Fast and Furious Presents: Hobbs and Shaw (2019) review

The Fast and the Furious franchise has undoubtedly been one of the biggest film franchises in recent memory. While it has been around since 2001, the series truly started to hit its stride with its fifth installment, 2011’s Fast Five, which surprised many by being the first entry of the series to attract generally positive reviews from critics. For many, this was largely due to a new addition to the cast in Dwayne Johnson’s Luke Hobbs, a burly, no-nonsense agent working for the Diplomatic Security Service. While initially established as somewhat of an antagonist for series lead Dominic Toretto and his gang, Hobbs ends up becoming one of their key allies for subsequent films. Another major standout for the series came in the form of Deckard Shaw, played by Jason Statham. First introduced in the mid-credit scene of 2013’s Fast and Furious 6, Shaw effectively became the main antagonist of 2015’s Furious 7 but would later transition into an anti-hero in 2017’s The Fate of the Furious. And while Shaw’s new characterization proved to be rather controversial amongst fans given that he was responsible for the death of Han, one of the series’ main protagonists, many agreed that the scenes between Johnson and Statham were the best part of the film. As such, we now come to a first for the Fast and Furious franchise via a spin-off centered on its two most popular characters, Hobbs and Shaw. For this film, directorial duties go to David Leitch, who’s fresh off last year’s superior follow-up to 2016’s superhero smash hit Deadpool. What follows is exactly what you’d expect from a Fast and Furious film; a completely ridiculous but all-around super fun popcorn flick.

During a mission to retrieve a deadly virus known as ‘Snowflake’ from the mysterious terrorist organization Eteon, a group of MI6 agents are attacked by Eteon’s top agent Brixton Lore (Idris Elba), a former MI6 agent who’s been turned into a cybernetically-enhanced super-soldier. Almost every member of the team is killed save for team leader Hattie Shaw (Vanessa Kirby), who injects herself with the virus to avoid it getting into Lore’s hands. Thus, Lore and Eteon manage to pin the whole incident on her, forcing her to go on the run. In their efforts to track her down, the CIA recruits two special operatives for the mission; DSS agent Luke Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) and Hattie’s brother, former British Special Forces agent Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham), who also happens to have a considerable history with Lore. The only problem is that, as exemplified by their past encounters, Hobbs and Shaw do not get along in the slightest. However, given that the virus within Hattie will end up killing her in a few days and will then be unleashed upon the world to kill countless more, the two ‘frenemies’ are forced to work together just to ensure that none of this ends up happening. And because Brixton Lore and Eteon consistently prove to be a massive thorn in their side, the three realize that they’ll have to embrace their familial roots if they want to stand a chance against their enemies.    

Nowadays, the ongoing narrative surrounding the Fast and Furious films usually revolves around how incredibly over-the-top they’ve gotten. What was once a simple street-racing franchise has now evolved into a series of films where its characters pull off incredibly ludicrous stunts that defy every single law of physics, whether it’s jumping a car across tall skyscrapers or driving them out of an airplane. And because these films consistently continue to up the ante when it comes to their insane action sequences, it’s legitimately gotten to the point where fans have been speculating for years now if the franchise will ever head into space. As for Hobbs and Shaw, it’s basically a full-blown superhero film at this point since the plot revolves around the titular duo taking on a genetically enhanced soldier who’s so powerful that he straight-up boasts that he’s ‘Black Superman’. As such, this film is ultimately yet another example of what we’ve now come to expect from this franchise. Simply put, if you’re among those who aren’t even remotely fans of Fast and Furious, then you’re clearly not going to get anything out of this since it basically maintains every single one of the series’ long-standing tropes. In fact, you’ll probably just look at this and lament how this franchise keeps managing to get even sillier with each new installment. But if you are a fan of this franchise, this film does continue to feature everything that you love about it, from the cheesy comedic dialogue to the action sequences that, no matter how insane they get, are still a lot of fun to watch. And while it does occasionally feel like David Leitch is being forced to keep some of the fight sequences under the PG-13 rating, there are still plenty of cases where he gets to show off his knack for excellent stunt choreography.

But perhaps the most surprising aspect of this film is how effective it is at handling what is easily the franchise’s definitive theme, the importance of family. Yes, as fans of the franchise are undoubtedly aware, Fast and Furious has constantly prided itself on the strong camaraderie between its main characters. However, it does seem like this bond has been tested in recent years, especially after Vin Diesel and Dwayne Johnson’s heated feud on the set of The Fate of the Furious that, as it turns out, was partially due to the announcement of this spin-off. Still, there’s no denying that family has always been a key element of this franchise’s success, and Hobbs and Shaw is quite arguably one of the best entries in the series when it comes to conveying this since it directly defines the character arcs of its titular leads. Shaw’s involvement in the plot primarily stems around the need to protect his sister (who he’s been estranged from for several years) while Hobbs ends up returning to his home in Samoa and reuniting with his family, who play a major role in the film’s finale. Now to be clear, this is still Fast and Furious that we’re talking about so this is by no means an Oscar-winning script; and yet, it could be argued that this one handles the ‘family’ aspect a lot better than some other entries in the franchise. And as to be expected, Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham continue to be excellent in the title roles thanks in large part to their excellent camaraderie and the hilarious banter that stems from it. They’re then backed by Vanessa Kirby’s equally excellent turn as new female lead Hattie Shaw, with Kirby more than holding her own against her two main co-stars when it comes to the action sequences. And to close out the main cast, Idris Elba is clearly having a lot of fun in the role of main antagonist Brixton Lore, who does prove to be a considerable threat to the main characters despite a few instances where his characterization feels a bit one-note in favor of setting up a new overarching series villain in the currently unknown director of Eteon.

While it is primarily a spin-off of the Fast and Furious series, the fact that Hobbs and Shaw revolves around the franchise’s two most popular characters ultimately resulted in a situation where many people were looking forward to this film more than the impending Fast and Furious 9, which is set for a May 2020 release. And if that wasn’t enough, it’s been confirmed that Johnson and Statham won’t be returning for the ninth film due to their commitment to this spin-off. As such, only time will tell if this will have any sort of impact on Fast and Furious 9, especially given how Johnson’s involvement with the franchise was one of the key factors behind its unexpected resurgence. But as for Hobbs and Shaw, it’s easy to see why this one attracted so much hype before its release. Bolstered by the terrific camaraderie of Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham, this film once again reinforces why Luke Hobbs and Deckard Shaw have become one of the best mismatched buddy duos in film since Martin Riggs and Roger Murtagh. Sure, just like the other recent installments of the Fast and Furious franchise, Hobbs and Shaw doesn’t let up in the slightest when it comes to the increasingly ludicrous nature of both its plot and its action sequences. Because of this, it’s clear that those who aren’t already fans of the franchise probably won’t be swayed by this new installment. But, of course, when it comes to the franchise’s devoted fanbase, they will most likely find this to be another solid entry in the series thanks to its great cast, highly entertaining action sequences, and solid direction from David Leitch. It’s already grossed over $588 million worldwide, once again reaffirming the Fast and Furious franchise’s status as one of the most dominant film franchises around.

Rating: 4.5/5

And don’t forget that there’s still plenty of time to vote for your favorite film from the Summer of 2019 in Rhode Island Movie Corner’s annual ‘End of Summer’ Fan Poll. Just head to the following link (https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/NQ3FZN2) to make your selection. Voting ends this Saturday, August 31^st; as Doctor Strange would say, “We’re in the endgame now…”

RIMC's 6th Annual 'End of Summer' Fan Vote

The summer season is quickly coming to an end, and here on Rhode Island Movie Corner, that means exactly one thing. That’s right, folks, the time has come yet again for RIMC’s annual ‘End of Summer’ Fan Poll. For those who are new to this site, this is something that I’ve been doing every August since 2014 where I poll you, the readers, to get a general idea of what have been some of the most popular films of the summer. Obviously, there’ll be the expected contenders like the MCU films and Pixar’s latest masterpiece, but because my follow-up post covers every single film that gets a vote, this poll also allows for some lesser talked-about films to share in the spotlight. Here’s how it all goes down. Right below this paragraph will be a link that will direct you to a poll that I’ve created on the surveying website SurveyMonkey. This poll has one simple question; what was your favorite film that you saw during this past Summer? And just as a quick forewarning, there are a ton of options to choose from since I basically include every major wide release from the past three months. Despite this, however, not every notable release from this year made it into this group, but fear not, a write-in section is also included as an option for you to mention anything that I may have missed. Voting officially starts today, August 11^th, and will last three weeks, concluding on the last day of this month, August 31^st. After that, a follow-up post will be published sometime in the following week or two that will, as I noted earlier, cover EVERY film that got a vote. As always, I look forward to your answers so that we can see what 2019 release will be crowned as your favorite film from this past Summer.  

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/NQ3FZN2

But before we conclude today’s proceedings, it’s only fitting that we honor tradition by looking back upon previous installments of this poll to highlight all the past winners. This is…

THE OFFICIAL RHODE ISLAND MOVIE CORNER ‘END OF SUMMER’ FAN POLL HALL OF FAME

*The inaugural edition of this poll in 2014 ended with an exciting 3-way tie which saw the top honors go to The Fault in Our Stars, the popular film adaptation of author John Green’s best-selling novel, 22 Jump Street, the hilarious follow-up to Phil Lord and Chris Miller’s equally hilarious 21 Jump Street from 2012, and Guardians of the Galaxy, which took some of the most obscure characters in the Marvel Universe and turned them into MCU superstars.

*In 2015, there was barely even a contest as film buffs across the world were completely enthralled by writer/director George Miller’s triumphant return to his legendary franchise, Mad Max. Touted as one of the best action films of all-time, Mad Max: Fury Road ended up taking home 6 Oscars at that year’s ceremony and had, at most, double the votes of any other contender from that year’s poll.

*2016 saw an interesting tie for first place. On one side, you had an obvious winner in Captain America: Civil War, Marvel Studios’ thrilling start to Phase 3 of the MCU and a superior adaptation of the controversial storyline from the comics that shares its name. On the other side, there was an unexpected fan favorite in the form of Bad Moms, a raunchy comedy starring Mila Kunis, Kristen Bell, and Kathryn Hahn as a trio of overworked mothers who decide that they’ve been long overdue for a much-deserved break from their parental responsibilities.

*Two Warner Bros. releases ended up vying for the top spot in 2017’s poll. While some may have expected fan-favorite Wonder Woman to take top honors given how successful it was as the first well-received outing of the DC Extended Universe, it was ultimately Christopher Nolan’s intense war flick Dunkirk, based on the real-life evacuations of Allied soldiers from the titular city’s beaches, that landed at the Number 1 spot.

*Finally, when it comes to last year’s poll, some of you may be surprised to know that Marvel Studios’ epic ensemble piece Avengers: Infinity War was not the top-voted film. Instead, that honor went to writer/director Spike Lee’s critically acclaimed BlacKkKlansman. This true story about an African American police officer who managed to covertly infiltrate the ranks of the Ku Klux Klan ended up setting an event record when it comes to overall votes.

And now, we’re left to speculate about 2019’s impending selection. Will Avengers: Endgame give the MCU its first undisputed champion for this annual poll? Or will something like Quentin Tarantino’s newest effort Once Upon a Time in Hollywood give it a run for its money? Tune back in during the early weeks of September to find out…

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019) review

It’s easy to point out some of the most notable trademarks of director Quentin Tarantino, whether it’s his knack for snappy dialogue or how he often goes against traditional storytelling conventions (e.g. the non-linear narrative of his 1994 classic Pulp Fiction). And yet, it can be argued that perhaps his most famous directorial trademark is his extensive knowledge of film thanks to an entire lifetime spent watching them. Because of this, every Quentin Tarantino film to date is chock-full of references to other films, whether it’s a homage to a specific genre (e.g. the Kung-Fu, spaghetti western, and revenge thriller films that inspired Kill Bill) or if they’re just simply brought up during conversations between characters. And while this aspect of Tarantino’s work has proven to be a bit more controversial in recent years, it’s still undoubtedly one of the main reasons why he continues to be one of the most prolific filmmakers in the industry, which is especially apparent in his newest film, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. Serving as Tarantino’s ninth directorial effort (and, per his own words, his second-to-last film before he plans on retiring), Once Upon a Time in Hollywood truly is a love letter to the Golden Age of Hollywood as it’s set in its final days before the New Wave took over in the ’70s and ’80s. In the process, it also covers one of the most infamous events from that time, the rise of the sinister cult known as the Manson Family. However, when it comes to effectively combining its two main storylines into one cohesive narrative, that’s where the film admittedly starts to stumble.

The year is 1969 and the film industry has begun to undergo some radical changes. Of the various stars living in Los Angeles, none are arguably affected by this more than Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio). For years, Rick was the star of the popular Western TV series Bounty Law, but ever since the show’s cancellation (due in large part to his growing addiction to alcohol), he’s now been limited to less fulfilling villain roles on other shows like Lancer and F.B.I. And if that wasn’t enough, Rick soon discovers that his new neighbors are prominent film director Roman Polanski (Rafal Zawierucha) and his wife, rising starlet Sharon Tate (Margot Robbie). Thus, having recognized that he’s quickly becoming a has-been, Rick sets his sights on ways to rejuvenate his career, which sees him rely heavily on the support of his longtime stunt double Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt). Instead of just following the advice of casting agent Marvin Schwarz (Al Pacino) and going to shoot Spaghetti westerns in Italy, Rick plans on getting acquainted with Polanski, who’s fresh off his 1968 directorial effort Rosemary’s Baby. However, things become rather complicated when Rick and Cliff end up having a run-in with a group of hippies who have been living at an old Hollywood ranch with their ‘leader’, Charles Manson (Damon Herriman).

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is ultimately two stories in one. One is the story of an actor struggling to resuscitate his career in an ever-changing industry while the other focuses on the dangerous Manson family and their infamous crime that was the 1969 murder of an eight-month pregnant Sharon Tate and four other witnesses. And to be perfectly blunt… these stories do not gel well in the slightest. The film ultimately focuses more on Rick Dalton’s attempts at relaunching his career, which would’ve worked perfectly as its own film. But because of this, the whole subplot involving the Manson family feels incredibly tacked on. There are only about one or two major sequences involving the Manson family in this nearly three-hour film and Charles Manson himself is literally only in one scene. This especially comes into play during the film’s finale, which has undoubtedly been its most polarizing aspect. Obviously, I won’t spoil anything from it here for those who haven’t seen the film yet, but I do understand why it’s so controversial because of the real-life context behind it and how the overall limited use of the Manson family arguably cheapens its impact. And yet, despite the film’s often inconsistent narrative, it still gives us exactly what we’ve come to expect from a Quentin Tarantino film. He still gives us plenty of great dialogue-based sequences, with many of them doing a phenomenal job when it comes to building up suspense that ultimately results in a solid bit of payoff. If anything, it’s clear that Tarantino hasn’t lost his stride when it comes to his sharp dialogue, which makes it unfortunate that the rest of the film isn’t quite as tightly focused by comparison.

Like any Tarantino film, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is a premier case of an actors’ showcase, and it’s all highlighted by the dynamic lead duo of Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt. While this may only be the first time that these two legendary stars have worked together, their camaraderie is superb, thus perfectly conveying their characters’ tight-knit friendship. DiCaprio brilliantly handles Rick Dalton’s ‘fall from grace’ arc and is also given a bunch of opportunities to flex his comedic abilities thanks to Tarantino’s knack for dark humor. Pitt, meanwhile, brings the same cool aura that he often brings to a lot of his performances as Cliff Booth, who also has an enigmatic vibe to him thanks to a subplot (that, admittedly, feels like it doesn’t get as much attention as it should) revolving around a long-standing rumor about him. Closing out the film’s trio of leads is Margot Robbie in the role of Sharon Tate. Robbie fully commits to the role of Tate, excellently encapsulating the late starlet’s mannerisms and effervescent spirit. Unfortunately, her role in the film ends up being one of the worst cases of underutilizing an actress in recent memory as she’s barely in it, effectively serving as another example of why everything with the Manson family ends up feeling incredibly extraneous. The rest of the film’s stacked ensemble cast is basically a who’s who of recognizable faces, from Tarantino regulars like Kurt Russell and Bruce Dern to reliable supporting players like Al Pacino and Luke Perry in what is ultimately his final film role. Admittedly, most of them are just in it for a single scene apiece, but at the very least, they do make the most out of their limited screen-time.

For film fandom, a Quentin Tarantino film is practically the very definition of an ‘event film’. Whenever one’s released, it’s practically guaranteed to be one of the most anticipated films of its year and, in turn, usually ends up being one of the best-reviewed films of that year. This is certainly the case this year with Once Upon a Time in Hollywood… which makes things rather awkward for me since, unfortunately, I found it to be rather underwhelming. Now before any of you film buffs get on my butt about this, let me be clear; this doesn’t mean that I think that the film was ‘terrible’ because it’s not even close to being that. When the film presents a scene that’s classic Tarantino, it’s handled just as brilliantly as some of the most iconic moments in previous Tarantino films. However, while Once Upon a Time in Hollywood may have all the hallmarks of a classic Tarantino film, it’s fatally undermined by an unfocused script that can’t decide on which story it wants to tell. Simply put, this should’ve just been the story of an actor who’s past his prime and trying to cope with the end of Hollywood’s Golden Age. But instead of just focusing on one storyline, it also tries to incorporate another in the form of the Manson family and their murder of Sharon Tate. However, this is ultimately done in a rather haphazard manner as the Manson family subplot is extremely underdeveloped, which certainly isn’t helped by the limited screen-time of Tate despite a phenomenal turn from Margot Robbie in the role. As such, while I’m aware that I will ultimately be in the minority on this, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood ends up being one of the weaker outings of Quentin Tarantino’s career as it lacks both the punch and soul of the various classics that have defined his career. Sure, it’s generally well-made and features an excellent cast, but at the end of the day, it just feels… empty…

Rating: 2.5/5

The Lion King (2019) review

In 1991, Walt Disney Animation began production on two different films that would be the studio’s next big projects after the one-two punch of that year’s Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin the following year. Of the two films, the one that the studio ended up placing most of its focus on was an adaptation of the story of the Native American woman known as Pocahontas, and because it ended up attracting most of Disney’s prominent animators, the other film was primarily developed by the studio’s ‘B-Team’. Ironically, though, the B-Team would end up producing the more critically acclaimed affair; we, of course, know their project… as The Lion King. When it was released in the summer of 1994, The Lion King quickly became one of the biggest films of its time. It currently stands as the highest-grossing traditionally animated film of all-time at over $968 million worldwide, which also means that it was Disney Animation’s highest-grossing film for nearly two decades until it was ultimately out-grossed by Frozen in 2013. It’s also notably the best-selling VHS title of all-time with over 32 million copies sold. But now it’s joined the ranks of other Disney classics as the latest in Disney’s line of live-action remakes… however, calling this one ‘live-action’ would technically be false. Instead, this new version of The Lion King is a CGI remake of the original as it mirrors the style of the 2016 remake of The Jungle Book through its use of photorealistic environments and characters. The two films even share the same director in Jon Favreau AKA the man who effectively launched the MCU with the original Iron Man and is also responsible for modern classics like Elf and Chef. And while this one is sure to be a controversial release because of how it ultimately ‘remakes’ its predecessor, fans of the original Lion King will still probably find this to be an incredibly fun and gorgeously animated interpretation of an all-time Disney classic.

In the vast kingdom that is the Pride Lands of Africa, Mufasa, the King of Pride Rock (voiced by James Earl Jones) and his queen Sarabi (voiced by Alfre Woodard) celebrate the birth of their son, Simba. As he begins to grow up, Simba (voiced as a child by JD McCrary and as an adult by Donald Glover) eagerly anticipates the day when he will take his father’s place as King. However, unbeknownst to Simba, his uncle Scar (voiced by Chiwetel Ejiofor) secretly plots to get rid of both him and his father so that he can take over the Pride Lands. To do so, Scar puts Simba in increasingly terrifying situations that eventually results in a devastating tragedy, and when Scar has Simba fooled into thinking that the accident was his fault, Simba ends up running away from his home. After a while, he meets the happy-go-lucky duo of Timon the Meerkat (voiced by Billy Eichner) and Pumbaa the Warthog (voiced by Seth Rogen), who end up taking him in and showing him the benefits of their carefree lifestyle. But as Simba matures into adulthood, his childhood friend Nala (voiced as a child by Shahadi Wright Joseph and as an adult by Beyoncé) comes back into his life to warn him that Scar’s takeover of the Pride Lands has led it to ruin. Thus, Simba must now overcome the demons of his past to save his home from his diabolical uncle and to properly take his place as the new king of Pride Rock.

This new take on The Lion King is easily the closest that any of the recent Disney remakes have gotten when it comes to closely replicating their original counterparts. This isn’t a case like Maleficent, which retold the story of Sleeping Beauty from the titular villain’s perspective, or Pete’s Dragon, which nixed the original’s musical numbers in favor of a more traditional narrative. For all intent and purposes, this is the same exact story from the 1994 film with the same exact outcome. The only major differences from a narrative perspective come from minor deviations in dialogue and a different intro for Nala after she’s become an adult. As such, this could quite arguably be the most controversial Disney remake yet because of how tightly it adheres to the original film without really doing anything differently. And yet, at the same time, because it’s still The Lion King, it could potentially be argued that, at the very least, the film does maintain the original’s strong script and hits the biggest emotional moments just as effectively (i.e. that one scene that we always remember from this story). Nothing significant from the story is lost and nothing is added in that would drastically change anything. Ultimately, though, the biggest selling point of this film is its visuals. As noted in the intro, this film carries over the same method that Favreau used on The Jungle Book in which everything in it (save for Mowgli) was digitally created. And while some may take issue with the fact that the overall drive for realism results in certain moments from the original being toned down, it’s still an impressive feat of VFX work from the same team that won an Oscar for their work on Jungle Book.

Another key aspect of this film is its voice cast, as Jon Favreau selected a top-notch voice cast to portray these iconic characters. JD McCrary and Donald Glover (who have notably worked together before) headline the project excellently as Simba as a young cub and adult lion, respectively, thanks in large part to the terrific camaraderie/chemistry that they have with their co-stars. McCrary and Shahadi Wright Joseph are phenomenal together as young Simba and Nala, and while adult Nala’s role in the story isn’t really expanded upon too much when compared to the original film, Beyoncé does do a solid job in the role. Meanwhile, Chiwetel Ejiofor is a damn good replacement for Jeremy Irons in the role of Scar as he perfectly maintains that same, great sinister persona that was pivotal in making Scar such an iconic Disney villain. But as for Mufasa, the filmmakers clearly knew that there was no way you could replace the legendary voice that portrayed the character in the original film. Yes, James Earl Jones is back once again to reprise his role as the King of Pride Rock, and he is still just as commanding and awesome as he was in the original film. And to close out the main cast, we have Billy Eichner and Seth Rogen, who serve as phenomenal replacements for Nathan Lane and Ernie Sabella in the roles of Timon and Pumbaa. As many others have noted, they’re the biggest standouts of the film and their riffing is the primary source of the remake’s new material, whether it’s an entertaining fourth-wall gag or a downright brilliant homage to another Disney classic.

I have the feeling that this is the one Disney remake that some people were expecting me to be completely against. After all, the original Lion King still stands as my favorite Disney animated film of all-time. Well, to that I say… you’ve read my reviews of the other recent Disney remakes, right? If I haven’t made it clear before, I’m perfectly fine with this new trend of live-action remakes of classic Disney films (even though this one technically isn’t ‘live-action’) because I recognize that the old films will still be there when all’s said and done. More importantly, their legacies won’t be tarnished by a ‘lousy’ remake because they’re quite frankly better than they’re often given credit for. However, even with that said, I fully recognize that I won’t even remotely be able to convince any of the ‘live-action remake’ critics that this one is worthwhile because it’s almost literally the same as its traditionally-animated counterpart save for a CGI makeover. And because the CG is highly intent on maintaining a sense of realism, this means that this version of The Lion King is a lot more grounded compared to its predecessor (e.g. don’t expect Timon to don a hula skirt and ask some hyenas if they’re “aching for some bacon”). Despite this, Jon Favreau does do an excellent job of maintaining the same spirit of the original even with a different visual aesthetic. And at the end of the day, that visual aesthetic is the main reason to watch this film because it’s clear that the visual effects team went above and beyond to create an impressively photorealistic-looking film to the point where it could potentially pass as some kind of nature documentary. As such, while some may view this as the most pointless Disney remake yet, there’s no denying that it’s one of the best-looking films of 2019.

Rating: 5/5!

Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019) review

(Disclaimer: I apologize in advance, folks, but due to the nature of this being the first MCU film after Avengers: Endgame, I will have to address what is easily the biggest of that film’s spoilers. I have the feeling that most of you reading this have already watched the film (it did just become the highest-grossing film of all time, after all…), but in the slim chance that you haven’t seen it yet, all I can recommend at this point is that you watch Endgame first.)

When we last left the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it had just reached the culmination of its legendary run up to this point with Avengers: Endgame. It goes without saying that the film was a true epic in every sense of the word, effectively providing the franchise’s dedicated fanbase with a satisfying conclusion to what has now officially been designated as ‘the Infinity Saga’. However, as it turns out, it ultimately wasn’t going to be the final installment of this saga. Instead, that honor goes to the follow-up to 2017’s Spider-Man: Homecoming, Spider-Man: Far From Home. As most of you know, Spider-Man’s inclusion in the MCU ultimately came courtesy of a deal between Marvel Studios and Sony. While the latter has held the character’s film rights for the past several decades, the lackluster performance of the Amazing Spider-Man reboot series led to this deal that would see both parties working together to develop a new iteration of the character, who made a phenomenal debut in Captain America: Civil War. Thus, just like Homecoming, Far From Home is an interesting release in terms of its distribution because while Marvel Studios is currently under the Disney banner, both Homecoming and Far From Home are officially Sony productions. And yet, because of Kevin Feige and co.’s involvement in the production, it’s still technically an MCU film at the end of the day, with Homecoming director Jon Watts returning to direct along with most of the main cast from the previous film. And because of this, Far From Home is yet another superb outing for the MCU that brilliantly handles the ramifications of the epic, emotional finale of its immediate predecessor while also giving us a taste of what’s to come for this legendary franchise.

Not long after the events of Endgame, teenager Peter Parker (Tom Holland) returns to his hometown of Queens to resume his duties as the friendly neighborhood web-slinger, Spider-Man. At the same time, though, Peter has struggled to overcome the death of his mentor/father figure Tony Stark. Thus, when Midtown High organizes a summer vacation to Europe, Peter signs up for it, eager to take a break from the superhero lifestyle and hopeful that this trip will give him a chance to reveal the blossoming feelings that he has for his classmate Michelle AKA MJ (Zendaya). Unfortunately for Peter, his superhero life quickly follows him to Europe, and he ends up being approached with a mission by Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) and Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders). The two inform him that due to the cosmic implications of ‘the Snap’, four creatures from another dimension known as the Elementals have arrived on Earth and have caused mass destruction wherever they go. Luckily for them, they have gained a new ally in Quentin Beck (Jake Gyllenhaal), an illusion-based superhero who is also from the Elementals’ dimension and is promptly given the nickname ‘Mysterio’ by the media. Thus, as Peter now finds himself struggling once again to balance his responsibilities as Spider-Man with his desire for a stress-free vacation, he must also grapple with the biggest question of them all; can he live up to the expectations that have been set upon him and become ‘the next Iron Man’?

In the past, I’ve noted that Marvel Studios does a great job when it comes to the kind of films that they do right after the big ensemble pieces that are the Avengers films. The original Ant-Man followed the grand spectacle of Avengers: Age of Ultron with a refreshingly small-scaled affair (no pun intended) while Ant-Man and the Wasp allowed for some well-earned levity after the devastating finale of Avengers: Infinity War. The same situation applies to Far From Home, but in this case, its effectiveness as the immediate follow-up to Avengers: Endgame stems from the fact that the events of Endgame’s finale directly affect this film’s plot. Simply put, the death of Tony Stark is felt throughout, right down to the fact that tributes to him can be seen in practically every European country that Peter visits. Without spoiling anything from the plot, this film is all about Tony’s legacy and how Peter must now work to maintain it, and as one can only expect from an MCU film, this is where the franchise’s phenomenal sense of emotional poignancy comes into play because of how closely tied the MCU’s version of Peter has been to Tony. Another key aspect of this film is its European setting since Far From Home is the first main Spider-Man film (not counting Spidey’s trip to Germany in Civil War since that’s a Captain America film) that’s not primarily set in New York, and because of this, the new locales offer some fantastic imagery that’s even more amazing when viewed in IMAX. All this helps to bolster everything else that you’ve come to expect from an MCU film; I would elaborate on what that stuff is further but, let’s be frank, I’ve already done that in my previous MCU film reviews.  

Like Homecoming, Far From Home primarily revolves around its younger cast members to great effect. Of course, it’s all headlined by Tom Holland, who continues to be a wonderful iteration of Spider-Man. Not only does Holland perfectly embody the combination of Spider-Man’s wisecracking persona with Peter Parker’s endearing awkwardness, but he also brilliantly handles all the emotional turmoil that Peter’s been going through since Tony Stark’s death. He also continues to have excellent camaraderie with Jacob Batalon as Peter’s best friend Ned, who gets his own little subplot via a budding romance with their classmate Betty Brant (Angourie Rice), as well as some wonderful chemistry with Zendaya as the MCU’s ‘MJ’. As alluded to in the plot synopsis, the film begins to develop a relationship between the two that, in turn, does allow Zendaya to have a larger role this time around. After that, there’s the always reliable supporting characters like Jon Favreau as Happy Hogan, Marisa Tomei as Aunt May, and Samuel L. Jackson and Cobie Smulders as Fury and Maria Hill. Finally, there’s quite arguably the most anticipated addition to the cast, Jake Gyllenhaal as Mysterio, and sure enough, he is fantastic in the role thanks in large part to the excellent camaraderie that he forms with Holland. Now for those who are aware of Mysterio’s traditional role in the comics… yes, this film goes exactly the way you think it does when it comes to his overall characterization. Still, the way in which it translates this to tie him into the MCU’s lore is a brilliant method of subverting expectations.

Marvel Studios has been on a roll as of late when it comes to producing sequels that are superior to their already excellent predecessors. That was the case with films like Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, and Ant-Man and the Wasp, just to name a few. And sure enough, that trend continues with Spider-Man: Far From Home, which has quite possibly become my new favorite Spider-Man film. Now don’t get me wrong, Spider-Man: Homecoming was a terrific outing for the web-slinger that perfectly encapsulated the character arc of the MCU’s rendition of the character; a young kid who wants to join the Avengers but quickly has to grapple with the reality that he’s still just a kid in a much larger universe. But then you have Far From Home, which takes everything great from Homecoming and amplifies it even further with better action sequences, better visuals, and a tightly-written script which sees Peter Parker now having to face the burden of proving exactly why Tony Stark made him an Avenger. In other words, while I’m sure that I’ve said this plenty of times before when it comes to the MCU, this truly is one of those films that is a pitch-perfect representation of everything great about this franchise. Thus, it ends up being a perfect epilogue to Marvel Studios’ ‘Infinity Saga’, which is quite arguably the most impressive run that any franchise has had in the history of film. And considering all the exciting films and TV shows that Marvel Studios announced at Comic-Con this past weekend, it’s undeniably clear that they’re not even remotely done yet.    

Rating: 5/5!