Spider-Man: Far From Home Review
PG13: Sci-fi action violence, some language and brief suggestive comments
Studio: Columbia Pictures, Marvel Studios, Pascal Pictures
Run Time: 2 Hrs and 9 Minutes
Director: Jon Watts | Screenwriter: Chris McKenna, Erik Sommers
Cast: Tom Holland, Samuel L. Jackson, Zendaya, Cobie Smulders, Jon Favreau, J. B. Smoove, Jacob Batalon, Martin Starr, Marisa Tomei, Jake Gyllenhaal
Release Date: July 2nd, 2019
Peter Parker returns in Spider-Man: Far From Home, the next chapter of the Spider-Man: Homecoming series! Our friendly neighborhood Super Hero decides to join his best friends Ned, MJ, and the rest of the gang on a European vacation. However, Peter's plan to leave super heroics behind for a few weeks are quickly scrapped when he begrudgingly agrees to help Nick Fury uncover the mystery of several elemental creature attacks, creating havoc across the continent!
What a TIME it is to be a Spider-Man fan. You have the Academy Award-winning (God, it feels great to say that) Spider-Verse sweeping the hearts of millions in the animated realm, and you have Tom Holland as everybody’s favorite live-action Peter Parker. Now we’re here. At the final film of the MCU’s third phase. You might’ve thought that Endgame, the conclusion of the Infinity Saga, was the finale of the third phase, but no. We just witnessed a funeral several months ago, so it feels rather fitting to top it all off with a solo Spider-Man adventure. Well, like Marvel usually does, you can’t end a phase on a sour note, so we got your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man to close the chapter. And by God does he close it so effectively.
After the events of Avengers: Endgame, Peter Parker goes back to living his regular friendly neighborhood life. Immediately, the film addresses the progression of age for people who haven’t been “snapped” (in this film they refer to it as “the blip”) and its explanation is plausible. Marvel may not be the best at closing plot holes, but they are very convincing when they need to be. With the overwhelming pressure of having to navigate the world without Tony Stark, and the world looking to him to take over the mantle, Parker decides to go on a summer vacation with his class because, as Kim Kardashian once said:
With his heart set on MJ, Peter plans to seize this opportunity to make this summer the well-deserved vacation he needs, but when creatures called “The Elementals” begin to brew some trouble, he’s enlisted by Nick Fury and must take them down with the help of a new hero named Quentin Beck/Mysterio, who may or may not be who he appears to be.
Where do I begin? With each solo film, Tom Holland keeps proving and validating that he’s the best Peter Parker/Spider-Man. He already proved his perfection with his previous performances, but Far From Home solidifies him as the best (live-action) Spider-Man of all time. Yes, I say “live-action Spider-Man” because Spider-Verse is God-tier and nothing will ever hold a candle to it. That said, Holland still captures the essence of an adolescent boy and the unpredictable, heightened pressures that come with being one, even if it’s on a superhero scale. Immediately in the opening, you sympathize with Peter who doesn’t feel worthy enough to become the next Tony Stark. Having to live up to someone’s expectations is anxiety-inducing, especially for a teenager. So, providing that as the core conflict for Peter’s journey is the engaging aspect of the film.
If you love Spider-Man: Homecoming, chances are you’re bound to love this. The team behind the previous installment returns here and you feel their voice through the picture. Director Jon Watts does an excellent job with his Spidey series. Screenwriters Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers succeed at writing a sequel to Endgame and forming a grounded Spider-Man adventure at the same time. This might be the only MCU series where, not only do you know all the characters by name, but you also love them because of their distinctly eccentric personalities. Watts, McKenna, and Sommers have definitely made Peter Parker into a superhero straight out of a John Hughes movie and they never lose sight of his character. Ned has a minor subplot that he shares with Betty Davis that is hysterical. MJ has a little more to do and thankfully plays a bigger role. Happy Hogan, who (as you can see by the trailers) is crushing hard on Aunt May, has great moments here.
Without a doubt, the entire ensemble cast is spectacular. I already mentioned how great Tom Holland is, but Jake Gyllenhaal does a fantastic job as Quentin Beck. The best scenes in the movie are often set between the two and the budding friendship that is developed. If you’re a true Spider-Man fan, you know what this character is all about. So, when Gyllenhaal must deliver his all, he goes balls-to-the-wall. While he does dial some notches back to give the character of Mysterio a more alluring personality, when he’s onscreen with Parker as either a friend or a foe, he steals the show with his charismatic charm and energy. I’m also fond of how the writing duo provide a well-executed backstory for him that works in the same original flavor that Stan Lee and Steve Ditko created.
Zendaya’s performance here validates her as a fun and distinct MJ. She’s more like that edgy, deadpan girl you knew back in high school who spends most of her time on Tumblr and still uses stuff such as “XD”. I have friends who remind me of this MJ. My copy editor Myan is that MJ. Though she still doesn’t have much to do in this film and isn’t given a bigger personality, all the moments she has onscreen are adorable. Unlike a lot of other Spider-Man love interests, the romance she shares with Peter is specifically awkward, but in a cute and dorky way. It feels genuine because they’re both cute and dorky characters. Jacob Batalon is a huge charmer as Ned. Angourie Rice as Betty Davis is a riot onscreen and the scenes she has with Batalon are the most hysterical.
But I’m going to address a surprising deep cut that baffled me: J.B. Smoove. Props to J.B. Smoove for being promoted to big screen billing after starring in an Audi commercial for Spider-Man: Homecoming. Seriously, his character, Mr. Dell, a teacher from Midtown High, starred in an Audi commercial and now he gets big-time screen presence. Honestly, it’s amazing. Amazing in the sense that a super low-tier player who’s not even a hero got to be on the big screen before any of the Netflix Marvel heroes. AND HE WAS IN A FRIGGIN’ COMMERCIAL.
While Far From Home is a direct sequel to Endgame, the team behind it makes sure that it’s still another coming-of-age solo story for Peter Parker and it succeeds on all cylinders. The elements of the narrative don’t stop for any mcguffin or feature anything of convenience, for each moment of Peter’s arc is earned. It’s another story where Peter finds himself in a challenging environment to become, not the next Iron Man, but the best Spider-Man that he can be. The way the film is handled and the barrage of well-written characters truly ranks the Jon Watts Spider-Man series as one of my favorites in the MCU, topping Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy. So, when I say I would rather die for the kids of Midtown High over the Guardians of the Galaxy, I mean it.
Even when the film gets weird, the VFX sequences goes bonkers. Because of the presence of a specific character and the power they possess, the visual effects team behind the film, does a fantastic job bringing conceptually trippy sequences to life in a horrifying and quite fun way. There is a sequence that occurs later on that is so trippy that it rivals the “multiverse” scene from Doctor Strange. While there is one visual effect that isn’t as rendered as the rest of the others, most of it is top-notch.
While I am praising the film for maintaining its grounded small-scale story, there are moments that are a bit telegraphed, especially when Peter is feeling let down and depressed. While the early scenes between him and Mysterio are strong, they would’ve prospered from better dialogue, which gets sitcom-level bland at points and would have benefited from more intimate scenes to make the tough decisions Peter makes believable. The tone is still light and energetic, but when chaos occurs it goes slightly overboard.
Now, my good friend Fletcher Peters from Screen Queens returns with her take.
There are certain films that carry themselves entirely by giddiness — Spider-Man: Far From Home fits into this category. Just as the lighthearted Ant-Man and the Wasp took stage after Avengers: Infinity War, Far From Home fits perfectly as a breath of fresh air in the MCU. Though it isn’t a “big deal” Marvel movie, especially with a dull antagonist, it is so refreshing to giggle over awkward young love and empathize with Peter’s struggle to grow up. Not all of the jokes land perfectly, but there are enough to sustain the laughter throughout the majority of the film.
If there’s one thing I can complain about, and it’s happening in most of the superhero films, it’s the lack of growth in special effects and soundscapes. Far From Home is partially guilty in both of these camps — while there are a few scenes that go all out in visual effects, they don’t make up for some of the other scenes that just end up feeling fake. The score is repetitive in the fight scenes — the MCU has certainly driven its hero suites into the ground. I feel like I’m nitpicking with these, but in all honesty, the MCU needs some quick spring cleaning before fully delving into Stage Four.
Far From Home poses as character study, more than anything else: how is Peter coping after Tony’s death? It feels wrong to compare this to any spidey predecessors — the MCU version of Peter Parker is fresh, buoyant, and wholly his own Spider-Man. While the recent Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse is definitely a better film, both are fantastic at capturing the dichotomy of youth and responsibility for which the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man is known.
Marvel has been slacking with their more recent post-credit sequences, but Far From Home might be the first Marvel movie that I bumped up my rating for because of how insanely incredible the post-credit sequences are. When it comes to Spider-Man, the MCU defies all the retreaded elements and always finds a way to raise the stakes a little higher while doing something new for Peter Parker to make him the best Spider-Man yet. The post-credit sequences are essential to stick around for. Not only does it perfectly close Phase 3, but it gears you up for both Phase 4 and the next MCU Spider-Man entry.
Sony, please give me more Spider-Man. Call me Oliver Twist because I want some more. Animated Miles Morales, MCU Tom Holland, Insomniac Peter Parker, I don’t care. I need more Spider-Man infused into my veins. I need it down my orifices ASAP. I can’t get enough. With great movies and video games comes great stan-sibliity. Call me dried-up Spongebob because:
Spider-Man: Far From Home is an essential concluding entry for Marvel’s Phase 3 era, for it delivers a spectacularly fun and impactful solo story that validates Holland’s Peter Parker as the greatest Spider-Man we’re ever going to get. This isn’t just the best (live-action) Spider-Man movie to date, but one of the MCU’s best.
Rating: 4.5/5 | 91%
