Following the events of Avengers: Endgame, Spider-Man must step up to take on new threats in a world that has changed forever.
Wow, it’s been a while since we saw the end of Iron Man and Black Widow in Avengers Endgame earlier this year. But this is the newest Marvel film to be released since arguably one of the most shocking climaxes in Marvel history, and it has a lot to live up to. Obviously, Spider-Man is a very well known character worldwide, but this film doesn’t just focus on him, but the events from Endgame too, which help to really strongly establish it within the series. There has been a lot of hype built up around this film, partly because of Endgame but partly because of how Spider-Man is portrayed in a new light, new locations, new characters are mixed in with the ones we’re familiar with and know, so this definitely helps to add in a fresh element into the series. As I mentioned earlier though, this film has a lot to live up to, both as a Marvel film and as a Spider-Man film. So here’s the question, is this film any good or is it a bad start to the new chapter in the Marvel universe? Here are my thoughts...
I’d just like to start off by saying wow, this was easily one of the best Spider-Man and Marvel films I’ve seen, and definitely sends a message that there is a lot of exciting and interesting stuff to come. To be honest, if I was to write everything I liked then I really would be here all day, because there was so much to like. I’ll start off with what I liked about the opening sequence of the film though. I thought that the way in which the film instantly threw us into the action of a fight between Mysterio and the Earth element was great, not only does this really help to make a smooth transition into the film for new characters but it also ensures that they are exciting and fun to witness, usually when a film in a series introduces a lot of new characters then it can become confusing and really difficult to understand, not here though.
The film expertly implemented in not only new characters but also provided a great transition between the events of the film and that of Endgame such as the events from ‘the void’ - where characters transferred from children to teenagers and others didn’t age at all, this just really helped to create a powerful and effective theme and ecosystem around the Marvel universe. But starting off the film with a series of really exciting destruction scenes also just really helped to introduce the plot in essence and allow ourselves to become familiar with things that happened later on in the film. This then really helped to ensure that the rest of the plot and the film was not only easy to understand but exciting and entertaining too, something that Marvel films are renowned for - the storyline was easy to understand and follow because of the great acting by Tom Holland through, not only does he give us the impression that he is a relatable teenager but also that he is learning and struggling to make decisions which allow us to follow his journey really closely, because throughout this film we are asking the same questions as him. Who is Mysterio? What would Tony Stark do? What is happening with these weird element monsters? This really helps us to follow him throughout the film and because of this, the film flows really nicely - resulting in a really strong film that is entertaining but also easy to follow for all types of fans. Scenes such as the student report video in the school at the start were just really unique and helped to make the film feel really immersive, not only because they were funny but they allowed us to get closer than ever to the characters and to really integrate ourselves with the events and sceneries. One of the really cool things in the film related to character perceptions though, scenes in Italy where we had a video collage of the different characters going around and exploring Venice was not only funny but also really entertaining, it was refreshing to have multiple characters which were entertaining and exciting, apart from the main character, and this again just helped to immerse us in the film. The manner in which the actual story is implemented and introduced is amazing though, through the interview with Mysterio we get a really strong and emotional feeling towards the enemy which helped to build up emotion and purpose around beating the fire element because he killed Mysterio’s family - not only does this make the fight scenes incredibly exciting but it also gives the film's plot a sense of purpose and meaning which is often left out in superhero films. The fight scenes were amazing though and proved very important to the overall film, seeing the various fights with the elements proved to be really refreshing and felt unique which I loved, and just really helped to establish each of the locations in the film - the fights weren’t too long but that was really positive actually, because it meant that they didn’t drag on, but they were exciting and long enough to get our attention and keep it. As I mentioned earlier, the plot of the film was not only simple but also really exciting, I loved seeing how Spider-Man went around the different locations on a school trip, it was just simple ideas like this which really helped to solidify and strengthen the film's plot, making it exciting and entertaining for us. But all good films have a surprise twist in them, and this film is no different, not only was the twist amazing but also the way in which it was done, seeing Mysterio as a faker who sought revenge against Tony Stark using projectors to make him seem powerful was so exciting and fun to see and also really helped to keep the film exciting throughout, I thought that it was such a great twist to the plot which I didn’t expect, and it led on nicely to the final battle scenes. The story-telling is engaging enough to keep audiences on the edge of their seats, with one particular dream-like action sequence standing out as the mind-blowing moment in this movie. The plot-twist and the reveal in the third act are typical of what Hollywood writers have done countless times before and should not be unexpected by an experienced cinema-goer. I thought that the story and plot of this film had it all, emotion, passion, excitement, entertainment and adventure - it was definitely one of my favourite storylines from a. Film this year.
Not only was the film's storyline really great but so were the characters too, they were integral to the overall immersive culture to the film and really helped to make it a great film. Surprisingly enough, the centrepiece of this film is not the superhero's extraordinary world-saving, but the budding romance between the very ordinary human characters. It might be more accurate to describe this film as a genre fusion of romcom and action-comedy under the disguise of a superhero movie since the scale of the "world-saving" and the stakes for the final showdown are very much limited compared to what just happened in Endgame.
What impressed me the most is Zendaya's performance as MJ, which finally breaks the stereotype of a superhero's love interest. Instead of your typical dumbed-down background eye-candy, Zendaya's MJ is intelligent, quirky, interesting, and absolutely lovable. Tom Holland is, at this point, Spider-Man's alter ego. I cannot imagine Spider-Man being anyone else other than him. As usual, Marvel simply could not have a more perfect casting than Tom Holland. Not only are the characters really exciting in this film but they are engaging too, it was small things like their love relationships between background characters which just really helped to make the film's characters seem engaging and funny, and this really was positive because we saw the overall way in which they evolved and changed throughout the film - they felt really realistic which I loved! Character relationships are great here, seeing them in a variety of different locations really adds a lot to the characters, because we see them in unfamiliar territory, from things like Spider-Man saying “scuzi” in the Czech Republic and then realising he was in the wrong country which says a lot about how amazing the characters here are, they almost don’t feel like characters at all because they feel really realistic and immersive and I just really enjoyed seeing the character set. Characters also had their own moods and emotions too which I liked, there was a really tense and spooky emotion surrounding Mysterio later on in the film but I liked how it tricked us into liking him and then turning on us, something Marvel are very good at doing with their characters, and it was really effective here. The entire films cast, like the last one, are pretty funny. More time is spent focusing on Peter's classmates and other supporting cast and they all really shine. At times, the high school rom-com part of this movie can dominate the superhero part, and I really didn't mind. Also glad we got Happy Hogan, who continues to sort of be Spider-Man's handler, and I'm glad that Jon Favreau's still willing to play the role given his busy directing career. Jake Gyllenhaal makes for a great adversary in Mysterio, with excellent use of his character, I would be terrible if I didn't mention the performances of Zendaya and Jacob Batalon who are also phenomenal. Jon Watts builds on his direction from the first and gives the film much higher stakes, and greater emotion, that all come together in the best of ways. The actual relationships feel realistic too, and it was really fun and engaging to see about how they all went about their lives, we laughed, we were shocked and we were scared but these emotions were shared across the duration of the film perfectly, allowing for us to really focus on the events of the film and to help us become immersed in the plot.
As hard as it was, there are one or two issues I had with this film. The main issue that I had was that at some points it felt like there were too many twists, seeing the Skrulls during the credits as Hawkeye was really exciting to see but definitely felt like it confused the plot a little bit for me. Some of the scenes in the film didn’t really feel too relevant or effective either, there was a scene, in particular, that was kind of dumb and honestly could have been cut out as it didn't really add anything. Like this new character takes a photo of Peter in an embarrassing situation and is going to use it against him. But it takes so long for this character to do anything about it. Why he didn't show the picture BEFORE getting on the bus or send a text. And I get that the filmmakers didn't want Peter's relationships to be affected...but again...why even put the scene there in the first place? To be honest, though I’m being picky, there really wasn’t much wrong with this film in my opinion.
Overall, I would give this film a 9.5. I thought it was amazing, not only were the characters really engaging and funny, but they felt fresh, almost as if Tom Holland and Zendaya were actually together during the film! I loved this film though, it brought so many fresh new things into the film, such as the after credits scenes where Mysterio exposes Spider-Man by leaking a video of him saying about executing the drones but without context, and revealing his name and identity! There was so much to be enjoyed here though, the plot and the overall film definitely felt like one of the best Marvel films that they have produced, coming second only to Homecoming - but this definitely felt really easy to follow and really easy to become immersed and entertained. Would I recommend this film? No brainer! This film is amazing regardless of whether you’re a Spider-Man die-hard fan or not, there’s so much here to be excited and entertained by that it really is worth watching this until the very end, multiple times! And if it’s anything to go off, I cannot wait for the other films in the new phase of MCU films!
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