Directed by Jon Watts
Starring: Tom Holland, Samuel L. Jackson, Jake Gyllenhaal
Rated PG-13 for sci-fi action violence, some language and brief suggestive comments
Spider-Man: Far From Home directly follows the events after Avengers: Endgame. So if any viewer has not seen Endgame and is coming into Far From Home without seeing the previous Marvel film would confuse the viewer. But considering that Endgame is the second highest grossing film of all time, its hard to find one viewer who has yet to seen Endgame. With the events that proceed Endgame, Spider-Man: Far From Home is a wonderful addition to the MCU.
Spider-Man: Far From Home is the 23rd MCU film and newest addition to the Spider-Man series. Peter Parker/ Spider-Man (played by Tom Holland) goes to Europe with his classmates for a vacation. His vacation is suddenly cut short by Nick Fury (played by Samuel L. Jackson) who needs Spider-Man to help save the world with Mysterio (played by Jake Gyllenhaal).
Spider-Man is a story that has told multiple times throughout the years. The first Spider-Man film that came out in 2002 with Tobey Maguire tells the origin story with Uncle Ben and MJ as his love interest. The Amazing Spider-Man with Andrew Garfield told the same origin story with the exception of MJ being replaced with Gwen Stacey. But ever since Tom Holland has stepped into the role, we have yet to see the origin story or Uncle Ben. I give props to the current series not giving us the origin story since we have seen in multiple times. But I also think the reason being that we have yet to see or hear the mention of Uncle Ben is because Tony Stark is Uncle Ben. Stark is certainly a father figure to Parker who passed away. Stark’s death certainly has a toll on Parker that carries with him throughout the film. I enjoy that we don’t have to see the traditional Uncle Ben story arc, but instead the story arc is swapped out for one character for another.
Both Tom Holland and Jake Gyllenhaal as Spider-Man and Mysterio, respectively, are a joy whenever they are present on the screen. Holland’s acting as Spider-Man has progressed since we first saw him in Captain America: Civil War. There are multiple scenes where Holland acts emotional due to Stark passing in the previous MCU film. On the other hand, Gyllenhaal proves why he is a great actor. Without giving any spoilers, Gyllenhaal certainly has fun as Mysterio in the second half of the film. In addition to both Holland and Gyllenhaal, Zendaya as MJ breaks away from the traditional MJ character we have seen in previous films. MJ is a totally different character from audiences are used to, it is also refreshing having one character arc being different than we were expecting.
The biggest problem with Far From Home is the first half of the film feels slow. Not that the film is not to par but there are certainly scenes that could have been left in the cutting room floor. It is not until we see the reveal of one character does the film actually pick up. The reason for this is because we now know the actual streaks and serious danger the other characters are in. And of course, the reveal in the half way point of the film was very predictable, for me at least. The moment I saw the trailer for the film, I knew how the film would play out. To keep it short and simple, I felt like I was watching The Incredibles (2004).
Nevertheless, Spider-Man: Far From Home is fun and exciting that audiences will enjoy. Although the first half of the film moves on at a slow pace, the second half is great that ends with a jaw dropping cameo that fans of the series will enjoy. I highly recommend to view Far From Home, casual viewers and fans of the series will certainly have a blast with this one.
3/4
Edward's Film Reviews 