SPIDER-MAN: FAR FROM HOME: Far More Than Just Fun

As the follow-up to Avengers: Endgame, Spider-Man has a lot to live up to as the next film of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Considering the past few Marvel movies of summer, this would seem like the time for a vacation from the heftier themes. And even though Spider-Man is technically on vacation, Far From Home doesn’t kick up its heels and decides to end Marvel’s Phase 3 more with an excitement for the future than a saccharine send-off.

Spider-Man’s Unorthodox Vacation

The events of Endgame don’t exactly make everything go back completely to normal for Peter Parker (Tom Holland). Keep in mind that five years have passed since he and others were snapped out of existence and then snapped back without having aged at all. This creates an interesting conundrum for how society functions within post-Endgame world, but for most of Peter’s peers, it means they have yet to graduate while the unsnapped high school students have probably moved onto college.

Still, life attempts to go back to normal. Class is back in session and Peter’s gifted science collective is headed on another class trip, this time to Europe. He’s less preoccupied with following in the footsteps of Tony Stark and more interested in a relationship with MJ (Zendaya), who may or may not be interested. Similar to Spider-Man: Homecoming, the teen comedy aspect comes in with a full swing that establishes the fun and charming tone of a vacation picture.

Of course, we know that Peter can’t stay away from heroics for long, especially with Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) hounding him for new world-saving gigs. But even this seems par for the course, where the meeting of the magic-wielding Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal) and handling a case of elemental monsters ravaging the planet feels like just another day at the office. It isn’t until the story receives an earthquake of cage-rattling twists that takes advantage of the world created in the wake of both Thanos’ universe-altering schemes and Tony Stark’s troubled legacy.

Yes, Spider-Man does swings back into action with plenty of web-slinging and saving of civilians, but isn’t that what we expect from such a hero? Again, the film plays off these expectations greatly, not so much through subversion but the very perceptions of the MCU. After all, this is a planet that has already seen alien attacks, evil wizards, murderous robots, secret government organizations gone awry, unknown societies of advanced tech, and so on. It’s a terrifying world and there’s a certain paranoia that can be taken advantage of when superheroes and supervillains are commonplace. The true villain of this Spider-Man film is not only aware of this but knows exactly how to string along the populace and breed distrust.

At the same time touching on the most interesting societal aspects of Spider-Man’s world, there’s still plenty of wiggle room to cover Peter’s unease of living in a world without Iron Man. He still has in his corner his supportive Aunt May (Marisa Tomei) and the overly eager Stark Industries employee Happy (Jon Favreau), but he feels overwhelmed with not having his mentor around when it comes to the work/life balance which he doesn’t believe he’s up to the challenge of mastering. This aspect of fear plays well with how a teenager feels so overwhelmed with the great responsibility that he’d rather toss the great power to someone he feels is more deserving.

I’ve also gotta mention how precise the casting is of this picture. Tom Holland has the perfect amount of pluck to play an awkward teenager around the grinningly-knowing Zendaya, as well as the insecure hero around the likes of his heroic allies. The likes of J. B. Smoove and Martin Starr provide exceptional comedic backup as the bumbling teachers, and Jacob Batalon as Peter’s geeky best friend never misses a beat. Jake Gyllenhaal also doesn’t disappoint with his ability to own performances like no other actor. And there’s just something about Favreau’s mixture of the goofy and heartfelt that makes him not only a perfect cheerleader for Parker but a great contrast from the quirky sternness of Nick Fury.

Conclusion: Spider-Man: Far From Home

Far From Home has all the right stuff to not just be another thrilling Spider-Man adventure, but a bold step forward for the future of both the hero and his world. What starts as a simply pleasing hero outing quickly shifts gears into something altogether surprising and refreshing, built from the expected theatrics of the genre. The mixture of a societal commentary of a superhero-accepting public and a trippy battle of a stressed teen taking on a clever threat, in addition to some of the most rewarding/promising end-credit Easter eggs in the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe, presents a unique superhero film that tinkers with the formula and reshapes what we’ve come to expect.

It’s essentially everything a stand-out Spider-Man film should be in the current superhero cinema tsunami.

What did you think of Spider-Man? How do you think this speaks for the next phase of MCU? Let us know in the comments below! 

Spider-Man: Far From Home Opens in theaters in the US and UK on July 2, 2019. For all international release dates, see here.