Spider-Man: Far From Home is not only simply one of the best Spider-Man movies but one of the best Marvel movies ever made. The highs of this movie hit on a level I haven’t personally felt in a Spider-Man movie in over a decade, it’s absolutely magnificent.
Far From Home picks up after the events of Avengers: Endgame (exit this page if you haven’t seen it). The world is trying to readjust to a post-Thanos world which saw half of life exterminated at the blink of an eye and then returned just as quickly but more importantly, they’re looking for a new leader.
With Iron Man and Captain America gone, there’s an immense pressure on Spider-Man as he’s in the public eye. Can he be the answer to the world’s future threats? Is he prepared to tackle world-ending events by himself? He doesn’t know.
Peter Parker decides it’s time to take a little R&R after recent events and heads to Europe on a school trip where he realizes he can’t simply rest. A threat known as the Elementals is rising up to destroy the planet and a mysterious and theatrical hero known as Mysterio swoops in to help Spider-Man and SHIELD destroy the Elementals.
With all that said, this is one of the most high-stakes and exciting Spider-Man adventures seen on the big screen yet. This doesn’t just reflect exclusively in the set-pieces, there’s an immense amount of weight carried through the story as well. Returning director Jon Watts does an incredible job of juggling one of the most important aspects of Peter Parker/Spider-Man: an external and internal struggle that collide with each other to create a rich narrative.
There’s been a lot of criticism directed at the MCU Spider-Man for a variety of reasons. He’s too reliant on Iron Man/Stark tech, he’s not holding himself to the whole “Great power, great responsibility” motto, and more. All of that is addressed quite bluntly in Far From Home and not in just throwaway lines or moments.
Peter Parker is evolving in a way we’ve never really seen before on film. He’s not going from zero to hero in a two-hour story, this is a much more gradual progression over multiple films but it really does feel like Peter has a much better understanding of who he is and who he needs to be by the time credits roll in Far From Home.
We see his rather previously underused level of intelligence used a number of times here. He’s crafting gadgets and doing scientific/mathematical problems to figure out how to give them more power, he’s using creative solutions and quick thinking to deal with huge problems in combat, and he’s proving that even though he makes some dumb errors, he’s no fool.
This is a story of constant escalation for Peter and he’s continuously finding ways to strengthen himself or gain an upper hand in battle. The finale of the film is easily one of my favorite Spider-Man showdowns of all-time and felt endlessly satisfying in both the way Spider-Man handles himself but how it’s shot.
You feel the speed and energy of this incredibly frantic and frenetic action, you get those triumphant highs and those painful lows. The way it’s all executed is simply masterful and blows anything seen in Homecoming out of the water and atmosphere. There’s one particular moment where Watts removes all of the music and just lets you sink into the boots of Spidey before pulling off this incredible one-shot that is absolutely extraordinary.
Spider-Man is thrown through the wringer a number of times in this movie but it makes those moments of euphoric victory feel all the more rewarding.
Watts really goes all-in on the set-pieces of Far From Home. Fans of Mysterio know just what he’s capable of and how many have truly longed to see him on the big screen and they won’t be disappointed. There’s one very key sequence that absolutely floored me with both the very idea of it and the execution which is incredibly sophisticated on just about every single level.
As for Mysterio on a character level, Jake Gyllenhaal brings Marvel to 2 for 2 with Spider-Man villains. By being incredibly dynamic and charismatic, he creates this amalgamation of some of Gyllenhaal’s greatest hits. We see a little bit of his character Velvet Buzzsaw and some of the wirey and crazed nature of Lou Bloom from Nightcrawler. It doesn’t feel like he’s copying and pasting performances, though.
It’s all done with intent and nothing feels out of place, it’s an absolutely exceptional portrayal of one of Spider-Man’s best baddies and ensures the wait to see Mysterio on the silver screen was well worth it.
Outside of Aunt May, there really isn’t a single weak link in this film. MJ is a compelling love interest who is both charming and sweet in her awkwardness, Jon Favreau’s Happy ushers in one of the most emotional moments of the film and doesn’t feel like he’s still here cashing in a Marvel paycheck, and Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury is still a total badass.
There are some decisions made with a particular motherly figure in Far From Home that didn’t quite jive with both the character’s comic-book origins or the one established in the MCU. Aunt May has zero care in the world that Peter is Spider-Man, actively encouraging him to throw himself into danger head first. This comes directly after a movie where she was constantly worried and paranoid about him, meaning all of that character development is basically thrown out the window.
Aunt May’s character in the MCU is largely unmeaningful and is used for comedic effect, undermining one of the wisest, most crucial people in Peter Parker’s life. Even extending beyond Aunt May, there are some choices made exclusively for jokes that raise eyebrows and could arguably begin to dismantle key elements of the wall-crawler.
While Far From Home is a very funny film and has some really great jokes, there are also a number of jokes that don’t land very well. JB Smoove’s Mr. Dell character is one giant comedic relief character but outside of one or two moments, the script doesn’t allow him to really shine to his full potential. Hannibal Buress is also noticeably absent and sorely missed.
The Verdict:
Even so, Spider-Man: Far From Home is not only a triumph for Spider-Man but for Marvel in general by marking an impressively strong finale for “Phase 3”. It takes a character some people feel has overstayed his cinematic welcome and gives him a surprising, shocking, and emotional romp that will make even the most cynical people smile from ear to ear.
Marvel has truly found a way to separate themselves from old iterations of the webhead while staying true to the character in its purest form. They have successfully breathed new life into a potentially tiring superhero icon, allowing them to pave way for a bold and exciting new future for one of the world’s most beloved fictional characters.
