[Header Image: Tom Holland as Peter Parker | Sony Pictures Releasing]
This post contains spoilers!
“Bitch, please! You’ve been to space.”
As someone who could be convinced to watch anything Spider-Man related and who has kept up with the MCU all these years, Far From Home was an instalment that I was a little more than excited to see, especially with how good Spidey’s other solo movie – Homecoming – was to watch. While I’m still not one hundred percent sure when I stand with this movie, I did enjoy it and I would probably consider it one of my favourite movies from the MCU so far.
It definitely has the charm we got to see in Homecoming that gives the Spider-Man movies it’s very own vibe to help it stand out a little in a franchise with a lot of other instalments. It doesn’t necessarily hit quite as well as it’s predecessor but the humour is definitely there and it did manage to make me laugh out loud a handful of times in a way that felt incredibly genuine and not forced at all. It also continues to balance its comedic moments with the more serious ones which worked especially well in Far From Home because it follows on from the giant that was Endgame. There was a perfect balance between dealing with the fact this movie follows on from the events of Endgame but yet Far From Home is never overshadowed and instead, is able to grow and become its own thing. Something I appreciated was that we got see how Peter was affected by the things that happened and they never sugar coated it or pretended like it never happened.
The characters are also just as lovable as before and we get a bunch of new ones in Far From Home. The casting continues to be pretty perfect and I would say that every new addition to the cast of characters is just as interesting and enjoyable as the ones we’re accustomed to. Jake Gyllenhaal as Mysterio particularly stood out although I’ll admit that his storyline wasn’t exactly what I was expecting. That’s not to say it wasn’t good because it was, it just took me a minute to get used to the direction he was going in throughout the movie. I guess I was expecting him to turn evil after fighting with the elementals. Him being shady from the start did work for sure and it’s not really that hard to guess but I was so sure this movie would be more like an origin story for him where he becomes the main villain instead of already being it. I was also kind of surprised that he was only in this movie, I definitely expected him to be a villain that would show up again later down the line (or have the potential to) but I have to say, that the scene where the gun goes off and it pans out to show Peter deflected it was definitely one of the best shots in the entire movie.
Another character that stood out for me, and not for the best reasons, is Aunt May. She was definitely one of the first to catch my eye when I saw Homecoming and she might even be my favourite version of May that I’ve seen to date. I’m going to be perfectly honest here and say that she wasn’t in Far From Home as much as she should have been and that’s unfortunately the main thing that stood out to me about her. I can already think of two different ways she could have had more scenes and it felt like an honest waste not to have her in it more. She could have easily of been a chaperone on the trip or she could have shown up with Happy later when Peter called. In fact, her dynamic with Happy was so surprising and actually really adorable that it could have been a ton of fun and worked really well to include her in those final scenes.
And speaking of relationships, I loved the route taken with MJ and Peter. I appreciate that she had suspicions and found out he was Spider-Man before they got together. It’s kind of refreshing to know that there won’t be some shocking reveal later and she’s already fully aware of who he is. It was also really fun to watch them both be equally awkward around each other and really the movie did a great job of showing how well they work together and get along before establishing them as more than just friends.
Generally speaking, there was a pretty good structure and pacing throughout the entire movie. As I mentioned before, Mysterio’s storyline worked pretty well and the conclusion to the whole thing was really great as well. I would say those final fight scenes between the Peter and the Avengers-level threat/Mysterio were some of the highlights of the movie. Now, I loved the choreography of the fight scenes throughout the entirety of Far From Home but there was something even more entertaining about that particular big fight especially when you add in the fact that it really showcased Peter’s talent as well as how far he had come throughout the movie. I would actually say that everything that happened after Happy comes to pick him up in the jet were the best parts of Far From Home. Although saying that, Peter being caught up in the projections that Mysterio made were really awesome to watch as well.
Then we have the first post-credit scene. Don’t get me wrong, seeing MJ and Peter flying through the streets was really fun to see and her telling him not to text and swing was really cute and funny but then there was the reveal. I don’t have a problem per se with Peter’s identity being revealed but it makes me wonder what’s going to happen in his next solo movie and what their plans are for Spider-Man beyond that. Will he be able to hide his identity again? Will he just live with people knowing? Will there be a new Spider-Man? I think I’m more apprehensive now because I don’t know what to expect but I’m definitely open to this direction if it’s pulled off well enough.
The main thing that really doesn’t sit too well for me is that we saw Peter really question whether he wanted to be a hero in this movie or if he even could which was really a big deal considering from the moment we met him, he was so excited to be an Avenger and a hero. To see him question that and go through even more lows before finally making his decision to then suddenly have his identity revealed felt really off. The movie really felt like we were only a quarter, maybe even halfway, through Peter’s story and the little end-credit scene felt like we skipped right to the end of it. Again, I plan to wait to see what they’re going to do with it but I am a little concerned that it could feel rushed depending on the direction they choose to take.
All of that being said, I did enjoy Far From Home. It’s definitely a good time. I think it’s enjoyable if you’re already a fan of the MCU but there’s something so charming about it that I’m sure I would have enjoyed it even if I wasn’t so accustomed to the franchise. There are definitely ways in which the movie could be improved but nothing that really dragged it down too much and I’m, personally, excited to give it another watch in the future.
Rating: ★★★★ /5
wonderoes 