A Reel Review - SPIDER-MAN: FAR FROM HOME

SPIDER-MAN: FAR FROM HOME, the 23^rdfilm in Marvel Cinematic Universe series of superhero movies, has a tough act to follow. It is the first Marvel film to arrive after their grand and emotional farewell to the Avengers in ENDGAME, which was only three months ago. But for director Jon Watts the solution was simple; don’t try to top ENDGAME, and instead bring things back to ground-level. 

Peter Parker (Tom Holland), goes on a class trip to Italy where his only goal is to tell his crush MJ (Zendaya), how he feels about her. But his trip is hijacked by Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), who has teamed up with a superhero from another dimension, Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhall), to prevent a new threat from wiping out the Earth. 

FAR FROM HOME has a lot going on. Poor Peter is eager to put his superhero work as Spider-Man on hold for a while, just so he can work on his crush and feel like a kid again. In the meantime, he is still mourning the loss of his friend and mentor Tony Stark, along with dealing with an overbearing Fury who wants him to step-up and be the next Iron Man. Toss in another world-ending threat, and Parker has a lot on his plate. 

The threat that the world is facing is taken on with great reluctance by Peter, who is aided by yet another hand-me-down from Stark that adds to his pressures. Things get nuts in a hurry when the threat is revealed to be only the beginning of the problems, as a mid-film twist turns the entire story on its head. What follows next is the revelation of a hidden villain who has the power to project different realities. It messes with our minds and keeps us guessing as to what is real and what isn’t; a game that audiences will certainly lose as there is one surprise after another. It’s a blast to see unravel, and its secrets stretch way back into Marvel’s film history and add even more layers of intrigue. 

One of the reasons why Marvel’s films have clicked so well with audiences is that they cross-breed superhero adventures with other genres of film. Here, director Jon Watts infuses this Spidey-story with teenage crushes and drama, and it works very well. These are just kids facing the beast, and the film does great work in keeping that up-front at all times. Despite a worldwide threat, the film sticks with its characters and things feel grounded and palpable. Great work is also done in catching us up with the world after the events of ENDGAME, with society still adjusting to losing five years and with no more Avengers to save them. Action sequences are a blast, Michael Giacchino’s score is excellent, and Spider-Man looks great swinging and jumping into action. 

Acting is excellent. Tom Holland has really stepped into his role as Peter Parker and the work he has to do as a conflicted 16-year-old really pays off. His chemistry with Zendaya leaps off the screen, who is also very good. Marvel veterans Samuel L. Jackson, Cobie Smulders, Jon Favreau, and Marisa Tomei are great as always, although Tomei is very under-used. Jake Gyllenhaal is awesome as the mysterious Mysterio and has a lot to work with. 

If there is any dent in this Spider-Man its that it goes out of its way to remind us that Tony Stark is gone and Peter has to deal with that one way or another. There’s a lot of redundancy, but there are also some bits of nostalgia that more-or-less make up for it; be prepared to shed a tear or two. The finale to the film offers even more surprises, and two mid-credits scenes are stand-up-and-cheer worthy…and lets us now that after 23 movies, Spider-Man and Marvel still have a lot to offer. 

BOTTOM LINE: See it