- Is Far From Home the greatest Spider-Man movie?
Spider-Man: Far From Home is flipping into theaters
next week, and it might be our most-anticipated movie
since the last Marvel movie, which came out two months ago.
While fans are on the edge of their seats
waiting to see what the Marvel Cinematic Universe
looks like after the fallout from Avengers: Endgame,
they were treated to some good news last week
when early social media reactions to Far From Home
painted it in a very positive light,
but now full reviews have dropped for the Spider-flick,
giving fans a better picture of where the movie stands
in the Spider-Pantheon and making them ask the question,
is this the best Spider-Man film of all time?
- Oh, I'm so nervous (laughs).
- Quick side note, since this film does not come out
until next week, this will be
a spoiler-free film review round up
so consider this your spoiler warning
about how there will be no spoilers.
- Stop watching because there's some serious spoilers
about to come up. - First up.
A lot of the reviews seem to hit on the fact
that there is a lot of pressure on this film
since it comes right on the heels of Avengers: Endgame.
Comicbook.com's review sums up the sentiments with,
"Spider-Man: Far From Home arrives under a massive,
"dark shadow as the first entry
"to the Marvel Cinematic Universe following the mega-hit
"that was Avengers: Endgame.
"The bar is set inexplicably high for the team
"behind Spider-Man: Far From Home,
"but in their own unique personal ways,
"they reach that bar and then some."
Nerdist's own review praises Tom Holland's portrayal
as Spider-Man as the reason for the film's success.
"Far From Home offers an empathetic continuation
"of Peter's establishment in his first solo outing
"as a regular kid who wants to be a hero.
"Two years, or is it seven, and two snaps later,
"Peter is a hero who wants to be a regular kid,
"compound this with the pressures of inheriting the charge
"from the fallen Avengers.
"The combination of Parker and Holland
"forges something wonderfully earnest from this material,
"which sticks to the screen."
David Sims over at the Atlantic also praises the film
and gave the success some more context with,
"The biggest achievement of all remains
"that Marvel managed to introduce Spider-Man
"into its crowded universe just a few years
"after he'd been by Maguire and Andrew Garfield
"in five movies and make him feel fresh."
Adding, "Spider-Man: Far From Home is a bouncy addition
"to a bulging franchise with just enough fringe zaniness
"to help it stand out from the pack."
/Film's review loved the look of the film,
saying the action is top notch.
"Spider-Man: Far From Home is perhaps one
"of the most comic book-y of recent Marvel films,
"setting the conflicts on a grand world stage
"while introducing some truly wacky concepts.
"Jon Watts, who returns to direct Far From Home
"after impressing with Homecoming,
"delivers some of the most
"visually inventive action sequences in a Marvel film yet,
"rivaling the trippy sequences of Doctor Strange
"with a dynamic, deft direction
"that becomes a touch surreal."
Now the folks over at The Wrap praised the balancing act
the film pulls off with, "While Spider-Man: Far From Home
"offers its share of surprising twists and turns,
"up to and including some must-stay-for post credit buttons,
"the movie never feels like it's just biding its time
"between super-battles.
"If anything, and this is a compliment,
"the film frequently feels
"like a charming teen road-trip comedy
"that occasionally turns into a superhero movie."
Collider's review provided this spoiler-free take
that seems to fit the general consensus of opinion.
"I can simply say that Spider-Man: Far From Home is fun!
"It's fun like Spider-Man: Homecoming was fun.
"Everything you loved about that film is amplified here
"with more texture added to characters like Peter
"and MJ while still providing a unique take on the MCU,
"what the world looks like at the ground level,
"that no other Marvel movie provides."
But of course, the reviews didn't only have positive things
to say, the A.V. Club's write-up says
that Far From Home's biggest problem
is just how good and effective Spider-Man: Homecoming was.
"In a way, Far From Home suffers slightly
"for the nimble work of its predecessor.
"Homecoming populated Peter's world
"with such delightful high school characters
"that Far From Home has a deep bench
"before it even gets to the likes of Fury, Maria Hill,
"Happy Hogan, and the ghost of Tony Stark."
That's not a literal ghost, one should always clarify
with long-term fantasy sagas,
but Stark's legacy looms over Peter's conscious
and over the overstepped movie itself.
Honestly, having too many good characters in a film
seems more like a positive problem to have,
especially when you consider that The Amazing Spider-Man 2
had the problem of having too many bad characters in it.
Now NPR categorized Far From Home's biggest failings
as just how crowded the Spider-Man releases are, stating,
"For as good as it is, there's just no way
"to receive Spider-Man: Far From Home
"as anything more than a vestigial tale, as it were,
"on the Marvel saga.
"It's an earnest, well-performed, lovably shaggy,
"radioactive specimen that can't help feeling
"doubly premature for arriving only half a year
"after the rapturous Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
"and a whopping two months behind Avengers: Endgame,
"the MCU's monumental punctuation mark,"
which seems like the most NPR take of all time.
And IndieWire expounds on that a bit with,
"Fans might be appeased by a successful bunt
"in a long summer of disgraceful strike-outs,
"but this is still a maddening failure
"when compared to the remarkable artistry
"of Into the Spider-Verse or the raw pathos
"of Sam Raimi's Spider-Man 2."
They go onto say, "For all of its frequent charm,
"the most generous thing you can say about Far From Home
"is that it's the third best Spider-Man movie
"of the last seven months.
"If Endgame counts towards Holland's contract,
"then it also counts against him here."
So there's the good, the bad, and the ugly of it all.
Far From Home seems to give fans what they want to see
in a heartfelt, fun, and funny romp
but as to whether Spider-Man: Far From Home
is the best Spider-Man flick of all time,
the answer seems to be no.
It appears for now that that honor
is still a two-way tie between Spider-Man 2
and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.
But what do you folks think?
How excited are you to finally see where the MCU is headed
after Endgame, which portrayal of Spider-Man
is your favorite, and what classic Peter Parker job
should he get when he graduates high school in the MCU?
Photographer or scientist?
Let's discuss.
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and if this isn't enough Spider-Man,
check out our latest mash-up,
Spider-Man: Into the Multiverse,
which teams up Tom Holland's Spider-Man
with Tobey Maguire's Spider-Man
and Andrew Garfield's Spider-Man,
truly the most ambitious crossover of all time.
(bright music)