Movie Review : Spider-Man - Far From Home (2019)

* This review contains spoilers *

Disney’s crazy, MKUltra-like plan to take over cinema with superhero movies has revealed a weird quirk in people: everybody suddenly had an emotional relationship to comic books dating back to childhood. Self-described nerds came out of closets they had fabricated for the sole purpose of dramatically breaking out of it. But that irrepressible desire to belong to something greater than oneself has been challenged by the legal kerfuffle between Disney and Sony, leading to a multiverse of Spider-Man reboots. It’s hard to love something that unceremoniously self-destructs every couple years.

The guinea pig of the Marvel Cinematic Universe had the unenviable task of following up Avengers: Engame last summer, but Spider-Man: Far From Home is so appropriately downsized and self-aware that it kind of does it? But only kind of.

In Spider-Man: Far From Home, teenage Peter Parker (Tom Holland) is going on a year-end trip to Europe with his classmates. A moment of “normalcy” he is very much looking forward to. But it turns into shit when a water monster starts attacking Venice. Spider-Man was there to save the day, but he didn’t. At least, not alone. A new superhero named Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal), who claims to be from an alternate reality, showed up to kick his ass. Peter has found a new mentor to help him ease into his superhero responsibilities. Or not. There’s no easing into being a superhero. You either embrace it or you don’t.

This is the most ideological superhero movie I’ve seen, so far. At least, from Marvel’s side. First, there’s Mysterio, who looks like the token idea of a superhero: good looking, dashing haircut, spandex suit, cape, etc. He desperately wants to be a superhero and be loved. That burning, righteous desire pushes him to simulate interdimensional attacks in order to prove his worth. His scheme is seemingly harmless to anyone who doesn’t know his secret. It just causes a lot of bedlam. Mysterio so desperately wants to be a superhero because he wants to stick it to deceased Tony Stark for being a dick to him.

Facing him is Peter Parker. Who actually is a superhero, but doesn’t look like one. He’s young, awkward and he wears civilian clothing for much of the movie. The fundamental difference between the two men is that Peter is reluctant to accept his calling. He only uses his superpowers to protect his friends. Mysterio wants to be loved and Peter becomes Spider-Man out of love for others. In its owns spectacular way, Spider-Man : Far From Home highlights the true nature of heroism: sacrifices and selflessness. What’s interesting is that it’s not only true for superheroes, but for everyday heroic people as well.

That idea makes Spider-Man : Far From Home a worthwhile movie like it made the Harry Potter series actually worthwhile. It has a responsible message. It’s not JUST trying to look cool. Now, it kind of fucked it up a little with its post-credit scene. A so ridiculously on-the-nose political statement about Trump-era disinformation that I lost my eyebrows right on the spot. Peter is ultimately punished for his heroism because of his obsession with keeping a fulfilling personal life. I don’t know what director Jon Watts was trying to do here, aside from screaming: TUNE IN FOR THE NEXT EPISODE, IDIOTS.

I mean, Peter is rewarded by winning over Mary Jane (Zendaya) like he is in every Spider-Man movie/cartoon/comic book, but he’s also cruelly exposed and painted into a villain by the evils of video editing. It’s kind of chilling when you think of it. That Spider-Man spends the majority of the movie taking down ultra-sophisticated reality altering bots only to get taken down by a stupid online video. It doesn’t alter the overall message of the movie, but it’s a brutal way of telling the audience not to be fucking sheep and believe everything they see online.

There’s a lot to nerd over with Spider-Man : Far From Home. There’s a whole argument about the use of technology in order to attain God status vs having God given gifts that I won’t get into, but it makes the movie even more charged and fun to think about. In general, Spider-Man’s been a ridiculously mismanaged superhero franchise, but third time might’ve been a charm for Sony. I wouldn’t say Spider-Man : Far From Home is a masterpiece or anything, but it’s smart, has the right message for its audience and makes for a fun way of spending two hours.

7.2/10