As Marvel's first follow-up to the massive culmination that was Endgame, this is lighter by necessity. Spidey's a character that really benefits from a smaller stage anyway, so the timing is appropriate, but he's quickly pulled out of his comfort zone and never totally settles in. I think the foreign location has a lot to do with that. New York City is an essential part of the web-slinger's identity, whether he's doing friendly neighborhood stuff or zipping through Manhattan with a slice of pizza, and separating him from all that for a quick European vacation makes the character feel rather vanilla. His classmates are along for the ride, of course, which maintains his connection to high school drama and the wise-cracking teen culture, and that helps, but it’s an issue.
Tom Holland is still a nice fit for the role, achieving a difficult combination of confidence, spontaneity and awkward social cues. Jake Gyllenhaal is convincing and charismatic as the perception-altering Mysterio, lending depth and direction to a character that's often rather flat in the books. Samuel Jackson's Nick Fury is around a lot too, personally dealing with several situations that would have probably been beneath him in earlier circumstances, and there's one great casting surprise late in the film that left my entire theater gasping for air. The effects also look phenomenal, with a particular credit due for making one of the comic's most ridiculous-looking foils, somehow, seem pretty cool.
Most of the pieces are still there, and it's loyal to many things I enjoyed about Homecoming, it's just... lesser in most every way? A decidedly middle-of-the-pack effort, which is somewhat disappointing since the first installment felt so fresh and spot-on.
Review by drqshadowBlockedParent2020-01-29T15:44:14Z
As Marvel's first follow-up to the massive culmination that was Endgame, this is lighter by necessity. Spidey's a character that really benefits from a smaller stage anyway, so the timing is appropriate, but he's quickly pulled out of his comfort zone and never totally settles in. I think the foreign location has a lot to do with that. New York City is an essential part of the web-slinger's identity, whether he's doing friendly neighborhood stuff or zipping through Manhattan with a slice of pizza, and separating him from all that for a quick European vacation makes the character feel rather vanilla. His classmates are along for the ride, of course, which maintains his connection to high school drama and the wise-cracking teen culture, and that helps, but it’s an issue.
Tom Holland is still a nice fit for the role, achieving a difficult combination of confidence, spontaneity and awkward social cues. Jake Gyllenhaal is convincing and charismatic as the perception-altering Mysterio, lending depth and direction to a character that's often rather flat in the books. Samuel Jackson's Nick Fury is around a lot too, personally dealing with several situations that would have probably been beneath him in earlier circumstances, and there's one great casting surprise late in the film that left my entire theater gasping for air. The effects also look phenomenal, with a particular credit due for making one of the comic's most ridiculous-looking foils, somehow, seem pretty cool.
Most of the pieces are still there, and it's loyal to many things I enjoyed about Homecoming, it's just... lesser in most every way? A decidedly middle-of-the-pack effort, which is somewhat disappointing since the first installment felt so fresh and spot-on.