Tag: Superhero Film

Spider-Man: Far From Home Review

The Web Head you know and love travels to Europe to team up with Nick Fury, Maria Hill, & Mysterio

After the absolutely phenomenal Avengers: Endgame was released to massive critical acclaim and commercial success, the question on everybody’s mind was: how do you top that? Well, Spider-Man: Far From Home chooses not to compete, instead sticking with the John Hughes-esque dynamic its’ predecessor used to make Spider-Man unique within the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe). Whether it’s introducing new characters or building on pre-existing characters, Far From Home does a fantastic job of remembering that character comes first when telling a story on a massive stage. Director Jon Watts (Spider-Man: Homecoming, Cop Car) and writers Erik Sommers & Chris McKenna (Spider-Man: Homecoming, Ant-Man and the Wasp) both returned to give us both the next chapter of the MCU’s Spider-Man and the final film for the MCU’s Phase 3. A word of caution, if you read any further there will be massive spoilers for Avengers: Endgame. Please, I hate spoilers as much as the next human, so do not continue reading if you have not seen Avengers: Endgame. 

Final chance… okay, so Far From Home deals with the aftermath of Endgame, specifically a major death, which I will refer to in a few sentences in case somebody who hasn’t seen it is still scanning the page. As Peter Parker/Spider-Man, played by Tom Holland (Spider-Man: Homecoming, The Impossible), deals with the loss of his mentor and friend, Tony Stark/Iron Man, played by Robert Downey Jr. (Avengers: Endgame, Sherlock Holmes series), and the enormous power vacuum left in his place. Peter struggles throughout the film with the enormous pressure of whether or not he should take Tony’s place as the world’s protector or not, and in his defense, he is the Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man. In addition to this pressure, Happy Hogan, played by Iron Man director Jon Favreau (Spider-Man: Homecoming, Swingers), informs Peter that Nick Fury, played by Samuel L. Jackson (Captain Marvel, Pulp Fiction), is trying to get in touch with him. At the same time Peter is off to Europe for a summer vacation with his friends/classmates. With subplots galore, including a burgeoning potential relationship with MJ, played by Zendaya (Spider-Man: Homecoming, The Greatest Showman), his best friend Ned’s, played by Jacob Batalon (Spider-Man: Homecoming, The True Don Quixote), girl problems, and a global threat involving the Elementals, Far From Home has plenty going on. All this going on while Happy may or may not be dating Peter’s Aunt May, played by Marissa Tomei (Spider-Man: Homecoming, My Cousin Vinny), which causes Peter unimaginable amounts of grief.

When an Elemental attacks Venice, where Peter and his friends are staying, a mysterious man, played by Jake Gyllenhaal (Prisoners, Donnie Darko), appears out of nowhere to save the day. As he is dubbed Mysterio, Peter learns that he is from an alternate Earth, introducing the concept of a multi-verse, as well as working with Nick Fury and Maria Hill, played by Cobie Smulders (How I Met Your Mother, Avengers films). Mysterio AKA Quentin Beck acts as Peter’s unofficial mentor, with the absence of Tony, and Peter is able to commiserate his predicament of becoming a hero for good or enjoying life with his friends. In a film that challenges Peter in many ways that are familiar, yet so unique and interesting, Far From Home is an exciting, thrilling, and hilarious addition to the MCU.

First off, I think the way this film addressed The Snap was incredibly thought out and dealt with people’s criticisms about Peter’s friends all being the same age in a thought provoking way. Honestly, it only gets me even more excited for whatever comes next in the MCU, because Kevin Feige (President of Marvel Studios) and his team have proven they can literally do anything. I think one of the many reasons that the MCU is so successful is the consistent genre/tonal shifts they keep introducing to their films. Far From Home feels like a combination of a John Hughes film and a National Lampoons’ Vacation film, all while still maintaining its’ blockbuster superhero status. Hopefully Marvel and Sony can work together in the following years, because they have an absolute hit on their hands with both of these Spider-Man films.

The actors in this film all absolutely nailed their roles. Whether it is Peter’s “guy-in-the-chair” sidekick, Ned, or Zendaya’s sarcastic, dry humored turn as MJ, the films’ supporting cast does a tremendous job. Angourie Rice (Black Mirror: Rachel, Jack and Ashley Too, Spider-Man: Homecoming) got way more screen time this go-around, portraying Betty Brant, Peter’s co-worker at the Daily Bugle in the comics. Tony Revolori’s (Spider-Man: Homecoming, The Grand Budapest Hotel) portrayal of Peter’s nemesis, Flash Thompson, is just as hilarious as it was in Homecoming. Remy Hii (Marco Polo, Better Man) puts in a fantastic turn as Pete’s rival/MJs’ other love interest in the film as Brad Davis. Martin Starr (Spider-Man: Homecoming, Freaks and Geeks) and J.B. Smoove (Mr. Deeds, Hall Pass) are absolutely hilarious together as the teachers/chaperones for Peter and his friends’ trip to Europe. Jon Favreau and Marisa Tomei both crush their roles as Peter’s parental figures. Last but not least, Tom Holland proves himself, yet again, to be my absolute favorite iteration of the live-action web crawler. As Peter or Spider-Man he absolutely nails the quintessential teenager superhero role. Since Civil War he has injected a lot of fun and emotional story arcs into the MCU and I can’t wait to see whatever he does next.

Michael Giacchino (Spider-Man: Homecoming, Doctor Strange) is the brilliant composer behind the music in Far From Home. Giacchino, who got his start composing music for video games, proves to be the next John Williams, leaving an indelible mark on cinema as a whole. The Far From Home score is filled with trumpet fanfare, woodwinds, and flutes. To me, it sounds very much like his scores from The Incredibles I & II, as there is a theme of espionage within Far From Home, while also embracing some major MCU themes that have been created over the years by various composers. Giacchinos’ score effortlessly transitions between thrilling and bombastic to sweet and heartfelt throughout the entire film, embracing instruments throughout the films’ many different locales. 

Jon Watt, Chris McKenna, and Erik Sommers have crafted another brilliant addition to the MCU. Hopefully they get a chance to work with Marvel again, I suppose we all have to collectively cross our fingers that Sony doesn’t botch the deal in an effort to build their own Spider-Verse with Venom, Morbius, and future Into the Spider-Verse sequels. Unfortunately, there is no Stan Lee cameo in Far From Home, as Endgame appears to be his final cameo before his sad passing. Although there is no Stan Lee cameo be sure to stay behind after the credits as there are two mid/post-credits scenes that hint at what is to come in Phase 4 of the MCU. I am sure Stan Lee and Steve Ditko are proud of what Kevin Feige and the cast and crew have created. In my opinion, it is just as good as Homecoming, if not better.

MPAA Rating: Rated PG-13 for sci-fi action violence, some language and brief suggestive comments
Running Time: 129 Minutes
Released by Columbia Pictures, Marvel Studios, Pascal Pictures, and Sony

Avengers: Endgame Review

Spoiler-Free Review

Avengers: Endgame Review

            The MCU, or Marvel Cinematic Universe, has been building to this moment for a decade over the course of 21 interconnected films. If that statement doesn’t make your jaw drop, I honestly don’t know what will. Against all odds, the MCU has created a cohesive universe of films, which will undoubtedly be taught in history classes in the years to come. Endgame has also broken all sorts of box office records, making it the 2nd All Time Domestic/Worldwide Release (at the time of this writing). Not only is it a financial success, it is also a critical success, with a 94% certified fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Endgame is the culmination of the MCU, which has been split into three different “Phases” of films thus far. Spiderman: Far from Home will complete the third phase of the MCU, with all three phases being dubbed the “Infinity Saga.”

            The Russo Brothers have had experience making Marvel movies. They have directed some of the best in the franchise, starting with Captain America: The Winter Soldier. The scope of Endgame is quite daunting, as the bar was raised to incredible heights with the release of Avengers: Infinity War. Somehow the Russo Brothers manage to top it. They coherently balance the many different character and action beats into a story, which is impressive to say the least. Without giving too much away, the movie picks up directly where Infinity War left off. Thanos’ (played by Josh Brolin) snap has successfully destroyed 50% of the life in the entire universe, leaving the Avengers struggling with the fact that they lost. Each character deals with this loss in their own way, which is an interesting approach to a Marvel film. While these characters are superheroes, the film perfectly depicts how human beings deal with grief and loss in a multitude of ways.

            Without spoiling anything (although, if you haven’t seen it by now you should probably slap yourself), Endgame pays off in huge dividends. If there were one word to describe this movie, it would have to be: fan service… anybody want a peanut? The Princess Bride jokes aside, the film manages to throw in as many cool moments as it can, including my personal favorite iteration of the Hulk (played by Mark Ruffalo) yet. The best way to experience the film had to be seeing it on opening night when all the super fans came out in droves. We cheered at moments in the film so many times I lost count. Endgame was able to balance the lightheartedness and seriousness masterfully. While there are plenty of laugh out loud moments, especially with Thor (played by Chris Hemsworth), the film doesn’t shy away from its’ serious subject matter of mass genocide. The stakes couldn’t be higher as the Avengers assemble to undo Thanos’ snap.

            The performances in the film were absolutely the best in the MCU movies to date. Robert Downey Jr., whose portrayal of Iron Man kicked off the MCU 11 years ago, gives a powerful, heartfelt performance. Chris Evans completely embodies the role of Captain America and Chris Hemsworth turns in a truly hysterical performance as Thor. Jeremy Renner finally gets some screen time as a broken Hawkeye who has turned to a life of vigilantism under the guise, Ronin. His character is involved in one of the coolest long-take action sequences I’ve ever seen. Marvel has also strongly embraced its’ female characters with Scarlet Johannson (Black Widow), Karen Gillan (Nebula), and Gwyneth Paltrow (Pepper Potts) giving incredibly strong performances. Brie Larson also returns as the truly overpowered Captain Marvel. Bradley Cooper continues to impress as the voice of Rocket, who is the only surviving member of the Guardians of the Galaxy (not including Nebula).

            Alan Silvestri (Back to the Future, Predator) returns to compose the now iconic music that the Avengers movies have to offer. He composed the music for the first Avengers film as well as Infinity War. Given the plot of the film, Silvestri had his hands full with all the different musical cues going on and he did NOT disappoint. The music never overtakes what’s happening, it just does a fantastic job of enhancing everything on screen. Thanos’ theme is as dark as ever, while the Avengers theme is sure to go down as one of the best superhero themes ever created. Silvestri likes to use lots of brass instruments to emphasize despair and it was interesting to hear musical cues that reminded me of the original Predator score. Silvestri does a fine job of combining some of the music from most of the MCU films to date.

            Endgame is a strong film through and through and will be a lot of people’s favorite Marvel film, even though it does run at just over three hours long. The film had so many cheer-worthy moments that fans couldn’t help but be overcome with emotion as this chapter of the MCU ends, even though technically Spiderman: Far from Home is the end of this phase/saga. It will be interesting to see what the future holds for the MCU and how on Earth-66 Kevin Feige will top this film. Kevin Feige has been the executive producer of the majority of the MCU films and has been the mastermind behind the cohesiveness of all these films. But of course, none of these movies would exist without the great Stan Lee. Rumored to be his last cameo in the Marvel films, everyone in the theater cheered when Stan made his heavily awaited appearance in Endgame. Stan Lee, of course, is the creator of many of the Marvel characters and he passed away in November 2018 before he was able to see Endgame. I’m sure he was watching up in Heaven and had one word to say about it: Excelsior!