing the equally offbeat Quentin Beck/Mysterio to the live-action
world. He has his fine moments of everyman charm, but his glorious hours are
when he turns on the crazy. Only he can make a campy speech in a bar sequence
seems like an entertaining masterclass in acting.
CONCLUSION:
Spiderman:
Far From Home
manages to up the ante in almost every aspect with a highly exciting and fun
sequel to Spiderman: Homecoming and
epilogue to Phase Three of the MCU that takes its action to summer blockbuster
level without sacrificing the lightheartedness of its humor and romance.
Score: 9/10
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