Spider-Man: Far From Home Review

Comic book properties have always had a presence in the medium of film, but not to the degree they are at now. The steady stream of studios producing movies based on comic book characters became a torrential tour de force with the likes of Tim Burton at the height of his popularity creating the “Batman” films, 1997's “Blade” showing that these movies could be mature and finally Fox’s 2000 film “X-Men” displaying a full ensemble of fully fleshed out characters. For the past eleven or so years we have had an overabundance of superhero movies; we are now at a point in film history where handfuls of comic book movies are releasing at an alarming rate, whether they are well made or not. The end of last year’s Marvel dominance was marked with the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man making his second foray into the Marvel Cinematic Universe with “Spider-Man: Far from Home.”

“Spider-Man: Far from Home” is an enjoyable summer jaunt through an extremely predictable but satisfying tour through a story of grief and acceptance. The key narrative in this film helps the audience and our main protagonist achieve an understanding in the actions of a highly thought of mentor. The movie itself paints a world without the main Avengers and works as a sort of “grieving period” for the audience as much as our titular character. Understanding of the previous Marvel movie, “Avengers: Endgame,” might be required viewing in order to understand the mindset of Peter Parker, who watched his mentor make the ultimate sacrifice and passed the mantle of world protector unto him. The problems with a cinematic universe are the mandatory implementations of elements that have come before this movie and, at some point, these elements take precedence over the main plot in order to leave behind the breadcrumbs that must be there to lead into the overarching plot of this universe. To call the movie formulaic might be hyperbolic but it would still be a fairly accurate description of this movie, years of superhero movies have left the well dry to things that would surprise the audience at this point.

The problem with having a main character with a secret identity is the narrative threads that come along with said identity, the ordinary Peter Parker parts feel very much like retreads of things that have come before, adding to the formulaic nature of this film. The previous entry in the Spider-Man franchise “Homecoming” had an extensive sequence that was paying homage to “Ferris Buller’s day Off” and the sequel harkens back, again, to the 80’s road trip comedy films like “National Lampoon’s Vacation.” One must ask themselves if the target audience even realized this homage is happening. While Spider-Man experiences a great amount of growth in this movie, him understanding why his mentor placed such a huge burden onto a teenager, his other half feels less so because the “teen drama” parts felt dull and unoriginal.

The highlight of the movie just might be the actors performances and the incorporation of Jake Gyllenhaal’s Mysterio character, his band of vengeful technocrats have had a foothold in the MCU way back in its infancy in the original “Ironman.” That narrative string is one of the many callbacks that reward longtime viewers that might utter “I remember that!” Mysterio’s illusions steal the show, due to the visual nature of the character who’s never had a live action debut and gives the audience a very disturbing trip down memory lane. The senses of Peter Parker are assaulted in a sequence that is visually stunning and just might rival that of another Marvel production, 2016’s “Dr. Strange.”

While the story is predictable, and many may see the next act from a mile away, I believe Marvel Studios doesn’t care about coming off as predictable or generic as long as the narrative structure given to the audience invokes emotional responses that validate the choices made in the film. Here’s hoping the next movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe doesn’t resort to using the death of Ironman as a narrative crutch as this movie feels like the final farewell and the ushering in of a new kind of hero.