Spider-Man: Far From Home Review

"Spider-Man: Far From Home." Courtesy of Columbia and Sony Pictures, and Marvel Studios.

Peter Parker: "You look really pretty."

MJ: "Therefore I have value?"

Peter Parker: "No...that's not what..."

MJ: "I'm just messing with you. You look pretty too."

I will be quite honest on my thoughts here, while I liked "Spider-Man: Homecoming," I found that film not the best when it came out, and still have not watched it since. There were elements I liked about it, how it was Peter Parker as a teenager, a high school drama of sorts, and its villain (Vulture) was one of the better villains of the MCU (at least in a solo film, and I wished to see more of him). Otherwise, the film did not do too much, and I am a fan of the Toby McGuire and shockingly, I did like Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker too, but I did not see "The Amazing Spider-Man 2." And when "Homecoming" was released, I found it quick and unnecessary, and as I saw the character grew in "Infinity War" and "Endgame" and Parker seeing Tony Stark as a father figure, it added more to his character to grow as an individual. And naturally, since this is another Marvel film, I am always going to be excited. "Spider-Man: Far From Home" is, I believe, undoubtedly better than "Homecoming" and a "Spider-Man" film that did not take place in New York, which feels fresh and different. I have to be careful how I word my review too because I do not want to address spoilers.

Based on the trailers (so I do not give much away), "Spider-Man: Far From Home" is about Peter Parker/Spider-Man (aka Tom Holland) dealing with the aftermath of "Avengers: Endgame" and how he wants to take some time away from the hero business to travel to Europe with his classmates. There Peter wants to express his affection to MJ (aka Zendaya) and enjoy Europe like any other person. But as he is on vacation he comes across some monsters and teams up with Mysterio/Quentin Beck (aka Jake Gyllenhaal) to help save the current universe that Peter is in. And that is all about I can say about it narrative. There are many directions the story goes, but I do not want to discuss those because that would be spoiler territory.

Tom Holland (left) and Jake Gyllenhaal (right) in "Spider-Man: Far From Home." Courtesy of Columbia and Sony Pictures, and Marvel Studios.

As I stated above, I liked "Far From Home" more than "Homecoming" and one of the biggest reasons is how this film has Peter Parker constantly growing as an individual. And with "Far From Home" there is much on Peters plate, he is constantly doing something, either with his friends from school or the hero side of things. And we also get some other character growths from MJ and Peters best friend, Ned. I just loved how we see this kid feel the after effects of what happened to Tony Stark, his father figure, who gave Peter a chance to be an Avenger. Tom Holland gives a great performance as Peter, who has to carry most of this film and does it profoundly, especially a scene towards the third act that had me really feeling for the character.

Another aspect that I found better is the directing from Jon Watts. Watts did a good job of handling his first big budget film with "Homecoming," however, I found his direction basic and fine when it came to that film. And his action scenes could be a little overwhelming and fairly forgettable in certain spots, but I can tell he learned much from "Homecoming" and does a hell of a lot better in his directing in "Far From Home." He crafts a better, well rounded experience, even creating some great emotional tension through his direction. He brings us through a unique journey with Peter, and especially with how the third act follows. Watts does a great job of keeping the audience in rhythm with what is happening, and the third act does become a bit profuse due to "certain reasons" that I cannot say, but Watts does a great job in his second go around with this character.

When it comes to "Far From Home" and its problems, I would say the biggest issue for me is the setup (its first half roughly) and one big decision towards the middle portion of the film that did not necessary stand with me. I understand why this decision is made, but without going into spoilers, this decision becomes a big reason the film plays out the way it does. And I will not complain, because the climax and back half of the film is better than the first half. In fact, there are some action sequences in the second half of the film that I found to be potentially comparable to "Endgame" and especially in its CGI visual effects. It is amazing how much better each film gets with these effects. But there are select aspects in "Far From Home" that make it adequate in my eyes, sometimes "Homecoming" level where it could have potentially been avoidable.

Zendaya (left) and Tom Holland (right) in "Spider-Man: Far From Home." Courtesy of Columbia and Sony Pictures, and Marvel Studios.

As for its message, I found it to be one that is fairly standard but I still find it effective. Especially with Peter wanting to enjoy vacation instead of dealing with superhero stuff. It more or less stands as a metaphor for us, we want to enjoy vacations, but we may be stuck in the workplace or elsewhere that is holding us back. Its that universal theme that keeps us going because we feel what Peter is feeling. That is what I enjoyed maybe the most from "Spider-Man: Far From Home" is how relatable the narrative can feel. Peter deals with apprehension, guilt and exclusion. He has to overcome many personal battles and even wanting to persuade MJ as "more than friends." I think seeing Peter go through these emotions is what makes the film stand on two feet because it is relatable.

To wrap up some final thoughts, I want to address that "Far From Home" does its job for following "Endgame." It can feel lighthearted, but the lasting effects of "Endgame" are in "Far From Home" which elevates the film as well. This is a summer blockbuster that will fulfill the needs and wants of audiences and fans. The performances, the action, and for the most part, the narrative is all well put together for enjoyable entertainment and does add another positive edition to the MCU collection. This universe does not seem to be stopping, even after the decimation that "Endgame" had with the fans and public, one of the biggest films ever made. To have this follow is exactly what I was looking for and I am thankful I got it. Spider-Man does what you would hope and may not be that "far from home" after all.

Rating: B+

Run Time: 2 Hours 9 Minutes