Time for yet another MCU adventure after the massive event that was the Infinity saga came to a close. This sees a return to some light fanfare with the latest Spidey installment. As per the after effects of the events known as "The Snap" and "The Blip" (which is what they now call the moment that the other 50% of people reappeared thanks to the Professor Hulk's use of the Infinity Gauntlet), our team of high school comrades find themselves back in school with a bit of a twist: they haven't aged at all, but the people that remained aged a natural 5 years in their absence. And, as per where we left off in "Homecoming", Michelle is going by MJ now. In true comic book fashion, Peter is now enamored with her, and romantic shenanigans ensue. It seems like the European tour the school has scheduled will provide the perfect opportunity for Peter to step up to the plate and ask her out.
Unfortunately, Nick Fury has other plans for Peter. Substituting for Tony Stark, this is Nick's first "true" introduction to Tony's protégé. The MCU has thus far only paired Nick with the older superheroes, so it is interesting to see him paired up with the inexperienced needy teenager. This thus makes Fury appear more ornery as he serves as the annoyed mentor who feels he should be dealing with a lot better than this. In true MCU fashion, the Avengers are "off-world" or incommunicado, so Spidey is really the only one that he can count on. Well, with the exception of Jake Gyllenhall's "Mysterio", who appears as a response to the Multiverse's Elementals threat who happen to be this outings "creature-feature".
This movie made me nostalgic for 1991's "If Looks Could Kill". In that movie, a high school slacker basically got confused for a secret agent, and he ended up thrust into larger-than-life espionage scenarios. Pretty much the same thing happens here, especially once Nick Fury starts to meddle with Peter's Euro Trip, and once Happy (Hogan) entrusts Peter with the E.D.I.T.H artificial intelligence system that was handed down from Tony Stark.
Unfortunately, the movie falters in terms of its story mechanics at times. To explain this, I need to contrast MCU/Tom Holland Spidey with Sam Raimi/Tobey Maguire Spidey. People complained that Tobey Maguire seemed too old and didn't portray the young Spidey too well, but he was ultimately self-sufficient. This is in fact what made the adaptation of the "Spider-man No More!" storyline possible. His biggest debt is the death that he cannot undo: Uncle Ben. However, as overwhelming as things may get and the chips may be stacked, he continues to prevail as a solo hero. This is why "Spider-Man II" prevails as one of the best superhero movies ever made.
Tom Holland's Spidey is cast in the mold of the animated "Ultimate Spider-man". A teenager who is basically a Tony Stark fanboy. In "Civil War", we get a glimmer of his homage to Uncle Ben as his justification for donning the suit; however, by the time of "Homecoming", he's in full Tony Stark hero-worship mode, and comes to rely on his augmented suit as a crutch. Sadly, "Far From Home" propels us farther down this path with the notion that Spidey is in some way supposed to take up the mantle of Iron Man. This overwhelmed teenager storyline thus becomes the reason for some of the dumbest decision-making ever committed to screen time.
This is an MCU movie, so it definitely looks good. The SFX department dedicated to Mysterio really did a top-notch job; seemed like they were channeling their inner Dr. Strange. The action and comedy blends in very well, and this will definitely be an enjoyable time at the movies. However, the high school gimmick abounds in this movie. I'm looking forward to seeing an older Peter Parker put to screen so that eventually we might even be able to have the "Spider-Totem" story made for the big screen. Mayhaps the MCU needs to finally divorce this convoluted Iron Man - Spidey relationship and let him stand on his own two feet as the true hero that he can be. Only time will tell.
I give this move a B+.
God Bless
