Spider-Man: Far From Home is the first of a new chapter in the MCU.
Sad though, because it's all the first one with the late Stan Lee.
Still, this was not a bad film. And I am glad they showed that twist where Mysterio was the real bad guy (a nod to the mainstream comics) - I would not have enjoyed the film if they had altered the background of the character.
And that mid-credit scene - I can't wait for the third film! Maybe they'll finally introduce the Sinister Six, and maybe Matt Murdcock/Daredevil.
Great family movie. Has enough comedy, action, and drama to keep you entertained. Love how the villain played on poor old Spideys naiveness. Underwhelming ending though.
I liked it okay, I guess. Tom Holland was good and shared good chemistry with Zendaya and some of the action was okay, but the so-called plot was rather weak and how it forced into the Iron Man movies fell flat, as did Gyllenhaal post-turn including an awkwardly written exposition scene. Definitely not as good as Homecoming and really reminded me why Marvel proper (mostly) is better at this than Sony-Marvel.
I just came home with the kids from the cinema where we had watched Spider-Man: Far From Home so I thought I would write a few lines while it was still fresh in my mind.
I have to say that it was a decent enough movie. I didn’t exactly regret having forked out the money to watch it in the cinema but that’s about it. It’s far from a great movie and the end scene…well it’s a typical really crappy Hollywood ending where the writer cannot be bothered to spend time creating something intelligent so he just goes for the usual sensationalist cliffhanger bullshit.
As with the previous movie, Spider-Man: Homecoming, this is a Spider-Man for kids, or at least younger people, movie which perhaps is part of why I am somewhat lukewarm towards it. This one did not feel as childish as the previous one but there is still a lot of teenage angst and rubbish in it. The plot is of course highly predictable as well.
The special effects on the other hand are quite good and essentially what makes the movie worth watching. At least to me. The end fight with hundreds of those drones flying around intermixed with Mysterio’s illusions where quite cool. A bit over the top perhaps but cool nonetheless.
There's a some things in _Spider-Man: Far From Home_ that I personally didn't love. But I got **exactly** what I wanted from Mysterio, and that was so important to me. It's pretty amazing that the MCU is twenty three films deep, and they're still bringing out this sort of quality. I know this series is not for everyone. But until they start making movies I don't like, I'm gonna keep showing up.
_Final rating:★★★½ - I really liked it. Would strongly recommend you give it your time._
Problems: I thought the Gyllenhaal character was corny, Spidey taking selfies too out of character for a selfless hero, and the Fury twist throughout the movie really unnecessary.
What I liked: Tom Holland continues to be a charming actor.
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First of all, this is a spoiler-free review of Far From Home, but NOT of Avengers: Endgame! So, if you still didn’t watch the latter or heard what happens in it (by some inexplicable reason), this is a SPOILER WARNING for the events of that era-ending film. Moving on to the web-slinger, this sequel is everything it should be and a bit more. It beautifully encapsulates how everyone’s feeling about the central death of Endgame, especially Peter Parker. I wished Jon Watts would put a lot of focus into Spider-Man’s grief and I hoped that a big part of the plot would be him just having to deal with the fact that his mentor/father figure is gone. He can’t continue to just be the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. He needs to grow up and become what everyone expects of him: to be the best of them all.
Watts does all of it. There are so many emotionally powerful dialogues featuring Nick Fury or Happy (Jon Favreau) or even just moments with Tom Holland just standing alone and having to breathe through the pain of losing someone you love. The pressure that everyone is putting on his shoulders is immense, maybe too much for a simple teenager, but he’s everything but simple. I love every single bit of story dedicated to Peter and Tony Stark’s (Robert Downey Jr.) relationship. Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers wrote a wonderful screenplay, and Jon Watts executed it seamlessly. However, the reason why all of this works is due to Tom Holland’s performance.
He said in an interview he would play Spider-Man until he can and until producers let him. I hope he stays around for years without end. He’s not only my favorite on-screen Spider-Man but my favorite on-screen Peter Parker as well. I love how he spends most of the movie holding on to his feelings, and in the last act, he just lashes out because he can’t take it anymore. He left my eyes close to tearing up in probably the best dialogue of the film with Happy. As a superhero, he perfectly embodies what Spidey is all about, and Holland has the plus of doing most of his action stunts. As a teenager, he’s incredibly funny, innocent, and he still doesn’t know how to deal with falling in love or having a crush, which leads me to the second of the three main storylines of this movie: his relationship with MJ.
Zendaya did get some criticism from fans who, well, don’t like the fact that MJ is not the same one as in Sam Raimi’s original trilogy (physically and psychologically). Same for Holland and the fact that this Spider-Man has a lot more “gadgets” than Tobey Maguire’s. For those people, I only have one advice: understand that this is a distinct universe with different takes on characters we know and with other stories to tell which are, in fact, the closest we had to the comics so far. The sooner you accept this, the easier will be for you to enjoy these films. Having that in mind, MJ didn’t have much to do in Homecoming. Actually, she was even played as a post-credits twist so that the sequel could focus more on her … and it did.
Their relationship gradually evolves throughout the movie smoothly and realistically. They’re teenagers! Having their first crush, trying to come up with a good time and place to tell the other they like them, being nervous when they’re together and being anxious when they’re separated … Watts handled this subplot very well. It didn’t feel forced (rom-coms should take some tips), Zendaya and Holland’s chemistry is palpable, and I love this new MJ. Most of the superhero’s lovers are the cliche damsel in distress, always needing saving and making dumb decisions. Zendaya’s MJ not only can handle herself, but she has an unique personality that makes her stand out.
Finally, the third and last storyline relies on Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal). I can’t really get in-depth about this character because he has a massive impact on the narrative, but I can guarantee that Gyllenhaal makes this character work. I like how they approached Mysterio, but if it wasn’t for the outstanding actor that Gyllenhaal is, Far From Home would have suffered a bit. The relationship between him and Spider-Man is well-developed, but the character of Mysterio lacked better treatment. There’s an exposition dump midway through the runtime that’s just horrible. Really, really bad. However, the film moves on and gets better until it reaches the last 45 minutes, which are unbelievable.
I will always prefer a slow start and a fantastic finish than the other way around. Far From Home struggles with the first two acts’ pacing, but the last one compensates that with some of the best action a Spider-Man movie ever had! There are so many sequences where our superheroes are just going at it, flying and swinging across buildings, bridges, and rivers like we’ve seen before, only better. The CGI looked like it could be excessive in the trailers, but instead, it’s some of the best Marvel has shown us. Nevertheless, the jaw-dropping scenes are some that involve illusions, very much like Dr. Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) had in his origin flick. Spider-Man has two memorable sequences (the VFX here are mind-blowing), one of which incorporates a certain superpower not seen in the MCU so far (officially, at least). The kid in me was smiling with pure joy, let’s write that.
It’s on par with Homecoming. One is better than the other in various areas, but they’re extremely different, so comparing them might be unfair. The first had the goal of introducing a “new” character to the MCU, so the focus relied solely on Peter Parker having to deal with his powers and being the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. This sequel is set so far away from the origin story and so much happened between these two that if people chose to watch them back-to-back, they wouldn’t understand much of what’s going on. Nevertheless, Far From Home still has its own issues.
Like I wrote above, the first two acts struggle with its pacing. While it’s refreshing to watch Spider-Man in other cities besides New York, the transitions between them are ridiculously fast, especially one that takes Peter Parker to another country in such an illogical way. The film tries to play off these less rational moments with comedy bits quite often and sometimes it just doesn’t work, affecting both the tone and pacing. I liked Ned in Homecoming, and I also enjoyed his presence here, but this time he almost felt like just a comic relief guy instead of that essential “sidekick” to Spider-Man. Michael Giacchino’s score is good, but for some reason, I couldn’t really connect with it, which I think it’s the first time I don’t exactly love Giacchino’s themes. Finally, the comedy skits could be better, they don’t land that many times and the one supposedly funny scene I remember is the absolute worst.
All in all, I still had a blast! I think I prefer Far From Home to Homecoming since the latter deals with a much more complex and emotionally compelling story than the origin flick. The action is some of the MCU’s best and definitely as great as Spider-Man’s action ever was, featuring some mind-bending, astonishing sequences. The cast is brilliant, especially Tom Holland who cements his spot as the best on-screen web-slinger ever. Zendaya and Jon Favreau are also amazing, but I have to praise Jake Gyllenhaal’s performance because he’s just awesome every single time. It’s the movie the MCU needed after the tragic events of Endgame. It works because we feel what Peter Parker’s feeling and we can deal with our grief with the help of Spider-Man’s journey in this film. Aside from some minor problems with pacing, comedy, and exposition, the last act plus the two post-credits scenes, which have a tremendous impact on the movie and on what’s to come on Phase Four, are more than enough for you to go see this film at the theater. Don’t miss it!
Rating: B+
The whole film is a relentless flurry of action and adventure from the get-go, with the man himself sporting no less than four different spider suits (for all the mega fans out there). Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders) gets a look-in once again after her very disappointing absence from 99.99% of ‘Endgame’, but she’s wasted on screen, serving little to no purpose. And while this film finally gives us a Peter/MJ love story, it’s all too familiar territory - not because of the characters involved but because we saw Peter pursue a crush in ‘Homecoming’. We also saw him try to balance the student/hero sides of his life then too. This is THIS Peter Parker’s fifth time on the rollercoaster. We’ve seen him and fell in love with him as the sweet, innocent kid who had greatness thrust upon him and his thirst to be a superhero. He had his shot in the ring - several times in fact - and now we need to see him grow, but they’ve just given us much of the same. We need to know where this is going, not just watch a kid play dress-ups time and time again.
- Jess Fenton
Read Jess' full article...
https://www.maketheswitch.com.au/article/review-spider-man-far-from-home-in-a-post-iron-man-world-spideys-still-the-same-insecure-kid
Like music beats? Like movies? You've never seen the two combined like this before. On the surface, this is an action-heist movie. But look again...with your ears. The visual beats are in time with the soundtrack. It's utterly mesmerising.
I guess this is one of those movies that you're not supposed to like because meh politics and meh hipster and meh outrage culture and... reasons that really make no sense and are ultimately meaningless.
At least that is what a good bulk of the negative reviews say.
So let's not talk about meh politics and focus on the movie instead.
My wife put it on, and I have never heard of it. I, legit, thought she was talking about Simon and Garfunkel when she started talking about it. "Do you want to watch Baby Driver?"
Honest mistake, she's part Guatemalan, her English isn't all that great... watch, listen to, whatever.
Anyway, I was in the kitchen cooking and I missed the first part... but I was digging the music.
In fact I was digging the music so much that I started going to and from the living room, just because the soundtrack was that compelling. A great mixture of old and new.
And then it was Kevin Spacey and Jamie Foxx, and you really want to see that. Both of them can turn a theatrical trick or two when they want to, and it always kind of seems that Spacey always wants to... and the soundtrack.
And then when I finished cooking and we started eating in front of the television, I really started noticing the ringing when the music wasn't playing. And that was irritating... until my wife filled me in on the back story and then it was an "ah-ha," moment of coolness. It was fairly compelling that they did that, and ran with it like they did.
And, I can't be absolutely positive, but it didn't like it had that much CGI, and that is a plus. It looked incredibly real, like the good old days, so even through you are watching a movie filtered through an Ipod... it had an authentic action movie feel to it.
Over all, it was incredibly enjoyable fun... and that is why you watch movies like this, right? Because they are fun?
So, 10 stars, mission accomplished, it was one heck of a fun film.
There is an episode of Tales from the Crypt wherein the protagonist’s conscience sounds just like – and is played by – Sam Kinison. OH! OH! AAAUGH! This is only slightly worse than tinnitus but still slightly better than Baby Driver, the story of an idiot savant who is the best getaway driver in Atlanta – with the caveat that he needs to listen to his iPod; when at the mercy of FM radio, Baby (Ansel Elgort) becomes Tyrone from Snatch. Baby suffers from tinnitus. To drown out the ringing in his ears, Baby constantly listens to music – which is like putting out a fire with gasoline – even when fleeing at full speed from the scene of a crime. Right. Children, do not play loud music on your headphones while driving a vehicle.
Baby is in love with a waitress named Deborah. The coffee shop where Deborah works must be worse than the Carson McCullers’s Sad Café; how else can you explain her piss-poor decision-making? Deborah has no problem running away with a guy who 1) she practically just met, 2) like Cameron Diaz's brother in There's Something About Mary, loses his sh*t when someone touches his precious earphones, 3) associates freely with criminals, 4) is himself a criminal, 5) has “every clean and dirty cop” after him, and 6) constantly puts her in danger (Deborah is willing to wait five years for Baby to get out of jail. She had to make a living somehow during that time, so I guess the cafeteria wasn't so bad after all).
Maybe it's true that women like “bad boys” – which Baby most certainly is, regardless of how innocent the movie wants us to think he is. During the third act Baby is directly or indirectly responsible for four deaths; almost five when he uses Deborah as bait to distract the psychopathic Buddy (Jon Hamm). And speaking of psychos, Bats (Jamie Foxx) is basically Motherf---er Jones from Horrible Bosses on crack – in spite of which he is the only sensible character in the film (“The driver must be the eyes and ears, not just the eyes”).
On the plus side, there is an admittedly funny moment concerning a discussion about the difference between a Halloween (as in the horror film) mask and a Mike Myers mask. Moreover, Kevin Spacey is a delight as always, and to no one’s surprise he and Foxx have the best lines – or at least the best delivery.
Baby Driver stands out as a brilliant, unique, and fun piece of cinema art with its outstanding writing, perfect cast, exceptional stunt work, bold colors, and so much more. This movie gets everything right. However, this film's most impressive feature lies in its soundtrack. The music is a character of the movie interacting with other characters - its beats matching and punctuating what is happening on screen throughout the entire film. One of my favorite heist movies and probably one of my favorite movies of all time.
Lots of slick driving and action, but slim on plot, and very unrealistic ending.
No explanation of HOW he becomes an expert driver.
The moment you catch feelings is the moment you catch a bullet.
Baby Driver is written and directed by Edgar Wright. It stars Ansel Elgort, Jon Bernthal, Jon Hamm, Jamie Foxx, Kevin Spacey, Flea, Lily James and Eiza González. Music is by Steven Price and cinematography by Bill Pope.
In debt to a crime boss, a young getaway driver with tinnitus finds himself taking part in a heist that could spell doom for all involved.
Lets get it out the way, I'm a big fan of Edgar Wright, I find him refreshing for still shooting on film. That he has beautiful camera actions and for the fact his cutting is smooth and not a incomprehensible video game mess like so many other action movie directors these days. So obviously I love Baby Driver for sure.
The choreography is high quality, the stunt work equally so, while the varied soundtrack (given to us via Baby's personal player) is one of the best in many a year. Cast are bang on form, where naturally they are given a zinger of script to work from (it pays to watch more than once to catch some lines again). While the thrill of the extended action scenes are joyous.
It was a film long in gestation for Wright, and you can see he has given it his undivided attention. He may be divisive as per his output, but the monster success of Baby Driver (both critically and commercially) speaks volumes about the quality of the work on show. One of the best films of 2017. 8.5/10
Baby (Elgort) is a quiet, unassuming young man, who looks after his ailing foster parent, listens to music both out of his love for it, and a need to block out the tinnitus ringing in his ears that he was afflicted with due to a tragic accident that also took his parents. Baby also has a specific skill set, one that has him doing the bidding of a crime boss Doc (Spacey) to pay back a debt.
Baby's skill is driving, but not just any driving, the kind of skilled driving that gets Doc's crew of armed bandits away from the scene of bank hold-ups very fast, and then leads crews of police cars on a merry dance, and dodges every trick up their sleeves with a few of his own set to a killer music soundtrack from his iPod.
With light at the end of the tunnel, Baby has a chance encounter with cute diner waitress Debora (James), where the chemistry between the two is instant. He sees this as his road to freedom, and a bright new future. This new future is brought to rude halt by Doc who was not yet done with Baby.
This film is all about the music soundtrack, and what a soundtrack indeed. With songs like Nowhere to Run by Martha and the Vandellas, to the quintessential driving song Radar Love by Golden Earring, you'll be tapping your toes as well as being thrilled by the action, plus the classy, and slick driving by Baby.
The performances in this film are all stand out, relative new comers Elgort, James, and González do really well in their respective roles. The scene stealing performances by Spacey, Hamm, and Foxx are great in support to Elgort. While Spacey, as he generally does, plays cool, and mellow. Hamm, and Foxx do it with charm, and evil menace as Buddy, and Bats. Jon Bernthal's cameo as the suspicious, and hot-headed Griff was also a delight to watch.
Written, and directed by cult favourite Edgar Wright, this film has all the elements that make this a great addition to the tradition of other heist films like Drive, The Getaway, and Heat.
Baby Driver is probably the most fun I had at the cinemas this year along with Wonder Woman, and Spider-Man Homecoming.
Extremely stylish, anime inspired superb action film. Edgar Wright knows what he's doing.
**Don't mess with this Baby!**
One of the stylish film of the year. There's nothing special about the story, but the way it was made looks intriguing. The individual characters, music, stunts, obviously car chases. Not the best role Ansel Elgort has ever played, but in his short, beginning of the career, it quite possibly defines he's ready for the tough roles. Then the British filmmaker known for some wonderful action-comedies, one more addition to his hit kit.
A youngster who is a getaway car driver for heists, working under a criminal mastermind, is often teamed with a different crew. One of his latest job takes an unexpected twist, leaving his yet to bloom romance with a waitress in peril. His attempt to come out of that, the risk he takes, changes his life forever. The tale ends with an action packed finale.
This is the first Kevin Spacey film I'm seeing after all the allegation against him. I blame everyone equally who had let him do it all these years. But that's nothing to do with this film. He was fine as an actor as always. It's just fine to be as one-off film, but the way everything had happened looked like it could have been a great franchise. As of latest news, it is on. The sad part is, all the good characters won't return. Anyway, it is one of the must see from the year T17.
_8/10_
Let it never be said that "Overrated" equates to "Bad".
_Final rating:★★★½ - I really liked it. Would strongly recommend you give it your time._
This was the most fun I’ve had watching a movie in a long time. It has everything I’m looking for in a summer blockbuster: nonstop action, amazing soundtrack (best soundtrack of the year), and hilariously funny. Oh and it’s an Edgar Wright film which has never been a let down. I’ve never seen the star, Ansel Elgort, in anything before but I know he was in the running to play Han Solo and now I’m extremely sad he didn’t make the cut – he even dresses like Solo for most of the film. Read more of my review here: https://imdgflicks.wordpress.com/2017/06/30/baby-driver-is-the-best-music-video-since-tron-legacy/
This third of the original Star Wars films is probably my weakest. Possibly because the writing is not too tight but for me, more so because the "Ewoks" take over the thing and they are just stupidly annoying. What had potential to pitch the ultimate evil partnership against the Rebel Alliance became a toy-fight straight out of a Laurel and Hardy comedy - the storyline was infantile. Still it’s a great film to look at, and features just enough menace and diversion in the first hour to make it worth watching until an ending that I found the ultimate in disappointment!
Arguably the weakest (comparably) of the original trilogy, yet 'Return of the Jedi' is still an excellent film!
Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher remain a thoroughly enjoyable trio. I did find parts of the plot a little similar to 1977's 'Star Wars', due to the Death Star stuff, but overall I unquestionably enjoyed the 135 minutes.
The score is great again, while the new bunch of characters are cool. There are some memorable moments in there, as we see the first spate of films come to a close very nicely. I'm very intrigued to see where things go with the prequels, hopefully they continue to hit high marks.
_**Fun, cute, imaginative, iconic space adventure with a kick-axx cast**_
"Star Wars VI: Return of the Jedi" (1983) was the anticipated end of the original trilogy that began with the initial blockbuster from 1977. The trilogy is an epic, but simplistic space fantasy about an evil empire and the noble souls who dare to fight it. The main cast features Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker), Harrison Ford (Han Solo), Carrie Fisher (Princess Leia), Billy Dee Williams (Lando Calrissian), Alec Guinness (Obi-Wan Kenobi), Ian McDiarmid (Emperor) and the voice work of James Earl Jones (Darth Vader) and Frank Oz (Yoda).
This is an amusing, inventive, iconic space adventure with a stellar cast that upped the ante with edgy cuteness. While I prefer the adult-oriented space science-fiction of Star Trek, I can’t deny that the space fantasy of Star Wars always grants you an entertaining couple hours.
This one features lots of sci-fi action, cartoonish characters, great sets, Carrie Fisher at her fittest in an alluring costume, space ships, alien bogs and awesome forest sets (shot in the Redwoods of Northern Cal). Ford and Williams are at their charismatic best. Even the more obscure Hamill shines as the boyish hero and the Darth Vader story arc is notable. Then there’s RD-D2, C-3PO and Chewbacca.
The film runs 2 hours, 11 minutes.
GRADE: B
This is not quite Bantha fodder.
Following on from the freshness of Star Wars (1977) and the all round greatness of craft and story telling that was The Empire Strikes Back (1980), Return of the Jedi was always going to struggle in comparison. That's not to say there are not fans who prefer it of the original trilogy, because there are many, and like minded fans of George Lucas' space saga shouldn't have a problem with that.
However, it is the weakest of the three. The characters we have come to love, and to be a part of their universe, are performed with gusto - but they are mostly thinly written, reduced to playing second fiddle to special effects, while the dark heart has been replaced with - well - smokey hokey (furry teddy bears with sticks and stones, I ask you). Then there's the lack of sexual tension so evident in the previous two films. Oh we love Han and Leia because that's love! But one can't help missing the sparks that was once between them - and Luke of course, hmm...
Yet for all that, of the irks and complaints, Return of the Jedi is still a thrilling film, the budget up on the screen to entertain the children and the adults with the child within. Characters and creatures wander into this wonderful world for super impact. The Emperor, Jabba the scene stealer, Rancor and Sarlaac, while the speeder bike chase, further lightsaber shenanigans and the space battle ensure the action is never far away - even if one can be a little underwhelmed by the big finale not all it can be.
Ultimately it was not without faults, but still it was one hell of a conclusion to a genre defining (then) trilogy. 8/10
Ok movie where she fights aliens and humans. They could have made more sense of the story. Captain Marvel was a man back then not a woman too.
Well....
....We have seen this before. The word "rehashing" has been thrown around a lot in some reviews, but really it's like a copy of a copy of a copy of a copy on a cheap circa early 80 copy machine. You've seen it before when it was a lot better.
The good news, I suppose, is that the trailers were honest, Brie Larson is honestly doing her best to imitate a block of wood and is just as animated and believable as a super hero.
And Sam Jackson, digitally younger, is still too old to do the required action scenes as evident by the enormous amount of cuts it takes to make it vaguely resemble actual action.
However, he still manages to outshine Larson in the action department.
And, of course, nothing could improve it more than a killer soundtrack. Unfortunately Captain Marvel only manages to produce a cringey soundtrack and I has always been a No Doubt fan (at least until 2000'sReturn of Saturn).
But the good news is they did reduce the transparent political posturing to a minimum (compared to what people had thought) but even then it is still far more than you'd get with better super hero moves *cough*Wonder Woman*cough*
Very good, it's entertaining.
I like the story that entails 'Captain Marvel'. It's possibly not told in the most incredible way, but by the end I did enjoy how it unfolded and connected to what we've seen recently in the MCU.
Brie Larson is pleasant in the lead role, a tad wooden in parts but overall I rate what she gives this film. It's cool to have Samuel L. Jackson's character get a deeper dive and bigger screen time than usual. I also liked Ben Mendelsohn as Talos. Other cast members, like Jude Law, are fine if forgettable.
Everything else about this is basically what you'd normally get from an MCU production: strong action, great effects, solid humour and an interesting plot. This 21st film from the universe is a good'un!
It was alright. Some entertaining scenes and the de-aging they did on Samuel L. Jackson was fantastic. Still not sure about Brie Larson in the lead but at least showed far more personality than her blank stares in Endgame. The visual effects also was fairly good, especially on Earth (vs. on Hala or w/e it was called). Worth a rental.