Spider-Man: Far From Home – 5 out of 5
Do you hear that sound? That is the sound of a satisfied Rev. Ron getting his fix of the MCU! Spider-Man: Far From Home marks that we are now 23 films deep into the MCU and I still can’t get enough of this cinematic shared universe. So, prepare your cynical self because I’m about to give yet another glowing review of a Marvel Studios movie and if you’re the type that hates it when people enjoy stuff (and a lot of people are like that—like at literally any comment section or spend one day on any social media platform…or just exist in the real world) you might want to turn away.
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| Marvel Studios Does whatever a spider can...like glide. Which some can do and it is a terrifying concept. |
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| Marvel Studios Sometimes comic accurate costumes don't translate to live-action but it works for Mysterio. |
The Endgame is complete. The Snap by Thanos and the damage it committed has been undone but at great cost. Now Peter Parker (Tom Holland) is left alone to figure out his place in the world as both a survivor and as the superhero Spider-Man. In an effort to embrace the kid that he is, Peter is off to Europe with his classmates for a vacation and one where he hopes to tell MJ (Zendaya) how he feels. However, danger isn’t far behind as Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) seeks out Peter’s aid with a mysterious man named Quentin Beck (Jake Gyllenhaal). Beck claims to be from another dimension and has come to this Earth to stop primordial forces called The Elementals from destroying the planet. Now Peter must decide whether to be the teenager he is or accept that with great power come great responsibility.
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| Marvel Studios While this Elemental wasn't officially the comics' Hydro-Man, the film showed that Hydro-Man could work on the big screen. |
Spider-Man: Far From Home is another win for Marvel Studios, Sony, and the MCU as a whole. The product is capable of showing that it exists both as a tool to illustrate just how expansive the whole shared universe is but is also an example of how focused and personal it can be. The film does some exploration of the post-Endgame events and how they have changed the world but done so through Peter’s high school so you’re not seeing how the events effected the world as a whole but rather you get a sense of how it impacted a targeted demographic and that, in turn, gives you a slight feel for how the world has changed. Like all MCU films, Far From Home balances being something that is constantly acknowledging the larger universe it exists in and helping it expand and develop but at the same time isn’t robbing the main character of their arc and how they are developing in the world. There is no doubt this is a part of the MCU but there is also no doubt that at its core it is still very much a Spider-Man film.
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| Marvel Studios I don't remember Mysterio being that handsome in the comics. |
The development of the characters was definitely one of my favorite parts of the film. I really liked seeing Peter struggling with that dichotomy of being a student but also a person of great power. With the MCU Spider-Man not having the death of Uncle Ben to be his motivation to fight for good and to illustrate to him that with great power comes great responsibility (My belief is Uncle Ben died in the Chitauri invasion) and while Tony Stark’s presence in his life sorta acted as a surrogate to Uncle Ben this film gets to showcase that there’s a lot of Peter trying to figure this all out on his own and realize that he does have a purpose to serve. Seeing him try to be both the hero and the kid and feeling the heartaches of doing one over the other is great storytelling but also nails the comic book character incredibly well and hit that key element of him using his great power responsibly. I also really enjoyed the emphasis that we see with MJ in this film. While a mostly peripheral character in the last film, Far From Home lets her be her own person and we get to see glimpses of the comic book counterpart that she is loosely based off of (mostly MJ's great snark and independent spirit). Additionally, the courtship of Peter and MJ is adorable as all hell!
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| Marvel Studios MJ has some great moments in Homecoming but this one allowed her to really be a great character and I can't wait to see more of her in future MCU films. |
One thing I’ve enjoyed about these new Spider-Man movies is the villains. Michael Keaton was so awesome as Vulture and Jake Gyllenhaal continues this streak as an impressive Mysterio. The way they adapted the character for the MCU and were able to make him unique but still feel like the comic character is just fantastic writing and creation from the production. Additionally, Gyllenhaal’s performance is very engaging and he really knew how to provide the right amount of mystery to the character but didn’t keep him from being understandable and even amusing.
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| Marvel Studios They're about to start a thumb war. |
Far From Home, like all MCU films, has very exciting action and balances a great tone of having heart, drama and humor. I don’t want to get into Spoilers territory but the action sequences are very unique and have a quality about them that haven’t been seen in this cinematic universe. This just added to the fun factor. Additionally, I feel this Spider-Man film really leaned into the humorous aspect more than the previous one and it was actually a good thing. Similar to having Ant-Man and The Wasp come out as a palate cleaner after Infinity War, Far From Home comes in and, while it won’t let you forget the losses seen in Endgame, it doesn’t want you to feel bad the entire time as it provides some great moments of comedy. For example, Peter’s best friend Ned (Jacob Batalon) finds companionship with fellow student Betty (Angourie Rice), Martin Starr returns as Mr. Harrington and is chaperoning the trip with fellow teacher Mr. Dell (played by J. B. Smoove) and Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau) and Aunt May (Marisa Tomei) are developing as a duo and all these parings lead to just absolute hilarity and comedy that never feels out of place for the film but rather complimentary. Seriously, Starr and Smoove were so funny in this film and play so well together!
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| Marvel Studios When the spy life no longer brings you joy. |
My love for the MCU is undying and whenever I find a drawback it is never enough for it to kill my score or destroy the entertainment I get from it. I know such unconditional adoration of an entertainment property immediately sets people off because liking and enjoying things is hated and enjoying things seems beneath us now as we define ourselves by what we hate rather than what we like but the MCU scratches the right itch for me and this one gets all the things I expect it to be right and so much more. Spider-Man: Far From Home does a great job of developing both Spider-Man as a hero and Peter Parker as a person, does a great job at using its supporting characters and bringing in a cool and interesting villain, the action is incredible, the story is fun and the cast is great. The movie is both grand in scope as it expands the MCU but also small in scale as we get to watch Spider-Man develop as his own character within it. Also, that mid-credit sequence blew my mind and made me literally cheer out loud in the theater!
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