mcu — Home — What’s Cool?

Spider-Man: Far From Home is the first film from the Marvel Cinematic Universe that takes place after the events of Avengers: Endgame. Far From Home is an inherently important movie because it establishes which direction the MCU will take after losing two of its main heroes and finally defeating Thanos in its most recent film. As a lifelong fan of Marvel comics, characters, and films, I couldn’t be more satisfied in what Spider-Man: Far From Home turned out to be. I grew up watching and have a lot of nostalgia for Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man films starring Tobey Maguire, but Tom Holland is quickly becoming my favorite of the recent friendly neighborhood castings.

This iteration of Spider-Man is in such a sweet spot for me. MJ is around as a love interest, Uncle Ben is gone but living on through Peter, Aunt May is a strong presence in Parker’s life, and yet us fans weren’t put through another origin story for Holland’s take on the character. Marvel has a respect for its fans’ intelligence that shines through its films and is likely what makes them so popular and highly-profitable. The balance between keeping Peter as the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man and following in the footsteps of the late Tony Stark is struck perfectly in this movie as Peter is still a high-school student, but who is also discovering the technologies that Stark was so infatuated with for his entire life. At its root, this is still a coming-of-age story about a teen facing stress in finding himself and his place in the world, which is likely why I enjoy these movies and this character as much as I do.

Seeing one of my favorite childhood villains on the big screen in Jake Gyllenhaal’s Mysterio is best described as “Spider-tingle” inducing. The modern take on illusions and misinformation provided by Mysterio was executed incredibly well, and the illusion sequences throughout the movie, specifically one toward the middle of the film, were breathtaking. Gyllenhaal’s chemistry with Holland was very convincing, and the expected twist early in the movie was also done well. Marvel continues to improve the CGI and special effects in these movies, making them more and more immersive. This movie followed Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse, which was one of my favorite movies last year, very well, not letting me down after the incredible graphics in last year’s animated film.

Pacing issues toward the beginning of the movie and a slightly underdeveloped “villain” presence in the Elementals (which still looked great) knock this film down a notch for me, but Mysterio and Spider-Man made my viewing experience incredibly enjoyable. The recent inclusion of so much humor in Marvel’s films continued here, too, as this movie was very funny at times but serious when it needed to be. All of the performances from top-billing down to supporting cast like Zendaya and Jon Favreau were excellent. The film’s post-credits scene sets things up for another sequel which I will definitely have marked on my calendar. Also, J.K. Simmons reprising his role as J. Jonah Jameson from The Daily Bugle just put it over the top for me. Even though I may be biased as Spider-Man is my favorite superhero (which was solidified by this movie), this one was a home-run in my book.

SCORE: 8/10