Spider-Man: Far From Home Proves That Spidey Still Reigns Supreme

Spider-Man: Far From Home serves as the coda for Marvel Studios’ Infinity Saga - the overarching story that began with the first Iron Man. That said, this particular Spider-Man story, much more so than Homecoming, works very much on its own apart from the larger universe, which frees the film from distractions and also makes it act as a palette cleanser after the gargantuan events of Avengers: Endgame. Far From Home is far removed from the epic universe-ending drama that’s been at the helm of the MCU lately, making it a lighter and funnier reminder of why we all started loving these films in the first place. 

Far From Home’s greatest strength is its humor - this is a very, very funny movie. Jon Watts, returning as director, once again nails the essence of teenage comedies. It helps that this film is focused almost entirely on its teenage cast; Peter’s classmates and teacher are given more free reign to flaunt their comedy chops, and the overall feeling of a high school flick is more prominent here than in any other Spider-Man movie before it. 

That said, Far From Home doesn’t manage to have as much emotional depth as Homecoming did. There’s certainly emotional points there, but none that stack up to moments such as the car ride scene or the lifting the rubble scene from its predecessor. Watts still understands that what makes Peter Parker and his journey so compelling is the fact that unlike all of the other superheroes in the MCU, Peter is just a kid. His powers, forced upon him rather than choosing to have them, cripple his chances at living a normal life, something that Peter desperately wants.

This especially holds true since the life Peter wants to live is that of a teenager - all he wants to do is spend time with his friends and the girl he likes while they’re all on vacation. But in a post-Endgame world, heroes are in short supply. The Avengers are basically defunct, and its surviving members are scattered. In Homecoming, Peter was eager to leave normal life behind in favor of joining the ranks of Earth’s mightiest heroes, but by the end of his fight against The Vulture, and especially after getting tossed (much by accident) into the out-of-his-league battle against Thanos in Infinity War / Endgame, Peter feels like Spider-Man isn’t exactly ready to be the planet’s next big defender. 

Tony Stark’s legacy and the void that he left behind is a prominent part of Far From Home, but it never dominates the story being told, and never takes away from Peter’s personal arc. Tom Holland once again proves that he was born to play this role, and Zendaya’s MJ is someone that you constantly want to see more of and learn more about (and her effortless ability to anger racists simply for existing is always a plus). Peter and MJ’s romance is at the center of this film, and it’s one of Marvel’s most compelling and, thanks in part to them being children, one of the sweetest as well. Ned gets stuck as comedy relief instead of being Peter’s “guy in the chair”, and I wish they had given him just a little bit more to do this time around. Jake Gyllenhaal as Mysterio is...just perfect. I sincerely hope that this isn’t the last we see of him, but even if it is, the impact that he leaves on Peter and the MCU is going to linger for quite a while. 

The film’s first half can feel a little choppy, but the second half makes up for the earlier clunkiness. The climax, taking place in London, is some of the very best Spidey action ever put on screen, and both the mid and post-credits scenes are arguably the very best Marvel has ever tacked on. Far From Home is an instantly fun standalone adventure with the world’s most popular superhero, and the fact that we’re still not sick of going to see movies starring him is a testament to just how good his movies can still be.

4 / 5 Stars