One can make the argument that the original Spider-Man films, directed by Sam Raimi, laid the path for all superhero movies. The films contained a mythological pathos that made tragic consequence so frequent in comic book films today. The news Jon Watts directed Spider-Man movies are more juvenile in tone. Yet they still do a wonderful job portraying everyone's favorite webslinger in an honorable yet perceptive light. Spider-Man Homecoming showed young Parker navigating his way through High School while learning his way from his mentor, Tony Stark. Now, without Stark's or any other Avenger's guidance, can Peter balance his life while still being a superhero while delivering a serviceable film?
Spider-Man Far From Home follows the adventures of Peter Parker. I think it's the most accurate portrayal of Parker's biggest dilemma: how do you balance a teenage life while being an Avenger? He feels some relief with the introduction of Mysterio, (Jake Gyllenhaal) who is a superhero from another version of Earth. What the film does well is break down what could be next for Marvel, and let Spider-Man make mistakes while he attempts to gain control as a superhero leader. The film was filled with twists and turns that would be shocking for the average film goer, but lacked any element of surprise for hardcore comic fans. What Jon Watts did brilliantly was tie the film into the rest of the Iron Man arc with various callbacks and similarities in Peter Parker's story.
Tom Holland might be the most brilliant and accurate Peter Parker we have seen on the screen. He maintains the fun with adding a certain sense of emotional gravitas not present with Toby Maguire or Andrew Garfield. Often I complain about the mundane and dispensable Marvel characters form their comic counterparts. That being said, Jake Gyllenhaal's Mysterio was a nearly flawless embodiment of the character directly from the pages of the comics.
Is Spider-Man Far From Home the most important Marvel movie? Absolutely not. It did little to push the narrative of the MCU at large. However, it worked more as a self-contained film a la Black Panther or Doctor Strange, which I enjoyed more. The post credits sequence is the most astonishing and brilliant job Marvel has done yet. I refuse to spoil even a second of how relevant and timely the sequences were. Overall, this film was another solid entry with charm, romance, and fun for adults. I would not advise taking children as some sequences were scary. Here's the to future of an MCU Spider-Man!
Grade: (8/10)
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