Spider-Man: Far from Home

I enjoyed the first Spider-Man, and I recently watched it a second time. Tom Holland is great, Michael Keaton creates an interesting villain and the whole thing moved along nicely. In Far From Home, though, things are a little shakier. Holland keeps trying and the action is good to watch, but the whole thing feels kind of pointless. Whether it's the rather off-kilter antagonist with strange motivations and Bond villain appearances, the excessive running time, or the fact that Parker's classmates get a too much space and they're not particularly interesting. Oh, and it's also too long. There's action, there's humour, there's some suspense or romance (Spidey's strongest in that, ironically), but there's nothing outright exceptional, breathtaking or extra interesting. Spidey's second solo effort often feels tedious and tired. It's as if this is the fifth film where they didn’t quite know what to do next, so they send the hero to Europe. It's still okay, it's just hard to find anything "wow". But Holland is likable, Zendaya as a plucky high school femme fatale is too, and the burning Liberec city hall made me happy as a local. On the other hand, I don't think I'll give it a second viewing. (07/13/2019)

This year has actually been pretty good so far. The only thing I had to suffer through from Marvel was the awful Captain America, and with Endgame I just pretended I didn't know it existed. When that huge color spectrum of objects and characters in monumental resolution came flying out at me again after so long, which mercilessly testifies to the fact that even a normal street had to be created mostly from a green screen, I was quite startled. This despite the fact that I surprisingly liked the previous Homecoming for its return to its roots. I mean, Spider-Man, as he himself hints at several times in this installment, is one of those "street-level heroes" whose main agenda is to right everyday wrongs against everyday but upstanding citizens, and ascribing the role of savior of the world to him doesn't sit well. While the first action scene in the last installment took place essentially in the confines of a laundromat against a bunch of common thugs, now it's already taking place in Venice against 20-foot elementals. The one delight there is in all sorts of details, realistic object physics, and the need to improvise with limited surroundings. It's boring to see buildings getting torn down and cars exploding again. The only thing that remains at least preserved is the identity of the villain, who, as in the first installment, is created as a result of the indestructible arrogant Stark hegemony. Besides, in an age of necessary war on tourism and its ensuing tastelessness and disposability, it's hard to rise above the issues of the plot, which constantly serves us images of whiny, spoiled American tourists with cell phones for heads raiding European capitals for instant gratification. No matter how much it makes me enjoy the idea of a conversation between a director and a Czech location scout: "With Prague, I'd like to shore up the quirkiness and history of the place by having the heroes arrive in that city just as some of their traditional celebrations are going on or something. What do they have there?" "Uh, well, there's always drunk guys chasing women with sticks and beating them up in the spring. They have to give them something in return, usually eggs or more booze. If they don’t, they're a write-off." "Hahahaha you're funny, but seriously, what are their specific traditions?" "Well then, like in February, kids dressed up as the three kings walk the streets and sign their names in chalk on the door to get some kind of a handout..." "Well, see, that's a nice custom..." "...and one of them in is blackface." "Oh, good gracious! Please, say no more. Do they at least know what paper lanterns are?" "Well, I guess so?" "Then let’s go with the Festival of Lights idea." (10/02/2019)

An easygoing piece that after the dramatic Endgame wanted to remind fans that Marvel is first and foremost a fun realm of blockbuster filmmaking. The first half is a lot of fun, actually, and it was surprising to see a superhero movie with a teenage romance line being far better than most thoroughbred teenage comedies – Peter’s troubles with his love interest and the subsequent dilemma about his own self work great, both in terms of humour and as an important causal element for the fundamental villain twist. And actually, overall, it’s a very nice spectacle that you will surely enjoy if you like Spider-Man and the Marvel universe, which allows for a rather sophisticated incorporation of illusory motifs and original antagonists. Unfortunately, it’s brought down by the shabby second half, which numbs the viewer with unnecessarily long illusory sequences and delivers a comedic finale where the characters, though they are truly putting their necks on the line, run to the Crown Jewels and share their secret weaknesses. The action is nothing great, either, and the final fate of the villain is quite inadequate given his potential. Also, the concept of travelling through well-known European locations has hardly any value and the interesting post-credit scenes underscores Sony’s stupid decision not to continue with this promising story. 70% (09/25/2019)

Not only a great continuation of the story of Spider-Man (and Peter Parker... and the Night Monkey), but also a great unwinding of the entire Marvel world, which has undergone some really interesting changes since Endgame that the script can – and does – benefit from. Perhaps only the villain could have been better (the Vulture set the bar very high in the last film), but the elaborate and imaginative great illusion scenes are a pretty solid offset to the predictability. I like how Spider-Man is only just becoming the real Spider-Man (although someone else is being Uncle Ben to him, of course) and how Peter Parker doesn't forget that he's supposed to be Peter Parker too. Tom Holland is sensational in the role and Zendaya is even better than last time. The comedy, the action, the surprises, it's all there. The direction is seamless, Michael Giacchino's score is once again worth a hundred points (although he plays with the Avengers theme at times in a way that almost sounds like Lord of the Rings)... If Prague had a shortage of tourists, it could start preparing for them. (07/03/2019)

Lies, tricks and acrobatics. The second Spide-Man movie is a successful follow-up to the first one, as well as to Avengers: Endgame, although the storytelling is a little heavy-handed. Compromises are made in the quest for originality. The juxtaposition of the school trip and destructive fights is inconsistent. There is a reason for this, but it spoils the viewer’s enjoyment a little. The romantic interest works at 100% and Holland and Zendaya lend the required chemistry and a certain cuteness to the story of the loser/nerd in the love story. The storyline with Mysterio has one massive weak point in that people who have read the comic book know it already, but the screenwriters don't take that into account. Even so, Gyllenhaal delivers an interestingly double-faceted performance, accentuated especially in the second half. The illusionary scene is  an unbelievable shower of ideas, the action in the climax is a fan’s dream come true and the setting in Prague/Liberec of course pleases us Czechs. Even so, the first movie impressed me a little more. The post-credits scenes are really worth it this time. (07/04/2019)