'Spider-Man: Far From Home' Review

Synopsis: Our friendly neighborhood superhero decides to join his best friends on a European vacation. However, Peter's plan to leave super heroics behind for a few weeks are quickly scrapped when he begrudgingly agrees to help Nick Fury uncover the mystery of several elemental creature attacks, creating havoc across the continent.

Runtime: 129 minutes

MPAA Rating: PG-13 (for sci-fi violence, some language, and brief suggestive comments)

Who should see it? Marvel fans of all ages.

**Spoiler Warning for Avengers: Endgame**

Billed as the end of Marvel's "Infinity Saga" and third phase of superhero outings, Spider-Man: Far From Home sees Spider-Man: Homecoming creatives Jon Watts, Chris McKenna, and Erik Sommers swing Peter Parker across the Atlantic to embark on a globe-trotting adventure in the wake of Avengers: Endgame's poignant resolution. Though Iron Man is a no-show, Tony Stark's shadow looms over the production as the world mourns the heroic billionaire-philanthropist and asks who will step up to fill the void Stark left behind. All the while, Peter feels lost without his mentor. Clearly traumatized by all he's endured, Peter's unsure if he's ready to singlehandedly accept the responsibility associated with super-heroics when he'd rather partake in the pleasantries of an average teenage life. 

Peter's struggle to balance both identities has been a staple of the character across every medium since his creation, but that dilemma is especially prevalent in Far From Home. Every incarnation of the web-head deals with this eventually, but I particularly like how this version is doing so while still in High School. Fighting elemental creatures made of fire and water is just as challenging as telling a girl he likes her, and that aspect of the character makes Peter more relatable than most superheroes. Not to mention his headspace after Endgame further complicating matters.

Returning director Jon Watts ups the ante of Spidey spectacle, seemingly more confident helming action after his experience on Homecoming, as he and his crew deliver sequences I'd never have imagined to be possible on the big screen. The visual effects were noticeably an improvement over Homecoming as well while the spectacular new suits Spider-Man dons throughout the flick each have their moment in the limelight. Underneath it all, Michael Giacchino's varied orchestral arrangements provide an ideal accompaniment to the wall-crawler's international exploits.  

Swinging onscreen for his fifth outing as Spidey, Tom Holland continues to portray Peter Parker with the appropriate awkwardness and insecurity contrasting his youthful exuberance. He's solidified himself as my favorite iteration of Spider-Man by this point, and I hope he carries on with the role in years to come! Opposite Holland, Zendaya's MJ proves to be more than a strange, snarky side character as she's fleshed out through her interactions with Peter.

Meanwhile, Mysterio's live-action debut piqued my interest as I was thrilled to see he would be brought to the big screen complete with the green/gold suit, purple cape, and glorious fishbowl helmet. Underneath said helmet, Jake Gyllenhaal lends manic energy to Quentin Beck that was an utter delight to witness. Discussing the character in detail risks spoiling the movie's many twists and turns, but I was pleased it proved to be a faithful onscreen adaptation.

Filling out Peter's class, Jacob Batalon, Angourie Rice, and Tony Revolori return as Ned Leeds, Betty Brandt, and Flash Thompson while Remy Hii is introduced as new student Brad Davis. The young cast offers humorous depictions of familiar high school personalities. However, some comedic bits in the first act didn't stick the landing. 

Reprising their roles from other corners of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Samuel L. Jackson, Cobie Smulders, and Jon Favreau each appear as Nick Fury, Maria Hill, and Happy Hogan respectively. One of the joys of the MCU is witnessing characters come together and interact with one another for the first time, so it was nice to watch these characters bounce off Peter. Other noteworthy adult characters include Marisa Tomei's dependable Aunt May and Martin Starr and J.B. Smoove as a pair of wacky high school teachers chaperoning the trip. I noticed people leaving my theater, so I felt it was worth reiterating that you should stick around after the ending for two pivotal post-credit scenes.

Full of laughs, action, adventure, and awkward teen romance, Spider-Man: Far From Home is a spectacular sequel that delivers everything audiences have come to expect from an entry starring the celebrated web-slinger. Far from what I'd imagined I would walk away thinking, Far From Home is also my new favorite live-action Spider-Man film.

Film Assessment: A

'Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse' Review

Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse doesn't release for another two weeks (December 14th for those curious), but I saw the film at an early screening tonight, and since the embargo's already been lifted, I figured I'd review it early!

'Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse' Review

Nominated For: Best Animated Feature.

Won: Best Animated Feature.

Bitten by a radioactive spider, teenager Miles Morales suddenly develops mysterious powers that transform him into Spider-Man. He then must team up with Spider-Men from other dimensions to stop a threat to all reality.

Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse is co-directed by Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, and Rodney Rothman and features a screenplay penned by Rothman and Phil Lord. Believe it or not, but it's actually the first feature-length animated Spider-Man film to be released in theaters, and as a devout reader of the initial 2015 Spider-Verse comic series run, I was very excited by the announcement of this project. Though I remained skeptical since it would be produced and distributed by Sony's animation division, whose two most recent films were Hotel Transylvania 3 and The Emoji Movie... Not to mention that Sony has done a disservice to Spidey fans many times over the years... 

So it is with great pleasure that I say Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse is an experience like no other! Not only is the hybrid animation style a vibrant and refreshing-of-pace, but it's unlike anything I'd ever seen in an animated film before. Into The Spider-Verse resembles a three-dimensional comic book in the most interesting way imaginable. You get everything from text blurbs and speech bubbles to the web-slinger's trademark thwips and spidey sense. Just as The LEGO Batman Movie was for Batman, Into The Spider-Verse is a fitting tribute to everyone's favorite web-head because there are plenty of easter eggs and references to Spidey's longstanding history across all forms of media. There is, of course, a Stan Lee cameo, and since it's the first time Lee's voice has been heard in a film since his unfortunate passing, my entire audience erupted with applause while I admittedly shed quite a few tears. On that note, stick around through the credits not only for a hilarious post-credits scene but also to read a heartfelt dedication to Lee. 

Though there are multiple versions of Peter Parker to be found in the film, this is Miles Morale's story first and foremost. Fortunately, Morales' cinematic debut offers a very faithful depiction of the character and his origin. However, this strict adherence to the source material may make certain major twists and reveals a tad predictable for any comic book readers already familiar with his backstory. It's admittedly a trade-off because fans would probably be up-in-arms if anything were to be substantially altered, but integrating his story with the Spider-Verse hi-jinks kept things engaging.

Into The Spider-Verse is charming from the outset thanks to the inclusion of so many Spidey-iterations, and the combination of differing animation styles and an A-list vocal ensemble really bolster this group of spider-people. Shameik Moore lends a youthful exuberance and vulnerability to Miles Morales while Jake Johnson portrays an older, burnt out Peter Parker (there's another actor who voices Peter Parker which hasn't been disclosed yet, so I'll preserve that casting secret). Meanwhile, Hailee Steinfeld, Nicolas Cage, John Mulaney, and Kimiko Glenn voice a self-reliant Spider-Gwen, shady private eye Spider-Man Noir, the porky Spider-Ham, and anime-inspired Peni Parker. Cage's Spider-Man Noir and Mulaney's Spider-Ham are honestly a treasure trove of comic relief, but that core ensemble had excellent chemistry between the six of them. Other notable actors are Mahershala Ali, Brian Tyree Henry, and Liev Schreiber as Miles' easy-going uncle Aaron Davis, strict father Jefferson Davis, and hulking mobster Kingpin.

After previously webbing up baddies in seven live-action features, the beloved wall-crawler's assuredly swung into the medium of animation, and Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse captures the spirit of Spider-Man better than any of its predecessors. In a surprising turn of events, Into The Spider-Verse is not only my favorite animated film to be released this year, but one of 2018's best films, period. Determining exactly where it ranks in relation to my other favorite comic-book movies will require at least one more viewing, but one thing's for sure, Stan Lee would have been very proud. 

Film Assessment: A+ 

'Avengers: Infinity War' Review

Sorry that I wasn't able to share this review as soon as I would have liked, but I had finals to worry about and that took precedence over writing this review. However, that did enable me to see the film a second time after my last final and the poll I put out on Twitter indicated my followers would rather wait to read my thoughts after two viewings rather than my initial take on it. This review will in-fact be spoiler-free so I'm taking great care not to discuss plot points in detail and remain as vague as I possibly can while providing my opinion. Now with all that out of the way, let's get going.

'Avengers: Infinity War' Review

Nominated For: Best Visual Effects. 

Avengers: Infinity War follows the Mad Titan Thanos as he and his henchman, the Black Order, seek out the six Infinity Stones in order to fully assemble the Infinity Gauntlet. Once the gauntlet is complete, it can grant the wielder control over all space, time, reality, mind, soul, and power, giving Thanos the means to bring balance to the universe as he sees fit. With the universe at stake, the Avengers must reunite and ally themselves with the likes of Doctor Strange, Spider-Man, Black Panther, and the Guardians of the Galaxy if they're to have any chance at stopping Thanos.

At long last, the decade long Marvel journey has brought us to this moment... Avengers: Infinity War is an unprecedented cinematic event that has truly been ten years in the making thanks to an interconnected series of of eighteen films preceding it. The history of what's come before only enabled directors Anthony and Joe Russo and screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely to hit the ground running at a breakneck pace because all the pieces were already in place for this cinematic culmination. While longtime Marvel fans who've diligently kept up with the films in the franchise won't take issue with this, I imagine someone who's only seen a few Marvel movies or none at all would be fairly lost. This isn't to say you "have" to go marathon them all beforehand, but the dramatic weight of it all desperately depends on a familiarity with the universe so seeing the others first will only enhance your experience. Otherwise, you may be a bit confused as to why everyone else is crying and cheering around you.

On that note, it's almost impossible to go into Infinity War without a certain set of expectations because it's meant to be the pay-off for watching ten years worth of Marvel movies. After The Avengers, the door was blown wide open for these characters to come together so, naturally, fans have been antsy to see certain characters interact as Marvel expanded its universe. Being a fan myself, I was incredibly excited for Infinity War. However, accompanying my immense expectations were a few concerns. First of which was wondering how in the world were the Russos, Markus, and McFeely going to balance an ensemble of over twenty heroes while adapting such beloved source material?

 

Well, I don't know how they did it, but they pulled it off... Not every character has a complete character arc per-say, but they all get their moment in the spotlight and that was more than enough for me. Infinity War also gets a lot of mileage out of bringing many of these characters together for the first time as it's remarkably entertaining. This film's nearly three hours long, but I've found myself invested from start-to-finish both times I've seen it because it's such an emotionally-charged experience. When leaving the theater, you may not quite know how you're supposed to feel because there will be so many complex emotions for you to unpack thanks to an insane ending.

Visually, the film's chocked full of stunning spectacle with illustrious cinematography, outstanding visual effects, and action that's both epic and engaging. And I'd be remiss not to mention the costuming, production design, or editing, which are also quite impressive. To make matters even better, Alan Silvestri returned to score the flick with a compilation of sweeping, grandiose compositions that further bestow gravitas to the proceeding events. 

Which leads to my other concern... Marvel doesn't have the greatest track record with its villains, so while recent Phase 3 installments have turned that around, I was still anxious that Thanos may not live up to his comic-book depiction or the hype built up around him, and I couldn't have possibly been more wrong... At the end of the day, Josh Brolin steals the show as Thanos and proves to be one of the best comic book antagonists put to screen yet. Thanos isn't really "relatable," but his twisted methodology is understandable while his conviction is respectable. Thanos is a being who's willing to do whatever it takes to accomplish his goal and that makes him quite intimidating as he leaves a terrible trail of death and destruction in his wake. Nevertheless, Brolin brought a layer of humanity to the Mad Titan that caught me totally off-guard and made me somewhat sympathetic to his cause. Additionally, Thanos is one of the best examples of motion-capture done right in a mainstream blockbuster. Brolin's performance shines through the visual effects wizardry in such a way that the intergalactic tyrant feels grounded and real as opposed to over-the-top and cartoonish.

Filling out his Black Order are Tom Vaughan-Lawlor, Terry Notary, Carrie Coon, and Michael James Shaw as Ebony Maw, Cull Obsidian, Proxima Midnight, and Corvus Glaive respectively. Each proves to be a worthy adversary for the Avengers, but they're ultimately lackeys for Thanos. Ebony Maw definitely stood apart from the others though.

In regards to the immense ensemble, almost every living Marvel character makes their way into the cast of characters, so I could go on all day if I were to list every character since they're each perfectly cast to begin with. Instead, I'm going to simply spotlight the standout heroes in no particular order. First up, there's the grouping of Robert Downey Jr., Benedict Cumberbatch, and Tom Holland as Tony Stark, Stephen Strange, and Peter Parker (or Iron Man, Doctor Strange, and Spider-Man if you want to use their "made-up names"). These three made for a fascinating trio who exhibit some extraordinary acting chops with a great group dynamic amongst themselves. 

It should then come as no surprise that I'd bring up Chris Evans' performance considering Captain America is my favorite Marvel character, but Evans does a swell job returning to the role once more as he brings a new spin on the character to show how he's changed as a result of the events in Captain America: Civil War.

Others I feel obligated to mention are Paul Bettany and Elizabeth Olsen in the roles of Vision and Scarlet Witch. It may seem odd, but the romantic relationship that's been developed between them really takes off as one of many emotional tethering points spread throughout the film thanks to a believable chemistry between Olsen and Bettany. 

Perhaps the most surprising standout for me though was Chris Hemsworth's Thor. Till Thor: Ragnarok, I never really cared much for Thor as a character and found him to be one of the least interesting Avengers. However, I'm really liking the recent progression of his character and the Russos, Markus, and McFeely did a marvelous job furthering his arc after all that happened to him in Ragnarok. Hemsworth seriously steals the show with some of the best moments of action and humor while his rapport with Rocket and Groot was delightful to say the least. 

Lastly, Gamora plays a pivotal role as a daughter of Thanos, and Zoe Saldana really steps up to the plate. Gamora proves to be one of the significant emotional lynch-pins of the film due to her relationship with Thanos. The dynamic between Saldana and Brolin really sells that complicated connection in ways one wouldn't really expect. 

In summation, Avengers: Infinity War doesn't simply throw down the Infinity Gauntlet for contention as Marvel's best film yet. It does so much more. The Russo brothers slam the gauntlet down and assert the film's irrefutable dominance over all that's come before it. I never thought I'd say this, but the preceding Marvel films look cute in comparison. 

Film Assessment: A+ A-

'Avengers: Infinity War' Official Trailer Analysis

Well, well, well... We finally have that long awaited Avengers: Infinity War trailer, so I figured it might be fun to do a breakdown of the trailer with my own thoughts as to what's going down. I'm currently home sick with Strep Throat after taking my final exam of the semester earlier today, so I figured I may as well take a crack at it. I currently haven't decided if I'm going to make this a regular thing on my blog or simply reserve it for bigger blockbusters yet, but the latter is most likely. Anyways, this will be very similar to my 'Star Wars: The Last Jedi' Trailer Analysis where I will go through the trailer frame by frame, detailing my commentary along the way.  

**Keep in mind that these are just my theories and interpretation of the scenery. I could be way off mark in regards to speculation, but provided I'm correct, potential spoilers lie ahead.**

'Avengers: Infinity War' Official Trailer Analysis

The trailer opens with a shot of a planet... Now, before I go any further, I want to take a stab at guessing what the planet may be. I'm presuming it's not Earth based on the orange hue, but the state of Earth's appearance is completely in the air after Thanos and his armies have come through...

What I believe to be the more probable outcome is that it's Xandar, the capital of the Nova Empire and the location of the Nova Core's Headquarters. Xandar is the planet seen in the first Guardians of the Galaxy, and as you can see above, the light reflects off Xandar with a brighter, orangish hue similar to the mysterious planet. Another reason that I believe the planet is Xandar is because it makes a lot of sense that Thanos would be headed to Xandar to retrieve the Power Stone that was left under the protection of the Nova Core at the end of Guardians of the Galaxy, and we know he gets his hands on that stone based on later evidence. 

Next, we have a very distraught-looking Tony Stark as there's voice-over from Nick Fury reciting the beginning of his Avengers Initiative speech from The Avengers, saying "There was an idea..." before a slow piano rendition of Alan Silvestri's Avengers Theme creeps in. On that note, I LOVED the use of Silvestri's theme in this trailer because it gave my chills due to its combination of eeriness and epicness. Tony seems to be holding onto someone's hand, so presumably he's very torn up over someone's death or severe injury. My best guess would be that that's Spider-Man in his new Iron Spider suit due to the glove. Another possibility is that he's simply overwhelmed by the fact his premonitions are becoming a reality, as we've seen his PTSD in Iron Man 3 and Avengers: Age Of Ultron.

The speech is then carried on by different members of the team quoting lines from the speech. Stark chips in first, saying "to bring together a group of remarkable people" as an un-Hulked Bruce Banner lies in what appears to be the ruins of the Sanctum Sanctorum while Doctor Strange and Wong gaze upon him. 

One interesting thing to note is how this called to mind a similar moment from The Avengers where Bruce was chatting with a security guard played by Harry Dean Stanton after falling from a Helicarrier. 

The moment also appears to be homaging a story-beat from the Infinity Gauntlet comic where Silver Surfer falls into the Sanctum to warn Strange about Thanos and his intentions to assemble the Infinity Gauntlet. I suspect Banner will be serving a similar purpose considering we last saw him onboard a ship with Asgardians at the end of Thor: Ragnarok as Thanos' ship loomed overhead in one of the post credit scenes.

The baton is then passed to Vision, who says "to see if we could become something more..." as we see him and Wanda in some room together. The most interesting thing to take away from this, aside from seeing a progression of their burgeoning romance, is that Vision appears very humanlike. My best guess is that he is projecting this appearance to go incognito or perhaps to appeal to Wanda (Scarlet Witch) or she is using her powers to project the appearance. Another possibility is that this is what happens to him once the Mind Gem is removed from his forehead (as the trailer later prominently displays) because there's a glow coming from that spot on his head.

Then we see Thor, who recites a portion of the next phrase "so when they needed us, we could fight the battles..." He's clearly inside some spaceship, and my best guess is that it's the Guardians of the Galaxy's Milano based on the trailers conclusion. It's also possible that this is that ship that all the Asgardians escaped on, but I find that far less likely, because I presume we're going to see that one blown to smithereens in the opening.

Natasha (Black Widow) then concludes the statement with "that they never could" as we see what I'm presuming is her and Banner's first reunion since Age of Ultron. Banner curiously seems to be toying with the arm of the Hulkbuster suit, and we get a glimpse of the updated armor later on. Oh, and Natasha has blonde hair now. I'm guessing this is because she went incognito along with all of Team Cap at the end of Captain America: Civil War, but there seems to be this odd occurrence with her hair changing between like every Marvel movie she appears in.

**The Silvestri score booms as we're treated to the more recent Marvel Studios opening logo**

The trailer transitions to an establishing shot of New York, followed by a shot inside the Sanctum Santorum. Wong and Strange appear to have phoned over Stark to come dress and pick up his science bro before they gaze up at something occurring in the New York skyline. Most curiously, you can see something glowing in Tony's hand... and it ain't an arc reactor.

Fans may remember that at the end of Captain America: Civil War, Tony Stark received a package from none other than Steve Rogers containing a flip-phone along with a message that ended by saying "If you need me, I'll be there," so I suspect Steve's gonna be getting a call very soon... We're also treated to a voice-over from the Mad Titan saying this, "In time, you will know what it's like to lose..."

We are then introduced to an exciting titillation for Spider-Man's skillset as we see the hairs on his arms prick up, confirming that this iteration of Peter Parker has definitely got Spidey-sense. Peter then looks out of the school bus to see a giant craft flying overhead that presumably belongs to Thanos. Thanks' voice-over continues with the following, "To feel so desperately that you're right, yet to fail all the same."

We see the four out on the street gazing at the craft above as Thanos says "Dread it..."

Which is followed by "Run from it..."Destiny still arrives." as we see someone walking over what appears to be a group of dead bodies and Loki offering the Tesseract to Thanos. I think a lot can be extrapolated from these frames as I'd guess those are the Asgardians and Loki is offering the Tesseract in exchange for his life. This confirms that he did indeed snatch the cube up at the end of Thor: Ragnarok before the destruction of Asgard as many Marvel fans suspected. You've also got to remember that he was originally tasked with retrieving the object for Thanos in The Avengers, so I'm certain Thanos isn't too pleased with the God of Mischief for his failure.

Thanos enters, and boy does he look tough walking through that portal. He probably conjured the gateway now that he securely has the Space Stone in his possession. 

We see Spidey flipping about in that sweet looking Iron Spider suit from the end of Spider-Man: Homecoming.

We then can hear T'Challa ordering Wakandans to "evacuate the city" while we watch Thor struggle.

Next we see Proxima Midnight, one of Thanos' Black Order (I'll touch on them in a moment), hurling a spear at a silhouetted man. All the while, we hear more of T'Challa's ordering Wakandans to "engage all defenses..."

So The Black Order are Thanos' children who are warriors that serve as his generals. I'm sure they will be instrumental in collecting the Infinity Stones for Thanos. They're made up of Corvus Glave, Proxima Midnight, Ebony Maw, and Black Dwarf (left-to-right on either side of Thanos).

Then came one of my favorite moments in the trailer when T'Challa says "And get this man a shield..."

Steve Rogers steps out of the shadows! AHHHH!!! Meanwhile, Wanda looks very uneasy about something, probably related to what's about to happen to Vision.

We see the upgraded Hulkbuster entering the Battle for Wakanda, which looks AMAZING!!

Natasha stabbing out at one of the Black Order... Doctor Strange with some enchantments at the ready... some crazy things falling from the sky... and then we have Steve and T'Challa putting the hurt on Thanos' minions.

Spidey gets slammed by Thanos and Tony longingly looks at something... Thanos speaks, saying "Fun isn't something one considers when balancing the universe..."

And Vision writhes on the ground in pain as his Mind Gem is pried out of his forehead.

Thanos adds the Space Stone to his Gauntlet... 

He flexes his fist w/ a partially assembled gauntlet before punching the living daylight out of Iron Man with his bare fist. He completes his monologue with "But this, *laughs* does put a smile on my face."

We see Bucky prepping his machine gun alongside Wakandan warriors.

 Black Panther stands at the helm of his army with Cap and Bucky behind them.

 THEY CHARGE FOR A FULL OUT BATTLE!!!

ANNNNDDDD WE GET THIS THING OF UTTER BEAUTY!!! Interesting things to note are that Bucky has an arm again... I'm guessing this one might be made from Vibranium considering he's been in Wakanda. Cap has these gauntlet things that I think could have a holographic shield of some sort like he has wielded in the comics or it's simply gauntlets to protect his forearms.

Pure unadulterated epicness as the title card forms.

Oh... and Thor, meet the Guardians. Guardians, meet Thor. Thor wakes up and asks "Who the hell are you guys?"

Final Thoughts:

-I suspect the film will open with Thor and the Asgardian's ship being attacked by Thanos. 

-Thor & Hulk are both ejected into space. The Guardians come across Thor and Hulk reverts back to Banner before winding up in the Sanctum Sanctorum. 

-I think the heroes will operate in different teams before finally uniting in the end.

-I think Wakanda is housing the Soul Stone, the last Infinity Stone the we've yet to see in the films. I think there's plenty of reasons for this, but the most poignant being that Thanos is attacking Wakanda. Why else would he waste his time, if not to finish assembling the gauntlet?

In summary, I LOVED this trailer. It was an OUTSTANDING start to my day, and I can't wait till May 4, 2018.