RJ Writing Ink

Spider-Man: Far From Home Review

Well, true believers, we’ve reached the end of an era for the MCU. The Infinity Saga that it’s been building up to since the beginning is over, and so are the Stan Lee cameos. The only question now is how Marvel will be able to top something as massive Avengers: Endgame? I’m worried about the MCU’s future, but after seeing Spider-Man: Far From Home, I realized that even as the old cast exits, the movies are in good hands.

Spoilers for Endgame are to follow.

Quick Plot

It’s been eight months since the events of Avengers: Endgame, and Earth’s trying to adjust to having half its population return, all while asking who will take Tony Stark’s place as its greatest hero. All eyes seem to think Spider-Man’s the next Iron Man, but after everything he’s been through, all Peter wants to do is take a vacation. No matter how hard Peter tries, though, trouble seems to find him. Next thing he knows, his summer trip to Europe’s been hijacked by Nick Fury and a man named Mysterio as a new threat emerges. Now he has to save the world, all while dealing with typical teen angst like telling MJ he likes her. So much for summer vacation.

A Hilarious Epilogue

This film is essentially an epilogue to the universe-shaking events of Endgame, and I cannot thank Marvel for doing this for us. After dealing with the highest-grossing superhero film of all time, fans needed a chance to unwind and relax. Granted, this is a superhero movie, but Far From Home’s as close as we’re going to get to a relaxing story.

Like Spider-Man: Homecoming, Far From Home’s as much of a comedy as it is a superhero movie. Most of the characters give us moments that make us want to laugh that include classic scenarios such as:

• Walking in on something at the worst possible time and misunderstanding the situation
• Dorky/useless teachers
• Awkward confessions when everyone thinks they’re about to die (“I’m in love with Spider-Man’s aunt.)
• Awkward Teen Romance
• And More!

After seeing Endgame, this film’s what we needed: a good, long laugh. The kind that we can count on Spider-Man giving us.

Legacies and Next Generation

A significant part of the film’s plot is dealing with the aftermath of Endgame and Iron Man’s passing. After giving his life to save the universe, Earth considers Tony Stark, the greatest hero of all time. Everywhere you look in the film; you see images of Tony. There’s graffiti art, tribute videos, and photos. I think I saw a documentary or movie about his life. It’s both annoying and heart-warming to see how everyone almost everyone loves Tony Stark now. I say annoying because I know that if he were still alive, it would inflate Tony’s already massive ego.

All joking aside, this film’s about dealing with the loss of the character who started the MCU, and figuring out who will take his place. Everyone, both in film and in real life, hopes that Spider-Man will be Iron Man’s successor. I do, too; Spidey is Marvel’s poster boy. Nick Fury even gives Peter the proverbial keys to the armory: a set of glasses with one of Tony’s AI’s that gives him access to the Stark satellite network. The AI’s also named EDITH: Even Dead, I‘m The Hero. Classic Tony.

A New Hero

As the film makes visible, though, Peter doesn’t think he’s ready or able to be Iron Man’s successor. He’s still a teenager, and he’s being thrown into the deep end without any floaties. He even tries to pass on EDITH to someone else, only for it to nearly end in disaster.

What Peter learns in the movie, though, is that he doesn’t have to be like Tony Stark. No one can replace Tony Stark. Instead of focusing on living up to Iron Man’s legacy, Peter learns that he needs to be the hero only he can be. When he learns to stop living in his late mentor’s shadow, we see he’s more than capable of being Tony’s successor. In a particularly touching moment before the final battle, we see Peter hard at work on a new suit in a moment that mirrors that of Tony Stark. That’s the moment I knew the MCU was in good hands.

Plus, it helped that Happy put on “Back in Black” by AC/DC. That’s a callback to the very first scene in Iron Man.

Conclusion

I’m still worried about the future of the MCU, but after watching this film, I can tell that it still has plenty of fire left in it. The story of the Avengers may be over for now, but there are plenty of other stories waiting to be told. If anything, I think Spider-Man: Far From Home has shown me that the MCU’s in good hands. Tom Holland’s still my favorite Spider-Man, and I hope that he has the time of his life playing him for years to come.

This film’s a fun story that bids goodbye to the Infinity Saga and paves the way for the next stage in the MCU. I can see it becoming a must-see film for the Summer of 2019. So, get ready for plenty of action, teen drama, and laughs with Spider-Man: Far From Home, now in theaters.

I Give Spider-Man: Far From Home a 4.5/5.

In a few days, I will be talling about the post-credit scenes for Far From Home. Check back soon.

By the way, I TOTALLY CALLED IT ABOUT MYSTERIO!

Click here to see my reviews for various films.

Amphibia Episode 9 Review/Recap

In today’s episode of Amphibia, Anne put’s her pride on the line for her family’s Thai cooking, while Hop Pop goes Grunkle Stan to save his stand.

Lily Pad Thai

When Anne and the Plantar’s go to Stumpy’s Diner for lunch, Anne overhears the restaurant being chewed out by local food critic, Albus Duckweed. Fed up with him criticizing how to run a restaurant, Anne challenges him to come back in two days, and she’ll have turned the place around. Anne pours everything she has into cleaning, remodeling, and changing the menu. By the time she’s done, Stumpy’s Diner is Wartwood’s first Frog-Thai fusion restaurant.

With Anne’s help, Stumpy’s more successful than ever, but Duckweed’s still not impressed. Anne brings out the big guns with her family’s squid and basil special. Unfortunately, the Kraken they use isn’t dead and almost kills everyone before they can beat it down. Amazingly, Duckweed loves the experience and recommends Stumpy’s to everyone, saving the restaurant.

Plantar’s Last Stand

Hop Pop’s always prided himself on his family’s vegetable stand and their policy of honesty. That’s of little help, though, when Mayor Toadstool quadruples the rent on stands at the farmer’s market. Desperate to keep their livelihood, Hop takes Anne’s suggestion and starts selling a new health drink. Dubbed Plantar’s Potions, Anne encourages HP to make stuff up, and he starts to get into it.

When the Plantar’s run out of vegetables, Hop Pop goes from Grunkle Stan to full on Eddy and starts selling garbage as Potions. When his oldest customer reminds him of his family’s reputation for honesty, the guilt leads him to confess. Right as a group of flies almost kidnap the kids, forcing him to give up the potions to save them. In the end, he keeps his reputation but loses the stand from the lack of money.

Review

One of the biggest inspirations for Amphibia was creator Matt Braly’s summer trips to his family in Thailand. Like Anne, he got confused at first by the new land he was in, but he grew to love it. Now he finally gets to share some of his cultures with the kids who watch Disney.

Brenda Song, Anne’s voice actress, also happens to be Thai-American; both have said that portraying Thai culture through Amphibia means a lot to them. After seeing Lily Pad Thai, I can tell that Matt and his team put their hearts into this. They should be proud of what they did.

Speaking of pride, I was proud to see Hop Pop stick to his honest ways rather than become a con-artist. I have to admit, though, he’s good at being a salesperson. Seeing him in action reminded me of Grunkle Stan from Gravity Falls; makes sense, since Matt worked on the show. It felt good to see another show I love to inspire a new one. Maybe someone who works on Amphibia now could give us their hit show in the future.

Altogether, this was one of my favorite episodes of Amphibia. I loved seeing how passionate Anne was about her culture. I also think that Hop Pop losing the stand will end up playing a more significant role down the line in the show. We’ll wait and see. Here’s hoping Stumpy’s keeps its Thai theme, though!

Click here to see my other animation stuff.

Click here to see the first episode on YouTube