To summarize this review: Spider-Man: Far From Home is close to perfect. Need I say more? Well, alright. Since you asked. However, fair warning: This review will be divided into two parts.
- A spoiler-free first half, full of observation and opinion
- And a spoiler-filled second half for those who like to live a little more dangerously
Consider this “There are spoilers ahead” warning!
Spoiler-Free Stuff
Spider-Man
Now, I’ve been a fan of this iteration of the character ever since his appearance in the second Civil War trailer, but in my opinion, this is the MCU Spider-Man at his best. He is more mature in this movie and beginning to feel the weight of being Spider-Man.
He’s still joking around, as Spider-Man should, but he also doesn’t want to have to save the world again. Peter really is taking the “friendly neighborhood Spider-Man” moniker to heart.
It’s nice to see Spider-Man act as a small-scale hero, but like Nick Fury points out to Peter numerous times throughout the film, it was Stark who made Peter an Avenger. The amount of growth we watch Peter experience from the beginning of the film to its end is incredible.
Mysterio
Let’s get this straight: Mysterio was amazing!
Jake Gyllenhaal absolutely crushes this role in every way possible. Without giving too much away (yet), the way the movie portrays his “powers” is an absolute treat in terms of visuals. The way he utilizes his illusions leads to not only some awesome sequences, but some of the best action sequences we have seen in the MCU, in this writer’s opinion anyway.
The writers of Far From Home and Gyllenhaal gave us a multifaceted and deceptive villain who really gives Peter all he can handle. Gyllenhaals’ performance should easily be considered one of the better villainous turns in the MCU up to this point.
The build-up was more than worth the wait to see this classic Spider-Man villain finally get his due on the big screen.
The Action
Speaking of awesome action sequences, this movie has some truly spectacular action. The action (or lack there of) in Homecoming was a big reason some people didn’t like it, but this movie fixes that and then some.
In fact, I noticed that the makers of Far From Home fixed many of the problems fans had with this iteration of Spider-Man. The action is much better and the CGI is beautiful. Peter becomes a more mature Spider-Man with better control of his abilities. Moreover, Peter proves he doesn’t need Tony Stark to be a true hero.
He is the true hero in this film.
I don’t know how much more I can say without delving into spoilers. Spider-Man: Far From Home is a fun, emotional, all-around crazy movie and, in my opinion–the best Spider-Man film to date.
While some may think the beginning is slow, which I can understand, I enjoyed this movie from beginning to end. I would highly recommend seeing it as soon as possible. Just an FYI, you must stay through the rolling credits for the big post-credit scenes. They are both incredibly important for the future of not only Spider-Man, but the MCU as a whole moving forward.
Rating: 9.9/10 (I don’t give things 10/10 often, so this is pretty good!)
Spoiler-Filled Stuff
From this point on, there is no more holding back on spoilers, so if you haven’t seen the movie, do not read past this point! You have been warned.
You still here? Great!
I need a sequel to this as soon as possible! That mid-credit scene was insane! It was a welcomed surprise to see Jameson (player perfectly once again by J K Simmons). The craziest part of the movie, by far, was the identity reveal at the end of the scene. My jaw dropped to the floor after that. Anyway, let’s talk specifics about the movie in general…
Characterization
The way Mysterio’s twist was awesome. I loved his character. I liked the way they worked his illusion technology into the MCU. Using drones to create the illusions from the inside was a great idea and it lead to an awesome sequence inside the elemental.
Then, the way Peter used his powers and tech was unique to his character and a lot of fun to watch. There were so many creative webbing sequences and the action in this movie was top-notch, especially the scene in the bridge where Peter had to rely on his Spider Senses, which shuts down the argument if he can use those sixth senses or not.
The real MVP of scenes in this movie has to be the illusion scene. Mysterio brilliantly uses everything Peter told him to come back and haunt him, only to lead him to the train tracks at just the right time. That was one of the most comic book-y scene in a comic book movie I’ve ever seen.
One thing I appreciate about this movie is the way it handles the blossoming romance between Peter and MJ. Watching it develop on screen feels natural and even age-appropriate. I enjoyed how awkward they were with each other and how the scene when they discovered the projector played out.
Plus, let’s be honest, they were adorable together!
And that brings us to Ned.
Speaking of Peter’s relationships, I enjoyed Ned in this movie. I wish he had gotten a little more screen time, but it is understandable why he didn’t. He was the spark of some good jokes and his relationship with Betty was an interesting idea. It’s too bad they ended it after the trip, I would have liked to see how that played out.
While the following that plot line didn’t bother me very much, I can understand why these aspects may have bothered some fans. Like Homecoming, Uncle Ben isn’t mentioned in this movie either. Another thing is Aunt May isn’t shown getting used to Peter being Spider-Man. This would have been a nice touch, but because of when this movie takes place, it makes sense why they didn’t include this.
All in all, this movie was a fun ride that I believe has become the best Spider-Man movie to date. I would highly recommend watching it in theaters, probably in IMAX for that amazing illusion scene! With the impressive CGI, exciting story, and awesome characters, and one amazing villain, I think this is gonna be a hard movie to beat! I can’t wait to see what the next Spider-Man movie has in store for fans everywhere.
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