Spiderman: Far From Home

MY RATING: 7

GENERAL INFORMATION

Release Info:  2 July 2019

Genre: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Director: Jon Watts
Writer: Chris McKenna
Running Time: 2 Hours and 9 Minutes

Staring: Tom Holland, Samuel L. Jackson, Jake Gyllenhaal, Marisa Tomei, Jon Favreau, Zendaya, J.B. Smoove and Cobie Smulders

Rating? PG-13

SPOILERS? NO

STORYLINE

Peter Parkers world has changed a lot since the events of Avengers: Endgame and everyone asking who will be the next Iron Man. Peter is avoiding Nick Fury's calls and heads to Europe with schoolmates with plans to tell MJ he likes her. Hell breaks loose with a new villain in the alternate universe Elementals and the new semi-super hero Mysterio. Peter does not enjoy a peaceful trip as he has planned.

MY REVIEW

After a few bad movies in a row, it was nice to see one that I immediately did not regret paying to see. Was it the best movie of the summer? No. Was it a fun to watch? Yes! As someone who had the fortunate opportunity to live in Europe fro several years it was nice to see some of the places I remember so fondly. (Pics below of me in London and Venice).

I need to admit that I was more excited to see Jake Gyllenhaal. (Man candy if I do say so myself).  So, I'm giving it a solid 7. There were a few things that just lost me, but read my notes below and you'll see why I went with that.

What I DID LIKE about this movie:

• DIRECTION- Although this is the typical monster of the movie thing that mot marvel/DC universe movies use as a plot device, the pivots that change the dynamic of the story are pretty well done. I'm not giving it away when I say that this is the kind of story that I get. The monsters are within us all and occasionally the monsters are bigger for some people. I think they successfully told the story while retaining the idea of the teenage Spiderman and his never ending struggle to admit his love for the elusive MJ.
• SET DESIGN/LOCATION- I am ONE OF THOSE people who will tear a movie apart when the set designers and location folks don't get the details right. 
• CINEMATOGRAPHY- Some epic shots here. When you have locations as amazing as Venice and London, you have to let it all sink in without overindulging. I mean, I've stood on the top of the Campidoglio and took some great wide shots of the brick red roofline of the city. I think they did a great job filming in Venice and keeping it from being a vacation video.  Same with London. They stuck with the area near Tower Bridge and it looked and felt right.
• COSTUME DESIGN- I was surprised a little with the suit choices here. The one that he was wearing in the beginning with the meet and greet of the locals in NYC was super over the top. I'm glad they moved back to the typical one for his overseas shenanigans.
• SCORE/SOUNDTRACK-  What a sing-along movie this will be when I am watching this again at home. "I Will Always Love You" to start, a little "Back in Black" and finally a Go Go hit with "Vacation." I wanted to play the air drums a little, who am I kidding, A LOT!

What I DID NOT LIKE about this movie:

• I don't even know which category to put this in. Spiderman IS your neighborhood superhero. He's the home grown kid with the silly home made suit shooting webs from his hands. I think it bothered me that by the end of this movie he was on a Stark plane with Happy and unlimited access to Start Tech. THat's detracts from the selling point of Spiderman.
• EFFECTS- It's not that I didn't like it... but it's really effects heavy. I mean, it IS a superhero movie and it's not like you can just film stuff that doesn't exist, SOOO i get that they needed to use a lot of CGI and effects.
• SUB PLOT- Emotional Rollercoaster that derailed a bit for me. Here was a bit too much of the quirky teenage love will he/won't he was a bit much for me. 
• RIP TONY STARK- Okay, Tony Stark is dead. It seems to me that they were having a hard time letting him go. LET HIM GO. I did enjoy some of the little Tony Stark add in's like EDITH, but it was a bit Stark heavy for me.

On a more personal note..... 

This movie brought up a few great memories of when we lived in Europe. We had some great trips to some of the destinations in this movie and I thought I would share a few. Below is me on the London Eye, and on the Rialto Bridge and in Saint Mark's Square in Venice.