Spider-Man: Far From Home (Film Review)

2019 Sony Pictures Releasing
Directed by: Jon Watts
Written by: Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers
Starring: Tom Holland, Samuel L. Jackson, Zendaya, Cobie Smulders, Jon Favreau, J. B. Smoove, Jacob Batalon, Martin Starr, Marisa Tomei, and Jake Gyllenhaal
MPAA Rating: PG-13; Running Time: 129 Minutes
The Nicsperiment Score: 7/10

Seems stupid to have to say it by this point, but
THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR AVENGERS:ENDGAME 
I know I wasn't the only one surprised when Marvel Studios president, Kevin Feige, announced that Spider-Man: Far From Home, not Avengers: Endgame, would end this current phase of Marvel movies. However, Avengers: Endgame's conclusion makes this move seem extremely logical. Iron Man, Spider-Man's mentor and father-figure, has died after saving the universe, and Spider-Man, helpless to save his hero, is now looking for direction and purpose in his life. Samuel L Jackson's bossy Nick Fury wants Spidey to take on Iron Man's mantle--after all, isn't that what Tony Stark, aka Iron Man, would have wanted? But Spider-Man, still only 16, wonders if maybe he should just be Peter Parker, the kid who sometimes dresses up at night in a red and blue costume to fight neighborhood crime.
Feige's comments or not, I was never nervous about Far From Home's quality. Three years ago, Tom Holland became the best Spider-Man in cinematic history, just five minutes into his cameo in Captain America: Civil War. Holland seamlessly combines the geeky, golly-gee kid qualities of Spider-Man with the badass ones. In the part, he's just a nice, awkward, friendly kid who wants to help, with great powers to do so. Tobey Maguire, while just fine in the role, took the character a little too far into the awkward territory. Andrew Garfield was pretty much completely missing the "golly-gee" quality. Holland is effortless in this role, seems to have been born to play it.
The high school setting worked incredibly well for 2017's Spiderman: Homecoming, so rather daringly, Far From Home moves the action overseas, as Parker's class goes on a trip to Europe. The kids cast as Parker's classmates for these films are just as stellar as Holland, particularly Jacob Batalon, as his Parker's best friend, Ned. Batalon had me laughing so hard in the theater during Far From Home, I got shushed. Shushed, I tell you. Meanwhile, Peter just wants to spend this trip hanging out with Zendaya's MJ, hoping for a little romance and relaxation, his Spider-Man costume ideally folded back with his Aunt May in New York. Of course, that doesn't happen.
Before you can say, what can a spider do?, gigantic Elemental monsters are attacking Europe's major cities, and some fish-bowl-helmeted guy named Mysterio, who says he's from another dimension, is trying to defeat them. Fury shows up, wanting a Mysterio/Spider-Man tag-team, and Peter's plans seem to be ruined.
I enjoyed Far From Home thoroughly. Holland is just as good in this film as he's ever been, and not just Ned, but all of his classmates are absolutely hilarious. Holland and Zendaya have a great, awkward, sun-and-moon chemistry, and the film gives just the right amount of time to their romance. Far from Home's twists and turns are predictable, but they're pulled off enjoyably and shot quite imaginatively. Indeed, Far From Home might have some of the most far out imagery in the Marvel film universe, behind only Doctor Strange, at times perhaps surpassing it. The special effects are state-of-the-art.
Yes, I was very entertained.
But I was not moved.
Since 2008's Iron Man, Marvel's many films have come in three tiers:
Below average, which only a few fall into.
Genre transcendent classics, which again, I think only a few fall into.
Finally, there are the ones that are highly enjoyable, throwaway entertainment, which I think the vast majority fall into. I include Far From Home in this latter tier.
The setup is here for transcendence. Endgame's conclusion is immensely powerful--plenty of people were sobbing in my theater after Tony made the ultimate sacrifice. Parker's relationship with Tony has laid the groundwork for some potentially seismic emotional moments in Far From Home. Unfortunately, they're all surface tremors. Far From Home is far more interested in being a fun vacation movie, then in being any sort of meditation on grief.
It's a shame.
Guardians of the Galaxy is able to give great emotional weight both to Peter Quill's pain due to the loss of his mother, as well as the way the film's ragtag band finally find family in one another. Captain America: Civil War works wonders by exploring Steve Rogers' loyalty and moral purity. Avengers: Infinity War reaches near operatic emotional heights as Tony Stark realizes his failure has allowed his greatest fears to come true.
I laughed my head off at Far From Home, enjoyed the action choreography and the ridiculously high production values, and promptly forgot most of the film by the next morning.