Dir. Jon Watts
Spider-Man: Far from Home is a popcorn movie with an ending that sets the stage for a crazy Phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It’s action-packed, funny, and filled with embarrassingly relatable teenage awkwardness. Tom Holland continues to excel as Spider-Man but mostly as a fully realized Peter Parker. While the movie is good overall, it was mostly by the law of averages. There were stunning visual moments that had me wishing I could hit the rewind button in the theater just to watch it again, paired with scenes that l was utterly ambivalent to. This was a strong entry to the MCU pantheon but many of the glowing reviews I’ve seen touting it as the “best spiderman movie yet” and “better than The Winter Soldier or Thor: Ragnarok” left me scratching my head.
In Far from Home, Peter attempts to rebuild his life after returning from what is referred to as “the blip” in this movie (which is just…an awful…awful name). He’s trying to return to being a friendly neighborhood Spider-Man but is hard pressed to do so when the ghost of Tony Stark hovers over him (and indeed, the whole movie) demanding a successor. Peter is looking forward to his break from superheroing and enacting his 3-step plan to woo MJ on their class trip to Europe. Zendaya’s MJ is given more screen time in this movie and absolutely runs with it. Her walls of defensive sarcasm are down just enough for a wonderfully awkward flirtationship with Peter to begin- when Peter’s romantic efforts aren’t being sabotaged by Nick Fury and the newly emerged hero, Mysterio.
Jake Gyllenhaal is (as anyone who’s ever seen him act in anything could have predicted) an absolute joy on screen as Quentin Beck. He’s so charming you forget that the man is flying around with a glowing fishbowl on his head. Fans of the comic books may not be surprised by the mid-film twist, but it’s so incredibly well-executed that knowing it’s coming doesn’t lessen its impact. The second act includes some of the most visually interesting sequences in any Marvel film that deliver on some of the promise of the early reactions. Unfortunately, the film’s third act doesn’t keep that same energy. The creative and engrossing visuals are mostly tossed aside for a rote final battle scene against faceless enemy combatants.
But what the action scenes lose in creativity, they make up for in pure excellent spidey heroics. It is ultimately satisfying to watch Peter find his place out of Tony Starks’ irritatingly large shadow, learn how to use his abilities in new ways and gain a new sense of identity- but despite how good it feels in the moment, it feels like we’ve needed to go backwards to go forwards. The “come on Spider-Man” scene, in which Peter has to talk himself into lifting the shattered basement walls off of himself was this seminal moment of triumph where Peter figures out who he is. He turns down an offer to join the Avengers! He decides for himself that he isn’t ready for that commitment. Yet through the course of two Avengers films (and the beginning of this sequel) it seems to be his only preoccupation. So when this film ends with Peter once again affirming his identity as Spider-Man and his own distinct hero, it just feels thematically identical to the previous movie.
The film’s much hyped mid and post-credit scenes are definitely worth the wait. Both of them recontextualize the movie as well as re-shape the future of the MCU. However I took issue with the fact that you need the scenes to make certain parts of the movie make sense. When the credits rolled there were two major things that upset me and I couldn’t let go of, the post-credit scenes addressed these concerns to some degree. But I left the theater wrestling with the fact that I ended the movie kind of mad. By definition the post-credit scenes are additive, something someone could miss if they so choose, but without those scenes you’re left missing crucial information.
Far from Home is more than worth the watch. It’s a teen comedy that at certain points excels in embracing the bizarre; taking advantage of the zaniness a character like Mysterio has to offer. And although I do have another half-page of nitpicks written about this movie (some that I expect will inspire some spirited online debate), I realize they don’t majorly detract from the enjoyment of the movie. In fact based on the overwhelmingly positive critical response, what I didn’t enjoy most about the movie is likely due to my “there’s too much freaking Tony Stark, and I’m tired of talking about him” sentiment. Tom Holland’s Peter Parker continues to be charming and the dynamic he has with MJ (Zendaya) was a joy to watch. With the last minute twist of the mid-credit scene, the stakes in the next Spider-Man film (or whatever Peter’s next on-screen appearance is) couldn’t be higher and I greatly look forward to seeing how those consequences shape Peter in the future.