From the very first minute of Spider-Man: Far From Home, one thing is very clear: the characters of the Marvel Cinematic Universe are living in a post-Avengers: Endgame world and coming to grips with the consequences of that film’s ending. Now, in his sequel to 2017’s Spider-Man: Homecoming, Director Jon Watts is back to pat you on the knee after the emotional roller-coaster that was Endgame, Spider-Man: Far From Home is here to say, “Cheer up, Buttercup!” Because if there is one thing that Far From Home seeks to be, it is cheerful and joyous.
After those erased by Thanos’s “Snap” in Infinity War returned in what is now being dubbed “The Blip”, Peter Parker (Tom Holland) and his classmates are getting ready for their summer vacation trip — a class field trip across Europe. The gang from Homecoming is all back together again, including MJ, (Zendaya), Ned (Jacob Batalon) and Flash (Tony Revolori). During the trip, Peter is introduced by Nick Fury to a new ally, Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal). Mysterio has come from another Earth by way of “The Blip” and teams up with Peter to take on a new threat, The Elementals — titans of earth, wind, fire, and water who seek to destroy everything in their path, including Mysterio’s home Earth.
With a larger scope, better technical filmmaking and more interesting character dynamics, Spider-Man: Far From Home is a solid entry into the MCU and a step up from Spider-Man: Homecoming. The performances here are all great, particularly Gyllenhaal, who continues to be one of the most underrated actors working in Hollywood and it is clear that he is approaching Mysterio with the same focus and enthusiasm that he does his other projects. Zendaya is still doing her “lmao I’m awkward” version of MJ, but she feels much more likable this time around than in Homecoming. Batalon is as joyful and endearing as ever as Peter’s best friend, Ned, and Holland’s Spider-Man continues to be an on-screen treat. His struggles as a young teenage Peter trying to understand his feelings and talk to the girl he has feelings for is relatable and makes for some great scenes between him and MJ.
While there is plenty of great Spidey action, Far From Home takes time to be interested in the duality of Spider-Man and Peter Parker and ask questions about what it means to be young and someone that the world is depending on. How does Peter Parker, a teenager with friends, school field trips and a girl he is discovering feelings for, balance the reality those things with the expectation that he must often sacrifice those things for the good of the world? And how does one deal with the legacy of another being placed on their shoulders…one that they feel completely unprepared for?
The film has its pacing issues, particularly in the first act and feels pretty rushed as Watts feels anxious to get us to “the good stuff”, but in doing so, doesn’t really allow time for the film’s more emotional aspects to breathe. Rather than taking time to develop how Peter is feeling about MJ and bring us from the finale of Homecoming to the status of his romantic interest in his friend, Far From Home tells us, rather than shows us so that we can get to “the good stuff” faster.
This highlights one of the larger issues that these newer MCU Spider-Man films seem to face in contrast to the two precedingnSpidey series: emotional weight.
Say what you will about Marc Webb’s The Amazing Spider-Man movies and Sam Raimi’s excellent Spider-Man trilogy, they did not shy away from the emotional heft of Spider-Man’s story. Spider-Man comics have been fraught with emotionally challenging storytelling from his first appearance in Amazing Fantasy #15. Uncle Ben, Captain Stacy, Gwen Stacy, and others have died in Peter’s arms and added to his desire to fulfill the responsibility that his power bestows on him.
One of my biggest struggles with Far From Home is that there seems to be hesitation to deal with any of that emotional weight. For example, I understand that seeing Uncle Ben die for the third time isn’t necessary for these films, but knowing how central to Spider-Man’s core Ben Parker is, it feels odd that these movies seem so disinterested in even dealing with him at all. There are moments where Far From Home feels like it might go for it, but those moments can’t help but be muddied by a joke or briefly fixed in an effort to not bring the mood down.
But even with the lack of emotionally heavy themes and scenes, Far From Home does understand that Spider-Man is, above all else, fun. Watts knows that what makes a Spidey movie fun is the acrobatics, the quips, and the dizzying action scenes. Far From Home is an absolute joy to watch when the action is pumping and when it really gets Spider-Man right, it really is at its best, with some scenes making a case for not just the best Spidey scenes ever put on film, but maybe even the best moments in the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe’s history.
And that is the thing about Far From Home. Even with all of the things about it that don’t quite land, it really does stick the final landing enough to make the whole ride worth it. Holland is endlessly endearing as a young teenage Spider-Man and it’s just so enjoyable to watch him try his best and come out on top. With a third act that is sure to impress any Spider-Man fan and a great cast of characters throughout, Spider-Man: Far From Home is a worthy chapter in the Spider-Man movie catalog.
RATING: B-
