I just moved into a new place and with that kind of life change, comes the need to buy new furniture. Though, because I’m a bachelor living on a budget, I have to cut a few corners and must find affordable furniture to make my place somewhat more cozy-looking. This need has brought me, and millions of others, to IKEA. This superstore has everything you need to fill your home. Once you put it all together, it’s visually pleasing and complements a room decently. However, upon further inspection, the parts are flimsy and will definitely crack or fall apart if you try and move them or if you happen to glance at them in the wrong way.
Maybe that’s why, when I saw the latest Spider-Man movie, I couldn’t help but equate it to anything you’d buy from IKEA. If you’re perusing the aisles for it, just look for Farfrumhömme.
With the events of Endgame behind him, Peter (Tom Holland) looks forward to his European Summer vacation with the science club. He simply wants to enjoy his time abroad and has a grand plan to finally woo MJ (Zendaya). There’s no rest for the webhead apparently, as Nick Fury forces Peter to suit up and help defeat a few giant elementals that are attacking select European cities.
Though, Spider-Man isn’t the only hero taking on these behemoths. A new hero, given the name of Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal) has crossed dimensions to stop these beasts from destroying our Earth. Peter must join him and learn to balance his super-heroics, while also maintaining some sort of personal life with his close friends.
If you loved the first movie in this oft-rebooted franchise – Homecoming – there’s more of what you liked here. It has plenty of action, jokes, teenage angst, fun visuals, and jokes.
Spider-Man: Far From Home is a comedy first and foremost. It’s a complete departure from the MCUniverse-changing tone of Endgame. The difference is actually fine. Spider-Man is a high school kid (Tom Holland age 23) and the humor is centered all around his awkwardness. Though, situations are set up for slapstick, rather than giving any character definition. Over 20 minutes of sketches could have been cut and it would tighten the movie for the better. Any time Peter is with his classmates, the writing feels like it’s right out of a Disney Channel TV series. All this said, approximately 18% of the jokes do land with at least a chuckle.
There is a massive amount of action within Far From Home. Spidey gets plenty of swing-time as he battles lava and wind elementals. The highlight of the movie takes place in a mysterious action set piece around the middle of the movie. It gives Spidey an actual challenge and could easily be a masterful scene pulled right from the far superior Into the Spider-Verse. This movie needed something dynamic to set it apart from just being another standard super flick. But the filmmakers pulled their punches to vie for normalcy.
Tom Holland is a fine actor and I can’t blame him, but I don’t see him as Spider-Man. Truthfully, his time in the MCU has been centered around his adoration and tutelage under Tony Stark. In my review of Homecoming I wrote the following —
“Instead of “With great power, comes great responsibility” we get “If you are nothing without the suit, then you shouldn’t have it.” The line, lazily spoken by Robert Downey Jr, carries no weight in the Spider-Man mythos.”
The reliance on the suit is doubled down in Far From Home. Now, it’s just “Hey, we need a new Iron Man. Wanna be Iron Man? He left you all his toys and tech, so you might as well be.” It will be interesting if Sony ever gets back the creative rights of Spider-man without the MCU connection. He might have to be the solitary hero with insurmountable pressure, instead of being Iron Lad that has the backing of SHIELD and Happy Hogan.
Far from Home is a worthy addition into tier two of the MCU. Gyllenhaal is interesting to watch, even when he clearly doesn’t care about what movie he’s in. This is a casually fun and sometimes funny movie that advances this version of the character to hopefully a great third part. The mid-credits scenes is one of the most essential stingers out there and does far more to advance the plot than the 120 minutes before it.
Take the kids and enjoy this slapdash cinematic flick that is only one part of the 23 movie Marvel universe. Enjoy it. Just don’t put any weight on it, as it will snap under the pressure. C+
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