MCU Spider-Man 2 (2019)

[Krutch]

Quick review...

Spoiler:

I liked it, but it's a far cry from the better Spider-Man films in my opinion. Current ranking is...

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
Spider-Man 2
Spider-Man
Spider-Man: Homecoming
Spider-Man 3
Spider-Man Far From Home
Amazing Spider-Man 2
Amazing Spider-Man

The Good:
Mysterio was an interesting take. I liked how his personality mirrored Tony Stark's, especially in the tech-heavy scenes. Jake's performance was great as expected.

Tom Holland is still a likeable lead that carries a lot of heart into his scenes. If they're indeed setting Spidey up to be the main guy moving forward, I'm excited to see Tom's journey with how he handles Peter.

Honestly, the whole cast was really top notch. Alot of the comedic writing didn't work for me, but the cast still carries a fun likeable energy. Great chemistry throughout.

J Jonah Jameson.

And just the overall sense of weight of the events of Infinity War/End Game. The whole world is still dealing with the fallout, and it's nice to see the universe change and evolve with it's characters.

The Bad:
Really not a fan of Peter wanting so take a break from Spider-Man so he can mack on MJ. I get that Peter hits these arcs in the comics but it comes off especially petty following End Game. I was hoping it would be revealed that Peter is secretly harbouring either survivor's guilt or some sort of PTSD, and that wanting to spend time with MJ was just a facade to hide his insecurities. But nope - Peter just wants some MJ. Iron Man just died saving the world and passing the torch to you, and the first thing you do is take a break because you wanna chase tail. C'mon, Pete.

Also not a fan of MJ (and later, the world) finding out about Peter's identity. I'm not sure why the secret identity aspect has been so downplayed in superheroes recent years but I really miss it. Peter's not even out of high school and his best friend, his aunt, and his girlfriend all know his identity. Alot of fun, antic-y stuff is lost before it even had a chance.

And I'll say it again; most of the comedy didn't land for me -- and there was alooooot of comedy.

J Jonah Jameson. Look, I get it. When you strike gold like that the first time, it's tempting (and easy) to just do it again. It's the safe move. And while it put a giant grin on my face ... I can't help but feel like it's also a missed opportunity to see someone else see what they can do with it.