*Minor Spoilers Ahead*
Marvel Studios closes out this year with “Spider-Man: Far From Home” which picks up after the events of “Avengers: Endgame.” The Spider-Man: Homecoming sequel directed by Jon Watts sees Peter Parker on a trip around Europe with his schoolmates to deal with Thanos’ snap. It doesn't seem like it's going to be much of a vacation, however, with various threats brought by the Elementals and Quentin Beck/Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal) hounding his tour and Nick Fury roping him for a new mission.
Grappling with the death of Tony Stark, Peter relies on the help of Happy Hogan and Aunt May to get through the grief over losing his mentor - all of this while battling an unexpected villain. The young hero comes to terms with his life as a superhero and by the end of the film, he enters an uncharted territory that sets up the stage for his future in the franchise.
An ending… and a beginning.
“Far From Home” is the first film to tackle the post-Endgame world and it makes sense that the death of Iron Man plays a pivotal role in the narrative considering his close relationship with Peter. The movie subtly reminds people that this is an MCU where Iron Man is no longer around and rooting that loss on Peter was a great way to execute a character-driven story that exists in a bigger franchise.
There’s a lot of plot matters that “Far From Home” needed to addresses, some of them were lingering queries at the end of “Endgame.” But throughout its narrative, it never lost sight that this is a Spider-Man film first and foremost. It’s grounded in his experiences that echoes his classic dilemmas from the comics. Sure, some details were tweaked to better fit the established MCU lore, but the essence of the story remains true to the character.
This is also where Watts nailed the perfect tone for “Far From Home” - a difficult feat to achieve considering that it needed to address some serious topics from “Endgame” but execute it with levity that’s signature to Spider-Man’s character. Much of the humor from this film comes from the supporting cast and it comes in several variations. There are laughs borne out of awkward situations, while there are some from the snappy dialog that the MCU is known for. In any case, “Far From Home” softened the blow of “Endgame” but without totally disregarding the gravitas of the film’s events. And because of that, it feels like the franchise is more ready to move forward to a brand new Phase.
Gyllenhaal is phenomenal as Mysterio, and he was effectively used in the narrative. Without his performance, chances are that “Far From Home” would’ve felt flat. As always Holland shines as Peter Parker, especially when it comes to depicting the sadness the young hero is going through with the death of his mentor.
Aside from the headlining actors, two supporting ones did the best with their respective parts: Jon Favreau as Happy Hogan and Zendaya as MJ. Both appeared in “Spider-Man: Homecoming,” but they barely had anything going for themselves. This time, however, they bring something separate and different to the table that service their characters and Peter’s journey.
There’s a lot of unexpected twist and turns in “Far From Home,” and they’re indicative of what the future lies for Spider-Man and the MCU. At this point, Marvel Studios have yet to announce their upcoming slate, but this film’s ending, particularly its two post-credit scenes changes the landscape of the franchise effectively.
Marvel Studios have done something similar like this before as a way to set up the next few years of the MCU but with very little success. Oftentimes, it’s at the expense of the present film, but Watts found a way to make sure that “Far From Home’s” narrative is well-established enough that it can carry the weight of teasing up what’s next in the interconnected universe.
All that being said, the greatest thing about “Spider-Man: Far From Home” is that it’s the epitome of an enjoyable blockbuster. Whether or not one is deep into the MCU lore, there’s something to enjoy for everybody in this movie.
RATING: 9.5 out of 10
— ALD, The Summit Express
Marvel Studios closes out this year with “Spider-Man: Far From Home” which picks up after the events of “Avengers: Endgame.” The Spider-Man: Homecoming sequel directed by Jon Watts sees Peter Parker on a trip around Europe with his schoolmates to deal with Thanos’ snap. It doesn't seem like it's going to be much of a vacation, however, with various threats brought by the Elementals and Quentin Beck/Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal) hounding his tour and Nick Fury roping him for a new mission.
 |
| ‘Spider-Man: Far From Home’ poster/Marvel Studios |
Grappling with the death of Tony Stark, Peter relies on the help of Happy Hogan and Aunt May to get through the grief over losing his mentor - all of this while battling an unexpected villain. The young hero comes to terms with his life as a superhero and by the end of the film, he enters an uncharted territory that sets up the stage for his future in the franchise.
 |
| Tom Holland as Peter Parker in ‘Spider-Man: Far From Home’/Marvel Studios |
An ending… and a beginning.
“Far From Home” is the first film to tackle the post-Endgame world and it makes sense that the death of Iron Man plays a pivotal role in the narrative considering his close relationship with Peter. The movie subtly reminds people that this is an MCU where Iron Man is no longer around and rooting that loss on Peter was a great way to execute a character-driven story that exists in a bigger franchise.
There’s a lot of plot matters that “Far From Home” needed to addresses, some of them were lingering queries at the end of “Endgame.” But throughout its narrative, it never lost sight that this is a Spider-Man film first and foremost. It’s grounded in his experiences that echoes his classic dilemmas from the comics. Sure, some details were tweaked to better fit the established MCU lore, but the essence of the story remains true to the character.
This is also where Watts nailed the perfect tone for “Far From Home” - a difficult feat to achieve considering that it needed to address some serious topics from “Endgame” but execute it with levity that’s signature to Spider-Man’s character. Much of the humor from this film comes from the supporting cast and it comes in several variations. There are laughs borne out of awkward situations, while there are some from the snappy dialog that the MCU is known for. In any case, “Far From Home” softened the blow of “Endgame” but without totally disregarding the gravitas of the film’s events. And because of that, it feels like the franchise is more ready to move forward to a brand new Phase.
Gyllenhaal is phenomenal as Mysterio, and he was effectively used in the narrative. Without his performance, chances are that “Far From Home” would’ve felt flat. As always Holland shines as Peter Parker, especially when it comes to depicting the sadness the young hero is going through with the death of his mentor.
Aside from the headlining actors, two supporting ones did the best with their respective parts: Jon Favreau as Happy Hogan and Zendaya as MJ. Both appeared in “Spider-Man: Homecoming,” but they barely had anything going for themselves. This time, however, they bring something separate and different to the table that service their characters and Peter’s journey.
 |
| Zendaya as Michelle ‘MJ’ Jones and Tom Holland as Peter Parker in ‘Spider-Man: Far From Home’/Marvel Studios. |
There’s a lot of unexpected twist and turns in “Far From Home,” and they’re indicative of what the future lies for Spider-Man and the MCU. At this point, Marvel Studios have yet to announce their upcoming slate, but this film’s ending, particularly its two post-credit scenes changes the landscape of the franchise effectively.
Marvel Studios have done something similar like this before as a way to set up the next few years of the MCU but with very little success. Oftentimes, it’s at the expense of the present film, but Watts found a way to make sure that “Far From Home’s” narrative is well-established enough that it can carry the weight of teasing up what’s next in the interconnected universe.
All that being said, the greatest thing about “Spider-Man: Far From Home” is that it’s the epitome of an enjoyable blockbuster. Whether or not one is deep into the MCU lore, there’s something to enjoy for everybody in this movie.
RATING: 9.5 out of 10
— ALD, The Summit Express
