If you bother to read this column you’re probably looking at it on July 11, 12, 13 or thereabouts. Please note that I am writing it on July 4, having attended a 9:15 a.m. matinee, so I would have time to see the movie, write this column and show up for a late afternoon cookout. My editors are merciless about their deadlines, and this time around it fell on America’s birthday.
This is the umpteenth sequel for this franchise, the original with Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst still ranks as the best of the lot, heads and shoulders above this one for sure. Spiderman fans will agree that Tom Holland makes an excellent Peter Parker, just on his good looks alone. However, even he can’t score with a less than mediocre script despite the support of an all- star cast.
The premise of the story is Peter and a group of his friends are on a school sponsored trip to Europe. Shortly after their arrival, a group of demented aliens starts the latest effort to take over and destroy our planet, starting in Venice where our little group of tourists just happen to be visiting. Needless to say poor Spiderman’s vacation is disrupted as he makes an effort to stop them. Once the “bad guys” show up the movie reverts to special effects, so much so that the story line is almost lost. The plot goes from the ridiculous to sublime, as do the special effects.
Spider-Man: Far From Home
Entertainment Rating: ★★
Rating: PG-13: lots of superhero action
Possible Oscar Nominations: None
However, I can tell you that our fifteen-year-old grandson has already seen it twice as of this writing, so the youngsters will drive the box office on this through the roof. I managed to get the last available seat for an early morning matinee, the rest of the fifteen or so showings that day were sold out.
A couple of interesting side notes, Tony Stark (aka Iron Man) plays an important role. Ned, Peter Parker’s best friend, has a romantic relationship while on the trip, and of course, Samuel L. Jackson, my least favorite actor plays his usual role, Nick Fury. What a distasteful persona.
There were twenty seven minutes of previews before the movie started, all but one looked like a waste of time. Ford vs. Ferrari, starring Matt Damon and Christian Bale looked like a real winner. Unfortunately it’s a November release, so we’ll be twiddling our thumbs waiting for that one.
On the other side of the coin we watched an excellent film via Amazon Prime, A Walk in the Clouds, starring Keanu Reeves (1995 PG-13). It’s a post-World War 2 setting, a romantic drama set in Napa Valley. Anthony Quinn plays a supporting role, and my wife and I both agreed that it was the first time we actually liked his character, despite the many roles he’s played over the years. This movie was a refreshing change.
