Spider-Man Far From Home is Amazing if a Little Too Amazing

Tom Holland as Peter Parker

Watching Spider-Man: Far From Home, reminded me of Dark Phoenix. In my review I said cartoons do a better job on capturing the spirit and feel of comic-book characters than in the movies. There are exceptions like last year's Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. While Far From Home doesn't come close to that movie, it's like Phoenix where the excitement of watching those cartoons is translated onscreen. 

We miss you Iron Man.

With the world recovering from Avengers: Infinity War & Endgame as well as mourning the loss of its fallen Avengers, life still goes on. Snap survivor (or blip survivor, as its being called) Peter Parker (Tom Holland) is ready for summer vacation as he travels to Europe with his classmates including his crush MJ (Zendaya), best friend Ned Leeds (Jacob Batalon), Ned's new girlfriend Betty Brant (Angourie Rice), rich kid snob Flash Thompson (Tony Revolori), and new rival Brad Davis (Remy Hii), who is also pining for MJ. It's a vacation our hero can't enjoy when Nick Fury (Samuel L Jackson) recruits him for a mission with their new ally Quentin Beck (Jake Gyllenhaal).     

Brad, Flash, Ned, and Betty. 

The cast are what help carry this movie. Holland continues to be my favorite live-action portrayal of Spider-Man capturing his youthful and nerdy charm as Peter Parker and the flawed but selfless Spider-Man, still trying to learn the ropes of being a superhero. His classmates each have their own personalities that as the film progresses we start to learn more about them. Among other supporting players include Peter's caring Aunt May (Marisa Tomei) and Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau), Tony Stark's former bodyguard now keeping an eye out on Peter and a few winks with his aunt. While a small role, Favreau continues to bring his best material as shown in Endgame and in his own directorial work, that help's Spider-Man when at his lowest.  

Spider-Man meeting Mysterio.

Audiences may recognize Quentin Beck as Mysterio, a recurring character in the Spider-Man lore. Far From Home's take on the character introduces him in a radical new light that is feasible after witnessing the events of Endgame. Similar with Benedict Cumberbatch as Doctor Strange, I was surprised how they got an actor like Gyllenhaal to play the part and I am happy they did. Like Holland, Gyllenhaal quite possibly gives the best iteration of this well-known comic-book character. 

Spider-Man in Stealth Mode. Nice reference to the Noir version from Spider-Verse.

With Marvel entering a new phase and many of its big stars out of the picture, it makes sense that the popular web-head is next in line to take the mantle. It looks promising but I still can't shake the vibes I got with the last reboot. Most notably, on how it handled its world-building by throwing its chips too early to start its own cinematic universe. Not to mention the ownership of the character with Sony and Marvel butting heads. Then there's the issue of the climax. All the Spider-Man films, even the not-so Amazing Spiderman with Andrew Garfield delivered great final battles between the hero and main villain. MCU's Spider-Man have great villains but fail to deliver a satisfying climax.  

Cute moment with Peter and MJ. 

As with Homecoming, Spider-Man: Far From Home's plot is unsatisfactory but still manages to get the web-slinger right. As the film wrapped-up with its mid-credit and final end credit scene, I was excited, joyful, frustrated and anxious, all at the same time. Watching countless Spider-Man narratives can have that effect. Compared to what happened with the Amazing Spiderman reboot and with the X-Men, MCU's Spider-Man looks to have a higher chance on finishing its overarching story and hopefully clear some loose ends. 

Final Verdict: B-