ROGER THOMAS FILM REVIEW: ‘Spider-Man: Far From Home’ is worth a trip from home

Published 9:54 am Thursday, July 18, 2019

We have had multiple stories of the webbed Peter Parker. This young man was bit by a spider and gained “super powers.” And now we have another exciting adventure.

Roger Thomas

But before we discuss the newest film, lets review the films that have already left the cinema and can be found at many stores.

The first film, “Spider-Man,” opened in theaters in 2002. It seems like a few years ago, but it has been 17 years.

“Spider-Man” starred Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst and Willem Dafoe. It was followed by two more films with Maguire as Parker fighting crime in 2004 and 2007.

After a five-year break “Spider-Man” was back with a little longer title and a new actor playing the lead character. The title for the first film of the second series was “The Amazing Spider-Man.” The actor playing Peter Parker/Spider-Man was Andrew Garfield. Emma Stone was the love interest in the second series of films, if you can call two films a series.

Garfield and Maguire got the series rolling with their contraptions between 2002 and 2014.

Skipping ahead, before we discuss the actor playing “Spider-Man” now, I would like to point out something I never thought I would see.

This past year a “Spider-Man” film won an Oscar. It was not “Best Picture,” but it was “Best Animated Feature.” The title of the film was “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.”

It is a good film to seek out if you have not already, especially if you are a fan.

The live action versions are better for my taste, but I am glad that the webbed hero did receive some respect.

Now let’s discuss the newest film version of “Spider-Man.”

The latest stories are centered around a young Peter Parker who is still in high school. The other actors eventually graduate in their series, but Tom Holland’s version is still in high school. And what a great school he attends. He and some of his classmates and teachers go to Europe, hence the title.

There are a lot of sites in the film and some destructions of the very valuable scenery. The scenery truly enhances all that is going throughout.

But there are two other elements that truly make the film better in some ways than its predecessors.

The first is there is not a moment in this film that seems too unreal as the one in the previous film.

Some of you will remember of what I wrote.

There is a point in “Spider-Man: Homecoming” that caused me to lose my ability to believe, at least for two hours. I did not dislike all of the film, but when Peter Parker held a ship together with webbing and strength, I surrendered my belief.

However, this new film seemed different. It still has outrageous stunts and a hero rescuing people in impossible ways, but the film just seemed completely better than the previous.

One other factor I think enhances this film is that Peter Parker and his fellow students often act like real teenagers. Holland is especially good at playing the clumsiness of adolescence.

We know that most of the actors who are playing teenagers are really adults. But once more, leading actor Holland and many of the other young adults make the film quite better by their portrayals of American teenagers abroad.

There have been many comic-book films this year so far and most of them have been quite good.

Here’s one more cheer for “Spider-Man: Far from Home.”

Roger W. Thomas of Albemarle reviews films for The Stanly News & Press.