Spider-Man: Far From Home (Jon Watts, July 2, 2019) Movie • Page 36

I mean, Dark Phoenix literally JUST came out a month ago, & Legion's final season is still going, & New Mutants isn't out 'til next year. Y'all thirsty for MCU X-Men really gotta chill, lol.

 

did mysterio die at the end? it seemed like he did but then how would he have that footage, didn’t seem like he thought that would happen? seems like a waste to kill off JG so soon especially since mysterio is so dope

 

If the Sinister Six becomes a thing in the MCU, he's definitely still alive

 

I mean, he is all about illusions. But I’m gonna go with he is dead. He told Peter he had contingencies. His death lead to what we saw.

 

Some people seem into the Mysterio in this movie and he and Jake Gyllenhaal were one of the reasons I had significant hopes but man he was thin to me. Gyllenhaal's performance was great but he's a slight retread of stuff the MCU has done before with the villains from Homecoming and Iron Man 3. He had some interesting stuff to say re: theatrics, superheroism, etc, but it didn't have meaningful import on the actual drama or narrative or character beyond the slight connection to Tony Stark.

 

Also, I didn't stay for the final credit scene, but it bothers me. It's bad enough this movie made me sit through a CGI version of the villains from the 1997 animated Hercules movie, except more generic looking and completely emotionally/thematically unimportant, but to have to buy Fury and Hill being so dumb about all of it, except don't worry it wasn't really Fury or Hill? What? What's the fucking point of this stuff? Is Peter ever going to interact with those two Skrull characters again? Will Fury ever bring up to Peter in a future movie "hey by the way when you were dealing with all that Mysterio shit, that wasn't actually me, which very much changes our dynamic"? Of course they won't, but it has real consequences for all the drama and characterization, you know, important shit in storytelling, but the MCU shoves it in the post-post credits scene as a teaser for some future movie that Peter Parker will almost assuredly not be in where the events that play out will be completely irrelevant to him.

Man I was in such a good mood after Midsommar and now just thinking about this movie got me heated again.

 

One thing they could have done with Mysterio's illusions that would have actually been really bold and tied to the rest of the MCU is if, instead of the elementals, he could have made it look like Thanos was back. Imagine Peter, Fury, fuck, everyone in the entire world's reaction if they're all adjusting after the Blip and joshing around and having fun and it's fucking Thanos hovering over Venice. And then Mysterio makes it look like he takes him down again. Since he's so PR/performance minded, the wave of goodwill and support and love he'd get would be enormous, and it would make more sense that Peter would be willing to give him Edith.

 

wow real bad opinions here

 

Mysterio is definitely still alive. No way would Marvel offer Jake a one-off role.

 

So Nathan, if I’m reading things correctly, you did in fact, NOT like the movie?

 

Unfortunately not. I wouldn't be harping and thinking about it so much if I hadn't wanted to like it though. I see shitty movies all the time and let them pass me by (I'm not still thinking about Yesterday). But Homecoming had strengths, I love Tom Holland, Zendaya, and Jake Gyllenhaal, and generally at the very least enjoy watching well-cast actors portray my favorite superheroes in at least partially competent films, which is usually what I get out of an MCU movie. This one fell well below my personal bar. I wasn't expecting it to and I'm bummed it did.

But more power to anyone who liked it.

 

I had a lot of fun with the film, just a blast to watch, especially Zendaya and Holland together.

That said, I can understand some of the character complaints. Spidey sense being on the fritz was weirdly done and like wouldn't have taken long to incorporate better. Him giving Edith to Mysterio so quickly could have been built up better--even if it does go against his character arc from previous movies.

I dunno, I just had a good time and sometimes that's all I need, no movie is perfect. I love Holland as Peter Parker and that alone might be why I overlook some of the movie's flaws. I never much cared for Tobey or Garfield in the role--granted I don't really like Tobey at all.

 

Enjoyed the hell out of this. That's all i have to offer.

 

I really liked this movie. It fixed a lot of complaints I had from homecoming. I would love to see Marvel/Sony make a ton of movies with Holland as Spider-Man. He kills it.

The end scene where Spidey closes his eyes and trusts his “Peter tingle” was so well done.

 

That ending JJJ scene has my mind going in circles though. I want to see what they do next.

 

I don't feel like they've earned any of that though? JJ's first appearance is in a credits scene and the next film having him as the bad guy? I'd get it if Jonah was a part of both films leading up to the third but that doesn't feel earned in my opinion.

With regards to being on the run, has literally anything happened in these two movies that would make that plausible? Again, if they had been building it up through Homecoming and FFH maybe it would make more sense.

 

This was fun. Mid-tier MCU for me like Homecoming. Loved the action and visuals in this, but I think I liked the story in Homecoming more? The kids are great again, and Jake G was good too. Idk if it was the writing or the deliveries, but Martin Starr and JB Smoove were not funny to me.

Overall it's a fun time. The final scene made me realize how much I miss seeing Spider-Man swinging around NYC in these movies. Also feel like he didn't get to quip enough while he's Spider-Man fighting bad guys (to be fair, he doesn't fight any random street criminals in this I guess).

 

I remember thinking at one point that this would be a fun excuse to "bring back" a bunch of villains. Like, he could fake a return of Ultron incredibly easily. And then, to get to Peter emotionally, yeah, Thanos would've made sense.

Compelling post.

Maybe try less worrying about what others think & more about what you think? Like, commenting on someone else's opinion is only interesting when it leads to conversation, like, "I personally disagree w/ this particular take because [reasons]."

Honestly, with these films, I don't give a crap about building up over multiple films anymore. Doing so hasn't helped narrative continuity (see: Thor from Ragnarok to Endgame, both movies I love, that just don't line up character arc wise), & I don't like what they've been building at all anyways.

Plus, after that whole Infinity War mess, I'm kinda burnt out on these movies overdoing the serialization. The initial Avengers success seems to have broken some nerds' brains. Every character & idea doesn't need a dozen coy teases. Jonah was kind of an antagonist in the comics from the start anyways, just initially in a more mundane sense, so it makes perfect sense for this version to come out swinging.

 

I get that. I don't mean across other series or the MCU as a whole. But a shred or consistency and world building is needed for what you want to be as good as you would want. There has been nothing of the sort across these two films, in fact they seem to running the hell away from it.


JJ is a villain yeah, but going straight to military JJ is a bad idea because, well simply put, the Spider-Man means absolutely fucking nothing to New York. Why does JJ even care? How has either movie even planted that seed? We didn't see the fallout from Homecoming because of the Avengers. We and the MCU world at whole know Spider-Man is a good guy and saved the world. I just don't see any shred of world building to have JJJ as anything more than a person in the media.

 

The world turning against Spider-Man right like that is kind of tradition, though. And, since we've barely seen him in NYC, it wouldn't be a stretch to say that both positive & negative sentiment already exist, & this video is enough to tip the balance in a way that puts Peter's life way out of balance. Wouldn't be that different from what Captain America: Civil War did.

Plus, if they really wanna update Jonah into this whole alt right type, that's the logical next step. Playing off our modern cultural, political context & having Jonah successfully fire up large pockets of the masses & certain authorities. As a clear villain. Heck, the Scorpion & Slayer angle would be the comic-book-y analogy of that intersection between crackpot media voices & citizen militias. It's literally a big part of the modern American political climate, tied to our current president.

You're right that these movies largely haven't shown what he means to New York, outside of one playful montage early in Homecoming. But, this angle would also organically show us the range of opinions; it'd be the whole focus of the conflict, a chance to explore it in depth.

Which, "explore it in depth" is the surest sign they'll never do anything like that, lol.

 

Yeah I get you, but I think it would be cheap. They have, in my opinion, failed to build that and putting it all in the next film would be rushing an already rushed film series. I think it would be bad.

Don't get me wrong, I love the idea. But it's not a good fit for this series. If Jonah had been around since Homecoming, even just as a couple of cameos showing his dislike of Spider-Man then yeah. But they failed to even do that. A post credit scene just isn't enough.

God these films make me so annoyed. I hate this version of Spider-Man and the story they've told.

 

This we agree on, lol.

I dunno, I'm just in Fox X-Men mode with the MCU's Spidey. I'm too disappointed by what's happened, but not willing to let myself quit these films. I at this point don't care about what's earned; I just want a movie I can enjoy for what it is.

Unfortunately, this has gotten largely good reviews, is a crowd pleaser, & will probably make all the money. Can't wait 'til the next film uses a Chameleon who's actually, like, Justin Hammer's cousin?

 

Oh great, now I'm picturing the Jonah as villain film I want, but instead of Smythe or whoever, it's Justin Hammer that he's working with, & JK Simmons + Sam Rockwell is the kinda pure, delightful villainous duo they'd never be willing to give us.

 

Super surprised at all the hate for this movie. I thought it was great and can't wait to see it again. Tom Holland is a perfect Spider-Man.

 

On an upbeat note, I just really love MJ, y'all.

I really like the Gen Z update they gave to her classic party girl vibe. There is a certain type of modern teen that they could've made her that, on the surface level, would've matched vintage MJ more, but that also would've thrown off her dynamic with Peter. The real crux of her persona is that it's a calculated mask to keep people from the real MJ underneath, with real emotions, which this ironic reinvention perfectly captures. (Cue The 1975's "Sincerity is Scary.")

I also like that she deduced Peter being Spidey herself, which is, yes, a comics detail, but details can be smudged in adaptation. I think it's a great detail to carry over 'cause it reflects the above point that she keeps the real MJ to herself. And, it shows that the fire that she uses as a mask isn't just a mask, but also itself part of her personality. Taking out a drone is totally something I could see comics MJ doing.

(Funny enough, Emma Stone's Gwen was more like MJ in this way than Kirsten Dunst's MJ in that way. But, earlier Spidey comics were often similarly unkind to Peter's loves, & the first ASM had its own different issues for how it handled the romance, so whatever.)



^ This grounded shot here, w/out unnecessary digital flourishes, is what I want Pete & MJ's dynamic to feel like in the next film. Best friends who are great at supporting each other, & also like kissing each other. We already ignored Ben & turned May into a marginal sexy joke. But, MJ has been properly brought in after a film & a half on the margins. Really make the most of this next time around, please.