Spider-Man: Far from Home 4DX Review: A Swinging Good Time

July 03, 2019

Spider-Man: Far from Home is the third movie I’ve seen in 4DX this summer, and I think I’m addicted. This latest Marvel adventure is almost too much fun on its own, but when you throw in a roller coaster seat, wet mist, and some well-timed weather simulation, it becomes a can’t miss summer experience that beats any of your local amusement park rides. It’s almost better than Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. But only when you take away the Ronto wraps, blue milk and Fuzzy Tauntauns from that Disneyland experience.

Spider-Man: Far From Home stands on its own as one of the best summer movie going experiences of 2019 thus far. There have been some pretty bad reboots and sequels hitting the Multiplex lately. Far From Home doesn’t fall into that category. Perhaps it takes a minute or two to get rolling, but when the action picks up, it keeps on soaring even past end credits. It’s old fashioned in that it actually wants to entertain you. The characters are all solid. The action is hot. And that climax is something else, especially when experienced in RealD 3D and mixed with the bumps and jolts of 4DX.

Each 4DX experience has been completely different thus far. As different as the movies being sold through in the gimmick. Don’t get me wrong, no movie actually needs 4DX, but the one’s presented in the all immersive format have only benefited from these extra bells and whistles stapled onto the edges. It makes the movie actually feel like an event. I didn’t watch Avengers: Endgame in 4DX. As a movie on its own merits, I think I enjoyed Spider-Man: Far From Home more. It had less to prove, fewer expectations. And it’s not bloated at a swift two hours. It rests comfortably on the same foundation as movies like Star Wars and Indiana Jones were built.

Related: Anthony Mackie Roasts Tom Holland Over Missed Captain America Cameo in Far from Home

The story takes place 8 months after Avengers: Endgame. And there are a lot of references to that particular blockbuster, especially when it comes to Tony Stark’s lasting legacy. Some are looking to Spider-Man as the go-to replacement. Something even Stark wanted. The story hinges around a pair of technologically advanced glasses gifted to Peter by his mentor. While on summer vacation, Parker gets roped into a dangerous mission to stop Elemental monsters from destroying the planet. He must work alongside Mysterio, who claims to be from the multiverse. All the way, he must save his school chums from being evaporated by the dangers they encounter at every port of call.

Things do not go as planned, with a midpoint twist that comic book readers already know is coming. Spider-Man must step up and prove himself. He gets some help from Happy Hogan, who may or may not be dating Peter’s Aunt May. And it all leads up to one of the best end battle scenes to ever play out in the MCU. The villain is one of Marvel’s best thus far. Save for Thanos and Killmonger, and Loki, perhaps. But the baddie here ranks up there with the classics, especially after you see what happens during the post-credit scenes. Perhaps two of the most important scenes in the movie. One coming after the cast credits, the second coming at the very end. Both as equally game changing for the MCU at large. They are seismic in their revelations. So do not leave the theater early. You’ll really be missing out on something important this time around. This ain’t Captain America giving hygiene tips.

As far as the 4DX experience goes, there are air conditioned theaters and then there is the wind that blows and rages, and cools off hot bodies not quite like anything else inside a 4DX theater. There are plenty of windy moments in Spider-Man: Far From Home and they satisfy the irritation of the summer heat better than sticking your head in the popsicle freezer at the local IGA. But that’s probably not why you paid the extra twenty bucks. John Wick 3: Parabellum in 4DX was all about getting shot, stabbed and brutally beaten by your chair in a non-stop onslaught of violence. Godzilla: King of the Monsters in 4DX was all about experiencing the earthquake rumbles of a Kaiju attack at ground level. Spider-Man: Far From Home in 4DX is all about the swinging.

Of course it is. Spider-Man swings a lot, and with each spin of the web, your chair glides along, bumping and beating you when necessary. It’s a brilliant and fun way to vicariously live out your Spider-Man fantasies. And this allows you to experience the MCU in an entirely new way. Spider-Man: Far From Home isn’t as bombastic as the previous two 4DX trips I’ve made. It’s actually quite a bit more subtle.

The movie opens with a big ‘Wham-Pow!’ moment where Nick Fury and Maria Hill meet Mysterio for the first time, and it delivers a good blow to your bowels, giving you the thumps and rumble shakes like a car crash. But then it subsides for some character building. And for, perhaps, the first 30 minutes you may forget that you’re even watching a 4DX movie. I was a little disappointed and began to wonder why everything was at a standstill.

But then the first Elemental monster shows up, and it’s all over from there. It’s pummel city as the seat shakes and breaks you in the best ways possible, allowing you to literally feel what it’s like to live inside a comic book. Matched with the 3D cinematography, this, in all honesty, is way more exciting and enjoyable than the new Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run ride. Cheaper too. And people who don’t live in California won’t have such a hard time buying a ticket to this show.

Once that first Elemental shows up, the movie literally turns into a carnival ride. There isn’t as much punching. And I don’t recall being shot in the back of the head at all. There is a lot more water here, so prepare to leave feeling a little moister than when you arrived. The man sitting next to me had the unfortunate problem of getting blasted in the crotch. So it looked like he’d wet himself midway through the movie, and it never dried. There are also quite a bit of pyrotechnics being delivered on the peripheral. Though, this time, there are no smells to be smelled. At all.

Spider-Man: Far From Home isn’t as over the top as the previous two movies in terms of the 4DX experience. But the movie itself, matched with the roller coaster aspect of the whole thing made it by far the most enjoyable of the three movies so far. If you have the spare cash to spend, seeing the latest entry in the MCU in this way is well worth it. It might be a bit too speedy if you have more than 2 kids and a significant other to haul along. Spider-Man: Far From Home definitely stands on its own as a worthwhile endeavor without spine punching. But dang, it’s really so much fun. You can visit Regal Movies for the 4DX experience closest to you.

Topics: Spider-Man Far From Home, 4DX, Disney