Years ten and eleven of
the Marvel Cinematic Universe have been the most serious. No, the fun wasn’t
entirely taken away, it’s just that there aren’t many laughs and good feelings
to go around when the bad guy wins and wipes out half the universe, and when the
man who started it all sacrificed himself to undo the “Snapture.” It’s like the
Cell Saga from Dragonball Z. Earth destroyed, earth restored, and the
original hero taking one for the team (FYI this is a highly inadequate summary;
I’m being flippant). For those of you who haven’t seen Infinity War or
Endgame…oof.
Fans
have also bought in to the point where the Marvel heroes are veering
dangerously close to deity territory. So there’s that, too.
Spider-Man:
Far from Home is more of the
same, right? After all, young Peter has often operated under Tony Stark’s
significant shadow. Stark is like a second Uncle Ben, if you will, teaching responsibility.
Now it’s time for him to step up when a new threat to the planet arises. Rest
in peace vacation plans.
That’s
par for the course.
…and
then it’s not.
A
superhero movie featuring Spider-Man, the hero responsible for reigniting the
comic book blockbuster in 2002, shifts from the standard balance between duty
and wanting a normal life with the girl he likes to a satire on the genre in
the space of a single scene. That is a risky move. Self-awareness and drawing
attention to CGI don’t exactly mesh with a brand built on escapism and suspension
of disbelief.
The
move pays off. Jake Gyllenhaal plays the illusionist extraordinaire, Mysterio,
with the right amount of panache and narcissism. Read no further if you care
about spoilers. For all intents and purposes, he is making a superhero movie,
using advanced droid technology to present what looks a real threat to the
world. He can then swoop in and save the day. Everyone buys into his just
ridiculous enough origin story, even Spidey, who just wants a break.
Like
with all standalone films centered around a major box office draw, there is
never a doubt that he won’t win in the end. Most of the entertainment value
comes through making fun of contemporary high schoolers. Ned remains a comic
treasure. Flash posts everything on snapchat. Zendaya once again channels MJ’s
weirdness for maximum effect. She is also responsible for the real tension in
the story. The will they, won’t they dynamic between her and Peter is the part
I was more interested in. Aside from a few interesting sequences, where the
critique of the superhero genre is most clear, the virtual pyrotechnics and Mysterio’s
nefarious plot were secondary to the love story.
That’s
as it should be. We’ve had enough big, dumb CGI in the last two years, and
enough melodrama. It’s time to have that suspension of disbelief broken (providing
meme culture hasn’t already done so) time to laugh at the cynical idea that momentarily
wiping out half the population would continue to hold weight. It’s time to sit
back and enjoy a high school comedy-drama that fits somewhere between Cameron
Crowe and John Hughes, hopefully closer to the former because Crowe’s films are
superior in every way. Do yourself a favor and watch Say Anything.
One
final note, Marvel isn’t stupid. Too many franchises are taking themselves too
seriously this summer. That’s why they’ve crashed and burned at the box office.
After Endgame’s closing act, the antidote to franchise fatigue
is to poke fun at themselves…and do it well. There are good laughs and it doesn’t
make audiences feel like they’re unintelligent for investing so much into the
MCU. That’s a win for all parties involved.
