New Horizons?

Despite the naturally adherent feelings from devotee’s towards the likes of Iron-Man, Thor, Captain Marvel and many other likeable protagonists that make-up the Marvel Cinematic Universe that have subsequently resulted in this specific audience to hail the MCU as one of the biggest cinematic feats in contemporary cinema, one staple and consistent newcomer of this filmic franchise that has rather cast ‘hope’ for the likes of other popular Marvel figures to return to their former glory, *cough X-Men *cough, is the recent re-emergence of Spider-Man. As much as this said character flourished his web-slinging abilities and his angsty romanticism in the 90’s, where Marvel was rich with popular animated shows of the aforesaid web-head and thrived in this specific era through its comic-book ‘golden-age’, there’s an argument to be made in this day and age that Spidey is more popular than ever; certainly within the past 15 years. Indeed, from the likes of the recently popular Spider-Man PS4 video-game that made being the loveable protagonist more enjoyable than any other previous Spidey game that has come and gone or Sony Animation’s eye-popping Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse which utilised a striking animation style to the point where it became to be the best stand-alone film to feature this iconic character, the iconography of Spider-Man in this present day is favourably fruitful and can be considered a golden-age for the superhero and what messages he brings forth. If nothing else, Jon Watts’ latest follow-up to Homecoming, in the form of Spider-Man: Far From Home, rather cements this glistening status by continuing to delight audiences through its merger of comedy and action. Yet, being that Far From Home is following after the cinema defining Avengers: Endgame – a feature which emotionally wrapped-up a decade of story threads and character arcs, how palpable does Watts’ recent superhero outing feel in comparison and does it inevitably fall into the bases of a conventional Marvel feature?…

Following on from the events that took place in Avengers: Endgame, Peter Parker – who feels as though he needs a break from being a friendly neighbourhood Spider – decides to leave his Spider-Man suit at home as he embarks for a class-trip to Europe where he hopes he can ask out MJ. But, he’s soon approached by Nick Fury to save the day with new hero, Mysterio, to rid the world of these mysterious entities called, the Elementals. However, with the help of Tony Stark no longer there for him, can Spider-Man fill the void that the recently deceased Iron-Man has left behind? Or, will Peter Parker feel the strain in being asked to save the day whilst wanting to just be a normal teenage boy?…

As briefly highlighted within the introduction, there’s no denying that Avengers: Endgame inevitably laid it’s mark and changed our understanding of what we know of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and other characters from different comic-book lore. Indeed, the apocalyptic time-travel epic not only wrapped-up a decades worth of stories and characters that mass audiences have been touched-by ever since the franchises inception, but it’s also marked as a film that has shrewdly set-up a whole new world of different possibilities; one in which where now, half of its population has been blinked back into existence. Whereas different stories of films and t.v. shows will demonstrate this very progression in the near future of new Marvel characters and stories, Spider-Man: Far From Home is the first Marvel feature which addresses this universe-altering consequence by employing the same considerable wit, boundless energy and thematical frivolity that made 2017’s Spider-Man: Homecoming such a joy to perceive. This is systematically demonstrated within the first opening minutes of the film where Far From Home establishes Marvel’s now post-Endgame world through a frivolous comical gag that not only serves to be an inadvertent catch-up for those audience members who, somehow, skipped the biggest box-office hit of all time, but is a humorous sequence that is indicative of the feel and innocence of how Spider-Man is portrayed in this cinematic universe. As expected as the threaded formalities of quick-quips are to a superhero film like Far From Home, which rather ticks-off the contextual and structural bases that make-up a conventional superhero film, what’s really pleasing to see from Watts is his intention in changing Peter Parker from a happy-go teenage kid within Homecoming who desperately longed for the responsibilities in being an adult and full-time Avenger, to a tired and pressurised youngster who wants to cling onto his profound youth and not wanting to take-up the mantle that Iron Man has left behind, of which everyone expects him to. Indeed, just as Iron Man 3 saw Tony Stark profusely haunted by his encounter with the Chitauri wormhole in Avengers Assemble, Endgame’s conclusion similarly casts a shadow over Peter Parker, who’s now grieving the loss of his father-figure’s untimely sacrifice and relinquishing to fill in his shoes. In echoing the contextual formalities that made Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 2 so pleasing to perceive, and forever stands as one of the better superhero sequels due to its narrative ploys, Far From Home also paints Peter Parker’s character in a conflicting light. As much as he knows he needs to live up-to everyone’s and the recently deceased Tony Stark’s expectations of him to become the ‘next’ Iron-Man for everyone to see, it’s the combination of losing his mentor and experiencing a cosmically life-threatening situation which draws Parker to a life that he previously wanted to escape and rather grounds his predicament in a realistic manner. It’s this simple character decision of this loveable central protagonist experiencing a loss of a friend and trying to be responsible in being Spider-Man whilst wanting to lead a normal teenage life that ultimately makes the aforesaid hero still to be one of the more relatable fictitious champions. With this inclusion of a social element which doesn’t make Far From Home in just being a one-dimensional superhero film that simply employs formulaic aspects that are now tiresome to notice, it made viewing Far From Home much more pleasurable than the preceding Homecoming since the cases in which Peter Parker had to make a decision in being Spider-Man or not compounded the alter-ego’s confusion of what the right things he needs to do. Unlike Homecoming where the said film was confined to the ideals of John Hughes and appeared to be an amalgamation of a teen-comedy mixed with the norms of a superhero feature, Watts’ second-attempt appears to be a lot smoother thanks to the story’s knack of placing the adhered central protagonist in situations where he had time to relax and perhaps confess his love for MJ. He’s always on the move because he’s trying to impress MJ and he’s trying to be there for the likes of Ned on this trip, who of which reckons he’ll be an ‘American bachelor of Europe’, but he’s also pressured by Nick Fury who demands Parker to handle these Elementals along with the beguiling Mysterio. This is a classic Spider-Man story trope in which Watts exquisitely gets right since the action and the proposed teen romance never once become stale to the point where you’re cringing as in The Amazing Spider-Man 2. Despite the impeding doom of what lays ahead for Spider-Man, Far From Home never truly loses sight of Parker’s quest to ask MJ out. The couple’s would-be-romance is sweet and endearing and feels natural with Zendaya’s deadpan delight as a different yet appealing MJ and Tom Holland who enacts a go-happy yet conflicted Peter Parker more believably than past enactments of the beloved hero.

With their being this said emphasis on Peter Parker in Far From Home balancing his time in wanting to hang out with MJ and obliging to become Spider-Man once Nick Fury enters the fray, it makes for a more rewarding experience when perceiving the action scenes. In many ways, it would be ignorant of me to disregard the notion that Watts’ second foray in this new-look Spidey isn’t a teen-comedy film since there are bountiful moments of John Hughes-esque hi jinx with the likes of Peter’s friend in Ned who sparks a relationship with the character of Betty and even bully Flash Thompson who’s trying to become a swaggering travel vlogger who broadcasts to his #flashmob; akining to the mindset and social constructs of this generations youth. However, unlike Homecoming which used its super-heroism to mask its John teen routes, Far From Home takes that extra step further in fleshing out Spider-Man’s world; naturally so considering the end of Endgame. Rather than being confined to the streets of Queens, New York, Watts delights in the possibilities in taking the friendly Spider-Man out of his neighbourhood; now contending with crumbling architecture and new enemies effected by his webs. The said director doesn’t hold back in providing us a near-enough maximum Spider by punctuating the action set-pieces that best show-off Spider-Man’s status as the most acrobatic Avenger; best exemplified in a slick showdown on London’s Tower Bridge and in a mind-trip including Mysterio. What’s even more intriguing was the films balancing between the high-school aspects and the larger-than-life super-heroics that Parker is negligent to do. This is very much carried out through a mode of means whereby they applied a time element to what Peter really wants to do. As mentioned already, Parker wants to really confess to MJ how he really feels about her. However, whenever a chance arises for Peter to say how he feels, there’s always something that’s in the way in being Spider-Man which makes those specific scenes that much more engrossing to see. The proceeding action scenes aren’t just Spidey throwing-out webs as is the norm, there’s an underlying investment to these scenes since there’s two contextual point going-on at the same time – the fight scene itself and the inter-cutting between either Ned or MJ wondering where Peter is. There’s always something happening, unlike in Homecoming, and it’s played-off in a way that is always keeping you interested. The only qualm of this would be how much the comedy doesn’t always hit its mark. The humour that comes along with these quick-succession of scenes doesn’t necessarily come across as funny since you start to question the continuity rather than the joke itself. Similar critiquing can be said of the visual look, at times. Whether it was the editing of the film or the projection of Far From Home in the cinema room that I was in, one can’t help but notice sometimes odd motion blur in scenes when the camera was still; particularly in the beginning when Peter and Ned talk about their trip and MJ.

If there’s one charming aspect to take note of in every chance Spider-Man has appeared in a Marvel film in recent years, including in Far From Home, it’s the enactment of the beloved character itself portrayed by Tom Holland with such enthusiasm and believable expression. As much as I personally akin to Tobey Maguire’s iteration of the character in Sam Raimi’s original trilogy, and even the animated depiction of the web-head in the much underrated 90’s animated series, it’s justified to say that Holland has enlivened the protagonist role since he never once loses the effervescent shine that makes the character one of the more endearing figures of the MCU to date. As touched upon before, even the chemistry he has with Zendaya’s MJ is charming to put it simply with both of the characters/performers respectively bringing their own take towards comic figures that have always been interpreted differently. It’s this very point which brings about this notion of Watts and the writers re-imagining Spider-Man in a different way which is not only different from audiences expectations of the fictitious individual and his world, but also being fun to watch different versions of characters that don’t feel boring to see. Even if it’s seeing Jon Favreau’s Happy Hogan striking a relationship with Marisa Tomei’s Aunt May, it’s these little character threads that add an enriching experience to Far From Home and it’s a testament to Watts that these contextual avenues neatly dovetail without bombarding the central story-line; forever attempting to bring even more emotional depth to an MCU Spider-verse that is, for sure, going down an interesting path (hinting at the end credits scene *wink *wink). One aspect of Far From Home’s characterisation that peaked interests of my own and many others was Jake Gyllenhaal’s inclusion in playing Mysterio since he’s not only an actor renowned in being a chameleon for his enigmatic roles in Nightcrawler and Southpaw, but also a person who was once close to being the famed web-head for Spider-Man 2 in 2004 when Tobey Maguire suffered an injury in filming Seabiscuit and almost couldn’t make it to reprise his role. As much as the figure of Mysterio never was a character in the Spider-Man lore that had me invested compared to the likes of Norman/Harry Osborn, Venom and Morbius, the Living Vampire, Gyllenhaal does an interesting job in enacting a figure who has a lot of story-detail around him and is very much slick in transitioning from one specific spout of emotion to the next without any hesitation. His buddy interaction with Holland/Spider-Man is also a dynamic which will certainly pull the wool over those younger who’ve never heard of Mysterio before. However, from someone who’s well versed in all things superhero’s, the ‘twist’ that they proposed and purposefully didn’t tease in the trailers wasn’t something which surprised me. If there’s one misgiving I have of the said character is his background and how some of background details of the character aren’t as palpable and compelling as someone like Vulture from Homecoming who had a personal connection to the alter-ego of Peter Parker. As much as there is an explanation to the Mysterio character itself, it’s hard to ignore how much of this information was fairly dumped into one dreary exposition sequence that lazy, even despite linking to the universe of the MCU. Indeed, as much as a scene like this is needed, how hard can it be for the script-writers to subtly interweave these details in different scenes, rather than one elongated and stale scene?

With their being a whole plethora of different Spider-Man related films to go and watch, whether it’s the selection of Sam Raimi’s features or even Andrew Garfield’s different take on the character, there’s no going wrong in the fact that there are so many to choose from that about the said character that each respectively offer different stories and thematics. As much as I personally think that Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is the most unique interation of the web-slinger, I think it’s arguable to say that Jon Watts’ Spider-Man: Far From Home is one of the better live-action features of the beloved superhero since Raimi’s Spider-Man 2 since it’s a sequel which addresses some of the questionable aspects that cultivated the preceding Homecoming. Unlike its predecessor, Far From Home is ultimately a looser film which necessarily quickens its story-structure through Peter Parker’s dilemma in wanting to retain his youth and confess his feelings to MJ, but is also wary of his responsibilities as the friendly neighbourhood hero that everyone knows. By no means does it compare to the behemoth-impact that Avengers: Endgame had on audiences, but it’s a light-footed summer blockbuster which rather gives us a small taster of what to expect in the MCU’s near future…

On that note, it’s time for me to end this week’s Film Review. As always everyone, thank you for reading my latest Film Review of John Watts’ Spider-Man: Far From Home and if anyone happens to have an opinion on my review or the film itself, then you’re more than welcome to comment your thoughts down below. For next week, I’ll either be continuing on with my Star Wars Film Review series, in discussing Revenge of the Sith, or analysing Attack On Titan’s second part to its 3rd season and whether or not it’s seen as one of the better anime series I’ve ever seen?…With that said, thank you once again for reading my latest Post and I hope you’re all having a nice week so far! Adieu! 😃😎💏🎓📷🕶🗽✈️🕷👊💥

★★★★☆ – Alex Rabbitte