Spider Man: Far From Home's Mysterio, A Social Commentary Underlying Speculative Fiction ? Minor Spoilers Ahead
Published On: 11 July 2019 | Hollywood | By: Ravi Mondeti
The fundamental theme of the movie at the core of its conflict - In the digital age, where Perception has Supplanted Reality, Can truth be hidden by creating a deluded public perception? Mysterio does it through His Illusion and Hologram tech and in real-world aren't sold-out News Media houses and Marketing geniuses doing the same?
"It's easy to fool people if they are already fooling themselves." ―Mysterio to Spider-Man
Though Mysterio's motives are despicable, But his methods make him sound more of a sophisticated Critique of mindless media consumption and how it makes people passive participants in their own lives.
In The Vaccum of Super-Heros, Avengers End-Game created, Mysterio wants to fit-in. Although earlier he had some personal grudge with Tony Stark (Iron-Man), But later he deludes himself with a motivation to provide something for the people to believe in .i.e. become an Avenger himself.
How he does so is by Using Illusion and Hologram tech, He creates a Greater earth crisis which he himself alone could fix and the rest of the plot is how Spider-man realizes his (Mysterio's) truth and stops him.
"People... they need to believe. Nowadays... they'll believe anything." ―Mysterio to Spider-Man
In a Broader Context, Mysterio's strength relies on Today's Reality. we believe whatever we Consume over the internet, TV and Newspapers and we share it too. The Fake, Cooked or Twisted News all sound true because they are constructed rationally to align with our prejudices. A good lie is never far from the truth.
The Point is Advances in information Technology which was aimed to dispell falsehood, rather has amplified them. Why Challenge our own perspective when we can find sources that think as we do? There you find your mob, repeating your falsehood a thousand times more, making it a popular opinion and hence begins the mob rule.
Now, Ain't Mysterio is an exaggerated amalgamation of all real-world sources of Miss-Information and falsehood, That instil fear and make people worship them as their sole saviours? The political spectrum is just one vertical of this game of Disinformation.
Meet the author
Cinephile and an aspiring Storyteller. Sharing my views and experiences (before and after watching a Movie) in this Space. Believes in Alfred Hitchcoc's principle of three things that can make a Great Movie - The Script ,The Script and The Script.
