Spider-Man: Far From Home review

Editor’s Note: We’re in the post-Endgame, now. So by the very definition, all Marvel Cinematic Universe reviews inherently contain Avengers: Endgame spoilers. In this particular case, such spoilers (and only such spoilers) will not be hidden in my customary manner.

So why not get right to it?

Far From Home spends its beginning building out the world that had five years adjusting to a reduced population suddenly redoubling in an instant. Survivors being 5 years older than those who were rescued. Aunt May apparently disappeared in the snap as well, as she and Peter were both displaced by a new family living in their apartment. We learn this with a rather clever narrative device in an echo of Captain America’s snap support group in Endgame.

Peter’s own journey also echoes his arc in Homecoming: trying to define himself as separate from Iron Man. Only this time it’s for a MUCH different reason… though Spidey will have to deal with Tony Stark’s legacy, too. It’s this arc that motivates the main action in the movie. The decisions Peter makes as he tries to make sense of his place in a suddenly different world without the one person who most helped him find his place before.

And over the course of the Man vs. Self plot, Man will also vs. Nature and vs. Man. Truly, this is a movie that has everything. That being said, the many, many effects sequences are rather busy. It’s in keeping with the nature of the antagonist, but isn’t so fun to watch.

The background action in the movie is the Eurozone tour setting. The credits list a ridiculously long series of locations where the movie was shot despite it taking place in just five cities with two brief rest stops. But that background is beautiful. There’s no excuse for inauthentic scenery in this day and age, and Far From Home delivers on its story’s locations.

But more than that, the interactions between Peter’s classmates could very well be the best part of the movie. They don’t all interact with each other, but those who do play off each other exceptionally well. A few Homecoming kids who I assume weren’t available or weren’t interested are handwaved away as having not been snapped while the new faces are just as easily handwaved as getting to that grade in the 5 years since. All sequels should be so lucky as to have such a convenient plot device.

I rather enjoyed the way Mysterio was reimagined for Homecoming. Connecting his backstory to the events of previous movies is a nice touch, though I don’t think the stock footage they brought out actually gave people who only came to the MCU for Spider-Man a fighting chance at accessibility.

Moving on, the mid-credits scene is a total cheat. They just moved the final 2 minutes of the film there. And it’s definitely the end of the movie, not a gag (that’s the post-credits scene, though it gives some necessary explanation for some of the characters) or a tease for the next movie coming up in the MCU (also the post-credits scene). I guess the makers wanted to separate the sudden shift in tone

…Let’s just say that by the real end of the movie, Spider-Man might be back in New York, but he’s very far from Homecoming indeed.

Verdict: Go for it (4/5). Though I’m curious as to what Fury is up to. It’s clearly not teasing Black Widow, which is a “prequel,” so could it be leading into Eternals?