Movie Review Monday: Spider-Man: Far From Home

This weekend saw the release of Marvel Studios’ twenty-third feature film in Spider-Man: Far From Home. The film was written by Erik Sommers and Chris McKenna, and as with its predecessor, Spider-Man: Homecoming, the film was directed by Jon Watts. The movie sees Peter Parker recruited by Nick Fury and Mysterio to stop elemental threats from another dimension while on his class trip. The movie sees Tom Holland return to star as Peter Parker/Spider-Man, and it also introduces Jake Gyllenhaal as Quentin Beck/Mysterio. The cast also includes Samuel L. Jackson, Zendaya, Cobie Smulders, Jon Favreau, Jacob Batalon, Marisa Tomei, J.B. Smoove, and Martin Starr.

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The film starts off with Nick Fury and Maria Hill investigating a disaster in Mexico, where they encounter Quentin Beck, who will later be dubbed Mysterio. The story picks up eight months after the events of Avengers: Endgame, and it cleverly transitions into Midtown High’s tribute video for the fallen Avengers. From there, it is explained that the incident with Thanos is being called the Blip, and the school is beginning to accommodate all the students impacted by it. The school has organized a two-week trip to Europe, and since Peter is still grieving, he looks forward to getting away. He concocts a plan to tell MJ how he feels, and he decides to not pack his suit for the trip. Happy Hogan soon tells him that Nick Fury will be contacting him, but Peter ignores his calls and proceeds with his trip as planned. However, when an elemental figure attacks on their trip, Peter will not be able to avoid Fury for much longer.

**WARNING: SPOILER ALERT FOR AVENGERS: ENDGAME AHEAD

Spider-Man: Far From Home is another entertaining story focused on everyone’s favorite web slinger, and it is a thoroughly solid sequel. It has one of my favorite title sequences complete with a Whitney Houston song, and it truly is a lot of fun. The story plays around with the fickleness of teenagers as well as the ups and downs of teenage love. It most notably, though, picks up seamlessly from the events of Avengers: Endgame, and it lets the consequences of that film seep into the lives of Peter and everyone around him. The loss of Tony is integral to the entire story, and it consistently questions who will carry on Tony’s legacy and fill in his role. It explores the state of the world after the Blip, and the disorganized state of the world’s greatest heroes as well.

In addition to a solid storyline and consistent humor, the characters and the performances behind them continue to stand out. Tom Holland genuinely is fantastic as Peter, bringing both youth and humor seamlessly to the role. Peter as a character has an incredible arc from eagerly wanting to be an Avenger in the first film to hesitating now with a full understanding of the costs and responsibilities of the superhero life. It was refreshing to have more of MJ’s character fleshed out, and her interactions with Peter are always entertaining. Ned continues to hold down the role of hilarious and supportive best friend, and his interactions with MJ are wonderfully funny. Jake Gyllenhaal is a standout as Mysterio, and I genuinely appreciate the way they implement his powers into a modern day context. Jon Favreau has been entertaining as Happy since day one, but his relationship with Peter and Aunt May hit a new high in this installment. Happy and Peter have a few moments revolving around the grief they share concerning Tony and what he would have wanted, and they are some of the best moments of the movie.

Overall, Spider-Man: Far From Home is a fun-filled adventure with a lot of moments to enjoy from Happy and May’s relationship to the continuing joke about Peter’s spidey sense. It brings a nice close to what has been considered phase three of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and it pushes the character of Peter to grow even more. It securely ties itself into the previous installments of the MCU, and it has some surprising reveals along the way. I highly recommend a viewing of Spider-Man: Far From Home in theaters, especially since the post-credit scenes cannot be missed.

Mollie is a film enthusiast, aspiring writer/screenwriter, and a lover of all things Harry Potter, Star Wars, and Doctor Who. She is the co-founder of The Digital Shore (@thedigitalshore) and Above The Line (@atl_movies). You can follow her many adventures through Twitter and Instagram at @mcbeach.