Spider-Man: Far From Home is the latest in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and is, by my estimation, in the top tier of these many, many films. Yada-yada this is the umpteenth film in the MCU and the eighth or ninth often rebooted Spider-Man movie in the past tweny years, etc. Not to mention the fifth or sixth big bombastic superhero flick just this year. But don’t let sequelitus and/or superhero fatigue get in the way of seeing a really good flick.
Far From Home is the first MCU film to follow Endgame’s big deal conclusion so it drops you into the new normal right out the gate. You should see that movie before you see this… and seeing Spider-Man: Homecoming would be wise as well (though the average person could jump in without seeing that first flick without being lost). Homecoming is a solid movie and its worth seeing, but this one I feel is a lot better.
Peter Parker / Spider-Man is dealing with not only continuing to be Spider-Man in a world where a number of popular Avengers didn’t survive, but is also dealing with having been snapped out of existence for five years. Much to the annoyance of his fellow class/snap-mates, they have to repeat the year of high school they missed. On the plus side, they get to go on a European field trip together… only to get caught up in a multi-dimensional fight against giant elemental monsters. Nick Fury, Maria Hill, and a newcomer hero who Peter’s classmates dub Mysterio need to recruit Spider-Man to fight these invaders… but Peter Park just wants to hang out with his friends and declare how much he like-likes MJ.
So, like Homecoming, this is half a teen comedy and half a bombastic superhero flick. And both halves work. I laughed a lot in this film and, it’s important to point out, none of the comedy comes at the expense of some cool, energetic action scenes. The movie takes its super-heroism serious enough and doesn’t defang it for a gag like a number of the MCU movies.
Nor does it cheapen out on the cute and sweet teen romance angle either. Zendaya is back as MJ (more officially MJ than in the previous film) and she’s less caustic and abrasive this time (while maintaining her dark edge). Mainly because she’s crushing on Peter as much as he is on her… not that its easy for either to actually admit that. The two actors have a lot of charm and chemistry and really humanize the film. I was just as happy watching their awkward miscues as I was anything Spidey did.
The cast is all around very good. Tom Holland continues to impress as the best combo of Peter Park and Spider-Man on film. Sam Jackson and Cobie Smulders do good work continuing their secret agent characters. Jake Gyllenhaal (a name I think I can correctly spell finally) is very good at playing an interestingly nuanced character in Mysterio. The many, smaller character do their best to impress even with more limited screen time (most of them are returning actors from Homecoming).
If there’s any one flaw in the film is that anyone moderately familiar with the comics or cartoons will see a twist coming in advance. It’s so obvious its surprising they didn’t change the appearance or name of a certain character. The movie really seems to want to surprise the audience but most of us will not be surprised at all. That’s unfortunate but I don’t really think it hurts the film, especially in that there are still surprises to be had. That’s a very vague paragraph but might as well leave in wiggle room for possible surprises!
As mentioned before, the action scenes are very well done. And, more to the point, they really nail the final act battle in a way that is better than most MCU films. I think it works so well not just because its filmed and edited well but because they give good stakes, character beats, and Spider-Man-like action. Also helps the CGI doesn’t get in the way of the story. It’s hard to explain, I suppose, but it all just clicked for me.
And, finally, you must stick around for both the mid-credit and end-credit scenes. They aren’t incidental, funny little jokes that you can see or not. They matter. The mid-credit scene is the actual end of the film as it adds some continued Peter/MJ fun but also a great cameo and a huge character moment. The end credit scene… well… it just re-contextualizes a big part of the film. No big deal!
So, yeah, this is in the top tier of Marvel films. They successfully got teen romantic comedy peanut butter into our big superhero chocolate. It’s a more satisfying mix and a more structurally complete movie than Homecoming (a film I found a little flabby around the middle). It’s also a good, satisfying sequel to Endgame. What can I say? A good, funny, charming big Summer action flick. The MCU strikes again and I can’t help but like it. You might feel superhero fatigue but that’s not this particular movie’s fault. Check it out.
Score: 87