Spider-Man: Far From Home (SPOILERS)

I LOVE LED ZEPPELIN...

After the emotional roller coaster Infinity War and Endgame took us fans on over the course of 2018 and 2019, the MCU decided to press down on the break and takes things slow with a little adventure starring our friendly-neighborhood Spider-Man...or is he Iron Man? Anyway, with the release of Spider-Man: Far From Home, Tom Holland's tenure as the web-slinging superhero continues to grow. It's safe to say that he's here to stay, at least for now. That being said, how does his latest venture stack up? Surprisingly not that well if I'm going to be honest. While the film has received incredible praise elsewhere, I cannot find myself enjoying this film as much. Let's start with what I did like about and then get into why Spider-Man: Far From Home is one of the most disappointing films of the year and one of my least favorite Spider-Man films by far:

UPS

1. The cast is great, even if they're stuck with not so great material. Tom Holland remains as endearing as ever as the titular hero even if the movie fails to reward his efforts. Jacob Batalon may not have been given as much to do this time around, but he still remains just as lovable as he was in Homecoming. If I had to pick two real standouts aside from the one I'll mention in my next UP, I'd have to go with Zendaya as MJ and Tony Revolori as Flash. Zendaya really gets time to shine this time around, and the romance between MJ and Peter is easily far superior to the practically non-existent one between him and Liz. Flash really surprised me in the best possible way. As opposed to the stuck-up, one dimensional jackass he was in Homecoming, Far From Home dials back on his jerkiness to add more layers to his character, making him more likable and even sympathetic when you witness the little moments that detail the relationship with his parents. Now of course, there is one who stood above them all, and that's none other than...
2. Jake Gyllenhal as Mysterio. Going into the movie, the sole thing that absolutely sold me on this film was how Gyllenhal would portray this classic villain, and boy did he deliver. Despite the awkward reveal of his true nature and his rather lazy motivation, Gyllenhal's performance allows the character to really shine, making him charming and likable when he puts on the facade of a noble, charismatic hero then twisting it around to reveal the true slimeball he is at heart. Of course, the scene where he throws Peter into a whirlwind of mind-trip illusions is easily one of the most unique and inventive sequences in the entire MCU and he manages to do something no other villain has done in a Spider-Man film by revealing Peter's identity to the world! Yeah, Mysterio truly left his mark.
3. It is and forever will be a true, honest to God blessing to have J.K. Simmons back as J. Jonah Jameson. At the end of the day, he truly is irreplaceable.

DOWNS

1. This movie hasn't really changed Peter in my eyes. By the end, he still remains the same young, dorky, happy-go-lucky kid that he was back in Civil War. He hasn't matured, he hasn't felt the weight of consequence, and he certainly hasn't learned that with great power comes great responsibility, which is ridiculous since I felt Homecoming did such a great job in that regard. If I'm going to be frank, Mysterio was only delaying the inevitable by revealing his identity since Peter did such a terrible job keeping it a secret in the first place. All in all, this allows me to jump into my second point...
2. Not letting Spider-Man come into his own. It's nice to see him integrated into the MCU, but can't we have a movie that's just about Spider-Man and not feel the need to connect it to the overall universe. I mean, I like all the appearances from characters like Nick Fury or the Skrulls, but I came here to watch Spider-Man, not see set-up for the next string of movies coming in Phase Four. And finally, stop comparing him to Tony! When going into this, I was interested to see how Peter would process Tony's death and how that would affect his story going forward, but the direction the movie went with was not something I ended up being fond of. Again, it all comes down to the fact that the producers of this film don't seem to want to let Peter become a hero on his own, relying on the need to compare him to Tony and make it out like it's his destiny to take his place instead of being...well, you know, SPIDER-MAN! What's worst of all is that they seemed to get the memo and show a scene in which Peter and Happy have a heartfelt talk about how Peter should not get riled up over trying to live up to Tony and instead be his own hero. It was such a great scene and gave me hope that this would truly shape Peter into the hero he was always meant to be...and then Happy blasted AC/DC and it all flatlined again. 
3. It may just be me, but it seems like the characters were written to be quip machines. Of course, not every character is like that, but I found it very distracting that every single scene has a character saying or doing something that was meant to usher in laughter. Of course, this being the MCU, it was inevitable that we were going to be showered with a dose of humor, but still, for every joke and quip, I think there needed to be more room for more dramatic moments that allowed the characters to show off more facets to their personalities, and that simply wasn't there. 

OVERALL

Apologies for my mini rant of sorts. I just wasn't pleased with how this film turned out and feel that the MCU is taking Spidey in a direction that doesn't do him justice. With the bombshell the movie left us with in the first post-credit scene, I hope we can get a more personal and dramatic story that allows Tom Holland's acting chops to kick in full gear and give us all the heart and soul we have come to expect from a Spider-Man film because as of right now, I'm just not feeling it. 

And that's it for this post, guys. Tune in for more coming your way :)