Director: Jon Watts
Writers: Chris McKenna, Stan Lee (based on the Marvel comic book by)
Stars: Tom Holland, Samuel L. Jackson, Jake Gyllenhaal
Moviie Couple here! We went to see Spider-Man: Far From Home this Holiday weekend! Remember we are just a married couple that loves movies! We’re here to tell you if we liked it. Film experts we are not! Just a quick reminder of our rating system. Mrs. Moviie Couple and I, rate films on whether they are worth the cash spent on a night out. we use a 1-6 Dollar Bill system. 1-2 Bills equal a waste of both our time and money! 3-4 Bills equal Meh to Pretty Good, money well spent! 5-6 Bills equal Wow! Well worth the price of dinner, movie and sitter! Please take our money again!
Spider-Man: Far From Home continues the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe) adventures of Peter Parker, high school science student, and of course Our Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, from his first solo film, Spider-Man: Homecoming. Now, he’s a bit more famous thanks to his previous adventures and the world apparently knowing his role in both of the last Avenger films (Infinity War and Endgame). Peter finds himself struggling with his new found responsibility, his attempts to live up to the legacy of his mentor and friend Tony Stark (Iron Man) and his desire to just be a kid. He knows what he does is important, but the kid in him still longs to hang out and chase the girl he is crushing on. As the title alludes to, the class is chosen for a tour of Europe! This seems the perfect time for Peter to slow down and spend some time with the enigmatic MJ, who he so far has only admired from afar. But as fate would have it, a new Earth shattering threat has begun! Nick Fury and Maria Hill need his help! And a new costumed figure has entered the field of play, the handsome and charming Quentin Beck AKA Mysterio! Will poor Spidey save the day! Will he get the girl? Can Beck/Mysterio be his new Tony Stark/Iron Man? Nothing comes easy for Old Parker, the stakes are high, MJ has a new suitor, and all is not as it seems! He catches thieves just like flies, but can he save the world and save his love life?
Directed by Jon Watts and starring Tom Holland as Peter/Spider-Man, Samuel L. Jackson (He’s nearly in as many movies this year as Keanu Reeves!) and Cobie Smulders as Fury and Hill, Jake Gyllenhaal as Beck/Mysterio, Zendaya as MJ, Marisa Tomei as Aunt May and yes all the kids and faculty from Homecoming are back as is Jon Favreau as Happy Hogan. So is this a good sequel to Homecoming? Is it as advertised, an Epilogue to Avengers:Endgame? Well, come join Mr. and Mrs Moviie Couple as we give this film a swing and review this latest entry in the MCU saga!
So here we go!
Mr. Moviie Couple: Let me start by saying I love comics. If you follow us here at all you already know this, but if you are reading us for the first time you need to know that. So that being said, I am a huge Spider-Man fan. I love Tom Holland as Peter Parker. I think he embodies Peter in the same way Chris Evans does Captain America or RDJ does Iron Man. He’s just perfect. I was in love with his first film Homecoming, but I am actually sad to say I don’t feel the same about Far From Home as I did for the first one. The film starts way too slowly. It is part John Hughes Wannabe (Homecoming did a far better job of capturing this energy than FFH) and part MCU blockbuster and I feel that is part of the problem. Not every MCU film needs to be the end of the world type threat to be a success. Just ask the Antman/Wasp films. We do not spoil here at Moviie Couple, so we will not explain the villainous plot outright, but if you’ve ever read Spider-Man comics at all or watched a Spidey cartoon like… ever or even really payed attention to the advertising for this film you should be able to guess the bad guy immediately. So I say that to say this, The villain is not a world threat traditionally and I believe if anyone actually thinks over the plan, at the films conclusion, it really doesn’t hold up. Shield should have been able to handle this or at the very least if the stakes were set lower it would have made a more credible Spidey level threat, but the filmmakers by this point in the MCU, feel the stakes HAVE to be earth threatening I guess.
Now don’t get me wrong, they creators try and explain a lot of this away (PLEASE stay for the end credits), but it just doesn’t hold water for me. The action is ratchet up to Avengers level and as I already stated, I feel it wasn’t needed. A bit of cinema overkill. The best action scene comes in the middle where Spidey doesn’t know what’s real or what isn’t! This fight scene was nearly a comic book battle leaping from the page and almost made the entire movie for me! But the final fight scene was over done in my opinion.
Gyllenhaal is great as Mysterio and a natural addition to the MCU. His backstory is tragic and unexpected! He does a great job! The stand out actors to me where Holland and Zendaya! The scenes with Peter and MJ are the best of the film and they seem natural and absolutely believable. I missed a bit of MJ’s awkwardness in this film, she seemed to go from Ally Sheedy in the Breakfast Club to the prom Queen everyone is suddenly chasing between movies and it felt unearned, but that’s not her fault it’s the writers. She was great in her role as is Holland.
It just didn’t balance the Teen Romance and the Superheroics well in my opinion. The superhero plot was basic, I do give it points for tying itself into the past MCU films, but it was an underwhelming plot. Great acting and a wonderful soundtrack, nearly save this for me, but there has only been one MCU film I didn’t want to see again after I saw it in theatres, Captain Marvel, now there is two. Far From Home isn’t terrible, but it isn’t amazing either, and with this cast and this legendary character that is the real shame.
Far From Home is better than MEH and close to Pretty Good, So I’m going with 3.5 Bills. To be honest, I think Tom Holland can make the perfect Spider-Man movie, unfortunately I’m still waiting for it.
Mrs. Moviie Couple: Remember, it was your votes on Twitter that even got her to go see this film! She found Far From Home to capture all the ups and downs of High School life accurately. It really took her back.
She did say this had all the “typical”attributes of superhero films, Superhero Vs Supervillain, hero chases girl, hero has funny sidekick that knows his secret, Hero forced to decide which path he will take in life, Yada, Yada, Yada…..she was starting to doze early in this film.
But then she was taken in by Tom Holland’s performance. She finds him absolutely, adorably lovable as Spider-man! She found herself really liking MJ with all her quirks and mannerisms. She started to really like them as a couple. Their relationship kept her interested. It was very believable and fun despite all the typical explosions and action scenes. She loved them as a couple and found herself paying attention and rooting for them more than if Spidey saved the day or not. She also enjoyed seeing Aunt May move forward with her life and start a relationship. She didn’t expect that and liked that addition a lot.
The villain (No spoilers) was slow to get to his point, but she was surprised by his plans and found him to be a clever and sly villain rather than one that simply overpowers their enemies! She loved how he used his wits and mind rather than brute force to challenge our hero! Wow, something different in a superhero movie! Who’d a thunk it?
She liked the various Spider-Man costumes used throughout the film and liked how they all served a purpose rather than just selling different toys or Halloween costumes.
But her favourite part was the End Credit scene! Especially the first one! It really pulled her in! They got me! She said. I have to see just what Spider-Man is going to do now! A huge endorsement from the woman who swore off superhero movies just a few weeks ago. Now that’s a powerful end credit scene right there!
Overall, despite her positive feelings toward a movie she nearly skipped entirely, she still left saying She should have waited till Netflix to see it. I had to correct her that it would probably be out on Disney +, Netflix and Disney would soon be parting ways. I think that’s when she called me a nerd and warned me I could walk home. She gives Far From Home 3.5 Bills. Not quite Pretty Good, but not nearly as bad as she expected it to be.
On the way home, We talked about the villains plot, the kids, how great Holland and Zendaya were and how despite a lot of good things, the movie just left us uninspired. I know people will hate this opinion, but we are just being honest. It wasn’t bad, but man, with all the talent and money on the screen it really should have been …more. Not quite an Amazing Spider-Man, not a Spectacular Spider-Man either, more like an Almost Pretty Good Spider-Man hence the 3.5 Bills average! We both gave it the same 3.5 so its was a unanimous decision.
So until next time, remember we are just Your Friendly Neighborhood Moviie Couple! Be sure to check out our Twitter or Facebook for a clue to our next movie review. Mr. & Mrs. Moviie Couple out!
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