Spider-Man: Lejos de casa

Una aventura para sentirse bien, que llega a cuatro estrellas por varios aspectos y la fresca interrelación de los mismos: frecuentes desplazamientos por las bellas localizaciones de la Eurosfera, más espacio para el mentor Jon Favreau, frecuentes conexiones con Tony Stark, y los extravagantes juegos tecnológicos de Mysterio, paralelos a la propia magia de la ilusión cinematográfica. Y una lucha interna muy bien retratada de Spider-Man con sus propias responsabilidades y las inevitables expectativas de sí mismo. (26.08.2019)

The creators of the Marvel Universe finally decided to visit our little country as well, as they discovered that Europe presents an interesting market. I’m glad that they chose Prague and Liberec as some of the filming locations. My relationship to Spiderman is such that I grew up with the first movie trilogy, mostly ignored the movies with Andrew Garfield, and he regained my attention with Tom Holland. As I enjoyed the previous instalment, I had one more reason to look forward to this one. And I wasn’t disappointed. There was a lot of fun, a sufficient number of nostalgic moments, and I greatly enjoyed the shots of the ravaged Old Time Square (or Liberec Square). It all has pleasant young adult vibes that are a good fit for the new Spiderman, filling a certain gap in the Marvel Universe these days. (23.07.2019)

I enjoyed the first Spider-Man, and I recently watched it a second time. Tom Holland is great, Michael Keaton creates an interesting villain and the whole thing moved along nicely. In Far From Home, though, things are a little shakier. Holland keeps trying and the action is good to watch, but the whole thing feels kind of pointless. Whether it's the rather off-kilter antagonist with strange motivations and Bond villain appearances, the excessive running time, or the fact that Parker's classmates get a too much space and they're not particularly interesting. Oh, and it's also too long. There's action, there's humour, there's some suspense or romance (Spidey's strongest in that, ironically), but there's nothing outright exceptional, breathtaking or extra interesting. Spidey's second solo effort often feels tedious and tired. It's as if this is the fifth film where they didn’t quite know what to do next, so they send the hero to Europe. It's still okay, it's just hard to find anything "wow". But Holland is likable, Zendaya as a plucky high school femme fatale is too, and the burning Liberec city hall made me happy as a local. On the other hand, I don't think I'll give it a second viewing. (13.07.2019)

A solid sequel to Spider-Man that mines emotions to the max again in the opening thanks to Whitney Houston after the events of Endgame. The first hour is a bit more sedate and those who mind teenage humour might be bored, but once the action shifts to Prague and Jake Gyllenhaal's Mysterio steps in it's a brisk and fun ride with one unexpected twist and solid action (the highlight is definitely the duelling illusion, which is so visually imaginative and exciting it will take your breath away, because you've never seen anything like it before). The finale is traditionally big and pleasantly emotional, also thanks to the romance with Zendaya, who is becoming into a great actress. The post-credit scene was definitely great. I had a good time and the film is definitely worth seeing. 80% (02.07.2019)

Lies, tricks and acrobatics. The second Spide-Man movie is a successful follow-up to the first one, as well as to Avengers: Endgame, although the storytelling is a little heavy-handed. Compromises are made in the quest for originality. The juxtaposition of the school trip and destructive fights is inconsistent. There is a reason for this, but it spoils the viewer’s enjoyment a little. The romantic interest works at 100% and Holland and Zendaya lend the required chemistry and a certain cuteness to the story of the loser/nerd in the love story. The storyline with Mysterio has one massive weak point in that people who have read the comic book know it already, but the screenwriters don't take that into account. Even so, Gyllenhaal delivers an interestingly double-faceted performance, accentuated especially in the second half. The illusionary scene is  an unbelievable shower of ideas, the action in the climax is a fan’s dream come true and the setting in Prague/Liberec of course pleases us Czechs. Even so, the first movie impressed me a little more. The post-credits scenes are really worth it this time. (04.07.2019)

A massive CGI mess for teenagers, because there’s hardly anything for the adults, other than an intentionally funny scene here and there. (06.11.2019)

Not only a great continuation of the story of Spider-Man (and Peter Parker... and the Night Monkey), but also a great unwinding of the entire Marvel world, which has undergone some really interesting changes since Endgame that the script can – and does – benefit from. Perhaps only the villain could have been better (the Vulture set the bar very high in the last film), but the elaborate and imaginative great illusion scenes are a pretty solid offset to the predictability. I like how Spider-Man is only just becoming the real Spider-Man (although someone else is being Uncle Ben to him, of course) and how Peter Parker doesn't forget that he's supposed to be Peter Parker too. Tom Holland is sensational in the role and Zendaya is even better than last time. The comedy, the action, the surprises, it's all there. The direction is seamless, Michael Giacchino's score is once again worth a hundred points (although he plays with the Avengers theme at times in a way that almost sounds like Lord of the Rings)... If Prague had a shortage of tourists, it could start preparing for them. (03.07.2019)

An easygoing piece that after the dramatic Endgame wanted to remind fans that Marvel is first and foremost a fun realm of blockbuster filmmaking. The first half is a lot of fun, actually, and it was surprising to see a superhero movie with a teenage romance line being far better than most thoroughbred teenage comedies – Peter’s troubles with his love interest and the subsequent dilemma about his own self work great, both in terms of humour and as an important causal element for the fundamental villain twist. And actually, overall, it’s a very nice spectacle that you will surely enjoy if you like Spider-Man and the Marvel universe, which allows for a rather sophisticated incorporation of illusory motifs and original antagonists. Unfortunately, it’s brought down by the shabby second half, which numbs the viewer with unnecessarily long illusory sequences and delivers a comedic finale where the characters, though they are truly putting their necks on the line, run to the Crown Jewels and share their secret weaknesses. The action is nothing great, either, and the final fate of the villain is quite inadequate given his potential. Also, the concept of travelling through well-known European locations has hardly any value and the interesting post-credit scenes underscores Sony’s stupid decision not to continue with this promising story. 70% (25.09.2019)

(POSSIBLE SPOILERS!) I'll freely admit that I'm not exactly a die-hard Spidey fan, but after the spectacular Avengers: Endgame that concluded the more than decade-long Marvel saga, I am happy for any "lesser" film in this cinematic universe, so I was very happy to see the latest spider adventure despite its main character. Of course, it was nice that a not insignificant part of the plot takes place in our metropolis and it was funny to hear Czech lines, announcements or singing. The film has a slower start, despite the skirmishes with the elementals, but everything picks up with the arrival of the real bad guy on the scene. I downright liked the illusionistic sequences and the fact that you basically didn't know who you are actually dealing with until the end credits – in this case, it really and absolutely pays to wait for BOTH post-credit scenes, which on the one hand open the door for the sequel, and on the other hand slightly mess with the viewer and their gullibility to what they've seen. Tom Holland was the most bearable in all his Marvel movies this time around, Zendaya is a looker at first sight, Jake Gyllenhaal's casting made me downright happy, and Samuel L. Jackson has never let me down as Nick Fury so far. Even if the film doesn't reach the quality of the team-ups, it still passes by briskly in the cinema, abounds with plenty of well-made action, offers more than one good moment of surprise, has a well-chosen soundtrack and as a bonus, it takes you on a tour around Europe. (06.07.2019)

This year has actually been pretty good so far. The only thing I had to suffer through from Marvel was the awful Captain America, and with Endgame I just pretended I didn't know it existed. When that huge color spectrum of objects and characters in monumental resolution came flying out at me again after so long, which mercilessly testifies to the fact that even a normal street had to be created mostly from a green screen, I was quite startled. This despite the fact that I surprisingly liked the previous Homecoming for its return to its roots. I mean, Spider-Man, as he himself hints at several times in this installment, is one of those "street-level heroes" whose main agenda is to right everyday wrongs against everyday but upstanding citizens, and ascribing the role of savior of the world to him doesn't sit well. While the first action scene in the last installment took place essentially in the confines of a laundromat against a bunch of common thugs, now it's already taking place in Venice against 20-foot elementals. The one delight there is in all sorts of details, realistic object physics, and the need to improvise with limited surroundings. It's boring to see buildings getting torn down and cars exploding again. The only thing that remains at least preserved is the identity of the villain, who, as in the first installment, is created as a result of the indestructible arrogant Stark hegemony. Besides, in an age of necessary war on tourism and its ensuing tastelessness and disposability, it's hard to rise above the issues of the plot, which constantly serves us images of whiny, spoiled American tourists with cell phones for heads raiding European capitals for instant gratification. No matter how much it makes me enjoy the idea of a conversation between a director and a Czech location scout: "With Prague, I'd like to shore up the quirkiness and history of the place by having the heroes arrive in that city just as some of their traditional celebrations are going on or something. What do they have there?" "Uh, well, there's always drunk guys chasing women with sticks and beating them up in the spring. They have to give them something in return, usually eggs or more booze. If they don’t, they're a write-off." "Hahahaha you're funny, but seriously, what are their specific traditions?" "Well then, like in February, kids dressed up as the three kings walk the streets and sign their names in chalk on the door to get some kind of a handout..." "Well, see, that's a nice custom..." "...and one of them in is blackface." "Oh, good gracious! Please, say no more. Do they at least know what paper lanterns are?" "Well, I guess so?" "Then let’s go with the Festival of Lights idea." (02.10.2019)

I feel the same way about this as about the first installment, which means I could have about a million issues with it, but the fact remains that I enjoyed the full two hours of it. While it has its weaker moments, it is a decent follow-up to the Endgame. But the thing that completely won me over, besides satirizing the stereotypes of selected European nations, were the scenes shot in Prague, which was given the most space here since Mission: Impossible. The production obviously made every effort to make Prague look like actual Prague, so, in addition to the perfectly lit Prague tourist landmarks, what popped out at me in the closing credits which I found amusing was that this Spider-Man will most likely be the only Marvel movie in which you get to hear “Moravian Polka”. There were also some twists which I didn’t expect at all (especially both post-credits scenes are some of the best of Marvel) and Jake Gyllenhaal is excellent as always, his performance often going beyond the script. Finally, I must add that if I’ll ever be thrilled to see a particular Marvel movie again, then definitely this one. (11.07.2019)