Spider-Man: Far From Home

While Spider-Man: Far From Home isn't the best film of the MCU, or the best Spider-Man film, for that matter (I still think it's Sam Raimi's Spider-Man 2) it is indicative of what has made Marvel films successful: it's fun, and it's funny. Perhaps a cynic who is seeing the film on the day their dog died wouldn't have a good time, but for the rest of us, this film, directed by Jon Watts, is pure pleasure.

It is telling that the film was written by Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers, who have backgrounds in TV comedy (they both worked on Community)  because Spider-Man: Far From Home is essentially a comedy. There is the usual comic book plot, but it is leavened with so much humor that I laughed more than I usually do at such a film.

Beginning right after the end of Avengers: End Game, those who were turned into dust by Thanos are now back, and there's awkwardness in high schools because those who stayed behind are now five years older than their contemporaries. Peter Parker is eager for a school trip to Europe, because he has a plan of how he is going to tell MJ (Zendaya) how he feels about her, on the top of Eiffel Tower. Well, they never quite do get to Paris, because some monsters called Elementals are destroying things. An interstellar warrior, Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal) has teamed up with Nick Fury (the ubiquitous Samuel L. Jackson) to stop them, and Spider-Man is there to lend a hand, reluctantly.

If you read Spider-Man comics and know who Mysterio is, a twist will not surprise you, but it's handled well. The spine of the story is that Parker (a wonderful Tom Holland, who I now think is the best to have played the part) doesn't really want to fight, he wants to kiss MJ. He also doesn't want Spider-Man to be seen in Europe, because unlike many of the Marvel heroes, he cares about his secret identity (although his Aunt May knows, as does his sidekick Ned, Jacob Batalan, who steals the show). So when he does do some fighting in Prague in a black suit, he is dubbed the Night Monkey.

I won't go any further with the plot, as there are many surprises. Instead I choose to focus on the wonderful banter. Batalon has become the boyfriend of Betty Brant (Angourie Rice), and they have a relationship right out of a self-help book. Jackson is constantly between bemusement and anger at Parker's antics, such as when the latte says he's not ready for this ("Bitch please, you've been to space!" Jackson barks). The film also reminds us that Parker is a teenager, something that never quite worked with Toby Maguire or Andrew Garfield. Holland is 23, but can still pull off sixteen. I wonder how many laughed along with me when the AC/DC song "Back In Black" comes on and he yells, "I love Led Zeppelin!" (The score is great, with the Ramones' "I Want To Be Your Boyfriend" and The Go-Go's "Vacation" just perfectly placed.

Also providing comic relief is Jon Favreau, resurfacing as Happy Hogan and romancing Aunt May (Marisa Tomei, rocking some mom jeans).

There are the customary post-credit scenes: the first brings back one of Spidey's old nemeses, and the first actor to appear in a pre-MCU marvel film and now an MCU film, and the final credit scene reveals another twist and is probably a set-up for Captain Marvel 2, although that film, as surely as it is coming, was not announced as part of the next phase of the MCU. But neither was a third MCU Spider-Man film, and I'm sure we'll get one. If they haven't come up with a villain yet, may I suggest the Scorpion? He hasn't appeared yet.