E.D.I.T.H – Even Dead , I am The Hero – and it stands true when Tony Stark says it. Peter Parker and all of us must get used to living in a world without our favourite Avenger.
We need closure, some more time to mourn, and the movie Spider-Man – Far From Home, gives us just that. It might not be a worthy successor to Avengers Endgame in its scale, but it is a hugely enjoyable watch. It gives many of us the space we needed to reminisce about Tony Stark a little more.
The events in this one follow Endgame’s post-Blip world where the movie responds to the catastrophic event with its characteristic wry sense of humour. While we won’t disclose more to ensure this review remains spoiler-free, what you can know is that the effort is genuinely funny. It can be silly at times, but it does the job of helping us get accustomed to the new world order.
“People need to believe and nowadays they will believe anything,” we are told at one point. And there is a lot of that happening in its 129-minute run-time with CGI special effects, hologram projectors, illusions, lies and the projected truth.
Basically, we are kept busy with Samuel L Jackson, Cobie Smulders and Jon Favreau making flying visits.
Peter Parker needs more time to grow up. Currently, he wants to ask MJ (Zendaya) out. She is his classmate from school.
The movie takes us to Venice and all the bonding between Parker, his love interest and his friends lends the movie a warm fuzzy feel.
Here is our reluctant superhero that Tom Holland brilliantly portrays. He is trying to live up to Stark’s expectations, amidst a huge personal loss and with the responsibility of saving the world. Will he rise to the occasion?
Another superhero is introduced, Quentin Beck (Jake Gyllenhaal), christened Mysterio on the job for fighting the Elementals.
While some might rue the fact that the scale of the fights have shrunk to the radius of a city instead of the otherwise larger-than-life visuals we had gotten used to by now, it helps ground the film as a ‘coming of age’ of our teenage Spider-Man and his journey of self-discovery.
However, writers Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers could definitely have avoided having the big reveal bang in the middle of the film. What unfolds then follows a predictable trajectory that is a little too familiar, and devoid of any surprises.
But the movie shouldn’t be missed. And more importantly, two post-credit scenes have a couple of surprises in store. Sit tight with your expectations in check and it will prove to be a fun watch.
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