Far from being a serviceable film, the latest Spider-Man instead merely serves as a palette cleanser to the Infinity Saga with a half-baked and disjointed story line. Sony has to strike with the Marvel craze while the iron is hot. Definitely one of the worst interpretation of the character in live action.

First off, there are some good elements about this film. Jake Gyllenhaal as Mysterio brings sympathy, likeability and an underlying sinister element to the character. The design is wonderful owing to its faithfulness to the comics. Outside of the villain, the rest of the film is subpar. Lifting the film can't be done by a single character alone.

The plot of the film follows Spider-Man and his classmates as they travel Europe for a class tour. None of it makes sense. The character does not grow and the different cities have no relevance emotionally and thematically. Setting this in New York City would have resolved this issue. After all, the character lives there. Plot details and decisions matter less over character development. However, the plot here serves little purpose other than to present "spectacular" visuals.

Usually, jokes and comedy in the Marvel films land when they serve the characters or are not jarring to the point of being included for the sake of laughs. In here, everything is forced and contrived. Even the awkward teenage love story. Tom Holland and Zendaya, who plays MJ, frankly have no chemistry. Immediately as the film starts Spider-Man is head over heels for MJ who he has shown no liking for in Homecoming. While it is understandable considering the characters are teenagers, infatuation starts from something and this is something the film failed to present. Marrisa Tomei as Aunt May is worse here with her relationship with Happy Hogan, played by Jon Favreau. Teen drama does not mean being dumb down. Maturity can be threaded in the teenage love story without being caricatures.

Thematically, Far From Home is a repeat of Homecoming and it does so on a lesser note. Iron Man is shoehorned, again. Spider-Man now seeks approval and meaning from Iron Man, again. Mysterio and his allies find motivation through Iron Man's past mistakes. It's time for Spider-Man to be his own man as he really is and leave Iron Man alone. Spider-Man is the same character as he was in Homecoming, which is disappointing after four previous appearances in the same continuity. Coming on the heels of Infinity War and Endgame, Far From Home should have explored what it was like for the world to recover after Hulk re-snapping half of the universe, but is mentioned only in passing during the beginning. The film is further hampered by sloppy pacing and editing due to these lapses in story lines. The technical qualities are poor, aside from the score and soundtrack. The CGI is also serviceable at best.

If audiences care about concluding the Infinity Saga, Far From Home is a must watch. But as an engrossing film like its predecessors, it fails.

4/10