Spider-Man: Far From Home

The past few years have seen quite the journey in how Spider-Man is utilized in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as part of the Sony-Marvel deal that's keeping him there. He made a strong impression via his introduction in Captain America Civil War, craved to be a strong hero like Tony Stark, and suffered for getting involved in the battle against Thanos but managed survive the ordeal due to cosmic contractual plot armor. To be honest, while the actor is a delight in the role, I've always felt the writing for his character was strongest with Civil War and Infinity War compared to the passable Homecoming. This sequel to Homecoming carried the responsibility to follow-up the magnitude that the recent MCU installment, Avenger Endgame, dealt with and close out this Phase 3 of the overall franchise. As I've mentioned in the past, I thought Homecoming was okay as it had its strength from Tom Holland and Michael Keaton in regards to their acting while everything else felt more like underwhelming filler. I went into the auditorium ready to see if the writers have learned their lessons from that predecessor to improve the sequel and left it liking some of it but ultimately felt there was more to be desired.

What's it about? Taking place after the resolution of the Infinity War, the story follows our protagonist as he juggles more newfound hero duties thrust upon him while on a class field trip in Europe. One thing to note is that this is the first Spider-Man film that finally decides to leave New York for a different country, which acts as a breathe of fresh air for new environments instead of the same old buildings from the city. One way to describe this plot is that it carries both the strengths and weaknesses from Homecoming in certain ways. When things are focus on Peter Parker dealing with the fallout from the aftermath of Endgame and considering the kind of hero he wishes to be, those parts are where it gets close to achieving the genuine heart to be invested. There are creative sequences in the action department that are improved this time around that definitely help.

However, its similarities to that previous solo outing with the teenager highlights the bigger problems that make a noticeable portion of this feel like boring indifferent filler. The narrative structure is more wonky here because its depending on the hit or miss humor presented to become a goofy comedy rather than something more balanced and genuinely entertaining. The teen romance is slightly better due to the chemistry of the actors but it doesn't feel natural as the previous interactions never suggested such a connection and feels kinda shoehorned in like before. The predictable plot doesn't offer anything new and feels more like something standard. Another hindrance to this issue are the amount of side characters present, the majority who don't offer a lot except to pad out the runtime with bland jokes.

Is there anything different from Homecoming? Thankfully there's something big and unique to this to separate it from its predecessor (aside from the change of scenery). Just when you think things going to end the casual normal way, the movie realizes it hasn't given enough of a struggle and ups the game with 2 excellent end credits scenes. They give new context to the events that took place with new surprises and explain certain behaviors while providing a glimpse into Phase 4.

Is Tom Holland still a precious gift in the role? Despite the problems with juggling the message and theme for Peter Parker, Tom is one of the best aspects carrying this teen comedy. When there's a scene focusing on our teen contemplating about his usual "living up to the kind of hero Stark would want for him", there are parts he nails so well that you wished they gave it more screen time. The panicked look he gets with his shenanigans is endearing to watch in spurts. One big criticism here is how the plot takes this smart young man and dumbs him to being naive for story purposes to create new conflict. Another one that carries over is the lack of an empathetic struggle when everything comes easier to him to due connections he has (hopefully the sequel fixes this).

How's Jake Gyllenhaal as Mysterio? Similar to Michael Keaton from the predecessor, Jake is a breathe of fresh air who brings something interesting here in regards to his character. The way he pulls off this role is commendable once whenever he's on screen and he elevates the quality upon his arrival. My only criticism with him is a huge exposition dump scene that invokes an MCU cliche that the studio should really stop relying on at this point. A big shout out to an amazing visual sequence that is easily the best moment it had to offer.

In regards to side characters, most of them don't offer a whole lot to the table outside of their archetypes as people needing to be saved from danger/inserting quirky humor that doesn't work a lot. An honorable mention goes to Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau) and MJ (Zendaya) for their respective performances as well as their chemistry with Tom Holland. A dishonorable mention goes to Ned (Jacob Batalon) for being a weaker friend this time around and possibly more annoying this time.

Overall Consensus: Spider-Man Far From Home struggles to be an endearing comedy film due to a crowded script but manages to entertain due to solid lead performances, good action sequences, some cool moments, and great end credit scenes. ⭑⭑⭑1/2🎟 Runtime: 2 hours 10 minutes PG-13

Reasons to watch it: You are a fan of the aforementioned actors. You are a fan of the MCU and are curious about the state of things following Endgame. You don't mind a sequel that's similar to Homecoming in terms of pros and cons. You don't mind a hero who doesn't go through a struggle and has a mostly carefree life. You are a fan of the titular superhero and want to see how it compares to the other solo films with different incarnations. You want to see how Mysterio is handled and/or the end credit scenes. You don't mind standard predictable superhero comedies.

Reasons to avoid it: You aren't a fan of the aforementioned actors. You aren't a fan of the MCU. You would be annoyed a sequel that's similar to Homecoming in terms of pros and cons. You are bored with a hero who doesn't go through a struggle and has a mostly carefree life. You aren't interested in Spider-Man in general. You dislike standard predictable superhero comedies.