Web-Slinging Abroad [Spider-Man: Far From Home film reviee]

I feel the need to admit that I am suffering what the entertainment pundits have been calling “superhero fatigue.” I honestly have not gotten all that excited for any of the tent pole Marvel and DC films that have dropped over he past several years. Sure, I eventually go see them, but it’s more out of some twisted obligation (perhaps because I’m already invested having seen all the previous films?) than actually having a strong desire to see them. So it was with the latest Spidey adventure, which I avoided seeing until I got bored one afternoon and figured “what the hell?”.
I went into this film with considerably low expectations. And you know what? Like the recent Shazam! film, I was pleasantly surprised and thoroughly entertained. This may actually be one of the best Marvel efforts to date.
Now if you even have a passing knowledge of Spider-Man and his exploits, it won’t be hard to figure out what’s going to happen in the film, especially in regards to Mysterio. Predictability aside, there’s enough cool visual flair to keep your eyes glued to the screen, but what really stands out here is the script. Not so much the story, mind you, but rather the dialogue, which is smart, clever, and, well, often feels genuine. It's funny, too. On top of that, the interaction between Peter Parker and his sidekick Ned comes off natural and never feels forced. Ditto for the chemistry between Peter and MJ. Perhaps this is a testament to the actors involved, but I tend to think that a good deal of this is coming from the words written by Erik Sommers and Chris McKenna (who incidentally, co-wrote Homecoming, but with 4 other screenwriters; methinks having just two writers on this film helped to make things cleaner and a bit more streamlined).
In short, Spider-Man: Far From Home is what you want from a superhero movie: decent action augmented by a decent story, all wrapped up in solid dialogue and great chemistry between all of the actors involved.
That said, the film looses a few points for yet another cosmic battle of "epic" proportions (we can thank all of the Avengers films for setting this now boring and bloated bar), as well as the “twist” ending, which was kind of lame and most likely meant to be “ironic” (t's not). In the end this is an almost steller summer popcorn bonanza.
Oh yeah, if you are a gung-ho superhero movie nerd then be advised that there are two post-credit “bonus” sequences.

Rating: 3.5/5
RIYL: Spider-Man: Homecoming; Avengers: Endgame; All the other Marvel films; Shazam!