Spider-Man: Far From Home is the first film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe to give fans an idea of what life is like in a post Infinity War/Endgame world in which half the universe was wiped from existence for five years. It’s a shift down from the big action set pieces we’ve had lately and focuses more on Peter Parker living up to the expectations placed upon him, both as a high school student and as the superhero Spider-Man. While the film gets off to a somewhat slow start, Far From Home delivers some of the most jaw dropping moments the MCU has seen as it builds in awe-inspiring intensity and delight.
After help save not only the world but the entire universe from Thanos, Peter Parker (Tom Holland) could use a break from this whole superhero business and takes a much needed summer vacation to Europe with his classmates as part of a school trip. Unfortunately, world ending threats don’t just cease to exist and before he has a chance to relax, Peter is tasked by Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) and Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders) to combat a new enemy, the Elementals. The two agents have also recruited technological mastermind Quentin Beck aka Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal) to help fight these new threats. As Spider-Man becomes to go-to superhero following the death of Iron Man, Peter wonders if he’ll ever live up to the expectations of Tony, and looks to Beck for guidance. So much for having a relaxing vacation, right?
Right off the bat, Spider-Man: Far From Home addresses the fallout from Thanos’ snap, referred to as ‘The Blip’ in the MCU. Aunt May (Marisa Tomei) has actually set up a foundation to help those affected by the Blip readjust to society again as they’ve been gone for five years while everyone else grew older and moved on. It’s a nice little exposition that sets the scene of a post Endgame world. From there we see Peter Parker trying to just be Peter Parker. That means your typical high school stuff like goofing around with best friend Ned (Jacob Batalon) and developing this elaborate plan to reveal his crush on MJ (Zendaya) while in Europe. The first act is all pretty low-key stuff, but it works as it reveals the mindset of Peter. Even though he’s been to outerspace, been snapped out of existence, and saved the world, he’s still just a teenager and has lost his mentor Tony Stark.
For fans that follow the comics or frankly have any familiarity with Spider-Man characters, it can be somewhat of a drag with the way the film is set up. It’s easy to see what direction Far From Home is going with its story, at least in the first half, so I will admit there is a lot of just waiting for the story to get there. I’m actually very curious to see how people who absolutely no knowledge of the comics react to the film. In this case, I believe the less you know about everything the better off you are.
Once Far From Home gets going in its second act, however, it doesn’t slow down for one bit. Jake Gyllenhaal is fantastic as Quentin Beck and Mysterio, delivering some of the most memorable scenes in all of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It’s difficult to talk about them without going into spoilers, but I will just say that prepare to have your mind blown and turned upside down.
The more I think about Spider-Man: Far From Home the more I dig the film. Yes, the first half is a bit slow and dull, but without it the second have wouldn’t be nearly as satisfying. Plus, there are so many loving touches, like how much Peter takes after Tony, that really ground the film after the big spectacle of Endgame. Even still, the film has some pretty big consequences to close out Phase 3 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and I couldn’t be more excited to see where Marvel Studios goes next with Phase 4.
Summary
Spider-Man: Far From Home is the first film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe to give fans an idea of what life is like in a post Infinity War/Endgame world in which half the universe was wiped from existence for five years. It’s a shift down from the big action set pieces we’ve had lately and focuses more on Peter Parker living up to the expectations placed upon him, both as a high school student and as the superhero Spider-Man. While the film gets off to a somewhat slow start, Far From Home delivers some of the most jaw dropping moments the MCU has seen as it builds in awe-inspiring intensity and delight.
