SPIDER-MAN: FAR FROM HOME (2019) ***

Spider-Man:  Far from Home is in the proud tradition of sequels like National Lampoon’s European Vacation, The Karate Kid 2, or The Bad News Bears Go to Japan in that the same stuff that happened in the first movie happens again, except this time it happens in a different country.  Not only does it suffer from some major deja vu, it’s also saddled with one of the lamest villains in the history of Spider-Man comics.  Your mileage may vary of course, but I always thought Mysterio was a stupid adversary, and the movie does little to sway me.  Not only was his costume, a green cape with a fishbowl for a helmet, dumb, his powers of illusion have always been cheesy as Hell. 

Jake Gylllenhaal isn’t bad as old Fishbowl Face.  He’s engaging, charming, and full of megalomaniacal glee when his character finally goes off the rails.  It’s just painfully  obvious what his intentions are from the get-go.  The plot has him teaming up with Spider-Man (Tom Holland) to battle some “elemental” monsters that are tearing their way across Europe.  I mean, sure.  You can trust a guy named “Mysterio”, right?  Because of that, the plot contains virtually no surprises (well, until the awesome post-credits scene, that is).

The way the filmmakers updated Mysterio to make him fit in with the established MCU will make you roll your eyes too. The finale is also pretty weak.  Having Spider-Man fight an army of drones comes as anticlimactic, especially compared to the high-stakes ending of Endgame (not to mention the previous Spider-Man movies).   There is at least one visually striking sequence where Mysterio’s illusions mess with Spidey’s mind, although that’s as close as the filmmakers come to making him an effective villain. 

The plot is painfully predictable and the fight scenes may be largely uninspired, but everything in between bristles with fun. The character work is particularly endearing as the scenes involving Peter Parker’s high school pals are delightful.  In fact, the supporting characters shine brightly and virtually steal the movie out from Holland.  Angourie Rice and Jacob Batalon get a lot of laughs as the fledgling lovebirds Betty Brandt and Ned.  Zendaya is equally impressive as Peter’s crush MJ who steals every scene she’s in.  Martin Starr and JB Smoove are also fun as Peter’s harried teachers.  It’s also a blast seeing Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) bossing Spider-Man around and saying things like “Bitch, please!”  Holland is game, gets plenty of laughs (especially when he dons his black suit), and holds the often messy movie together with his winning charm. 

Some of the best moments deal with how the world has adjusted to the fallout of “The Snap”.  The loss of Tony Stark hangs heavy not only on Peter, but the movie as well.  Because of that, and the slight narrative, Far from Home often feels like a placeholder for something bigger.  That eventually comes during the jaw-dropping post-credits (which I wouldn’t dream of spoiling).  It offers great tease to what the future has in store for everyone’s favorite web-slinger.  It’s just that getting there is kind of a slog. 

Marvel Cinematic Universe Scorecard: 

Avengers:  Age of Ultron:  ****
The Incredible Hulk:  ****
Iron Man:  ****
Thor:  Ragnarok:  ****
Ant-Man and the Wasp:  ****
Spider-Man:  Homecoming:  ****
Iron Man 3:  ****
Captain America:  Civil War:  *** ½
Ant-Man:  *** ½
Guardians of the Galaxy:  *** ½
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2:  *** ½ 
Avengers:  Infinity War:  *** ½
Black Panther:  *** ½ 
The Avengers:  ***
Captain America:  The First Avenger:  ***
Captain America:  The Winter Soldier:  ***
Captain Marvel:  ***
Spider-Man:  Far from Home:  ***
Thor:  ***
Thor:  The Dark World:  ***
Iron Man 2:  ***
Doctor Strange:  ** ½ 

2019 Superhero Scorecard: 
Avengers:  Endgame:  ****
Alita:  Battle Angel:  ***
Captain Marvel:  ***
Shazam!:  ***
Spider-Man:  Far from Home:  ***

Dark Phoenix:  ***