Spiderman Far from Home is the last of the MCU Phase 4, finally bringing the end to the 23 film saga. Fortunately, the closing is far from being a bore, but also far from the perfection.
Our favorite nerdy super-hero, Peter Parker, has returned to his high school in Queens, along with all the others who were snapped out of existence by Thanos during Avengers, Infinity War. Yes, some of his friends did continue and became five years older. Amazingly, we are left to believe that all of his friends such as Mary Jane, Ned, and Flash were all part of the glitch. And the world is mourning the loss of Iron Man. Someone needs to take his place.
The clique is on its way to Europe. Peter (Tom Holland) is looking forward to getting a little time-off and getting to know Mary Jane (Zendaya) more. So deadest on this quest, he ditches some calls from Nick Fury (Samuel Jackson), infuriating the SHIELD agent. Peter also has doubts about Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau) dating his Aunt May (Marisa Tomei).
However, Peter finds out trouble will follow him wherever he goes. While in Europe, some creatures called the Elementals stage attacks against some European cities where Peter's friends are. Fury brings Peter in to meet Quentin Beck/Mysterio, (Jake Gyllenhall). He is an agent from another Earth dimension, tracking the elementals, and needing to eliminate them. He asks Spidey for some help - and he gets it.
Still, it is not quite enough to do the trick. While they seemingly defeat the alien entities, Peter realizes that something does not add up. It is mostly with Quentin, who is not who he appears to be. Now it is up to Spidey to defeat the charlatan, Mysterio.
I must get my flaws out first - because Far from Home has them. The first one is the padding. The movie is probably thirty minutes too long - mostly dedicating needless scenes to peril and laughs that do not move the plot. The guiltiest scene was that of Peter trying to figure out Tony Stark's glasses, which are an engineering miracle. Peter accidentally launches a strike against Flash Thompson (Tony Revolori), so he has to stop it. Another has him put in an embarrassing situation with another SHIELD agent that Flash Thompson witnesses.
The other flaw in this one relates to the source material. Although a fan of Spiderman comics, I am not a purist. It is plain to see that if Peter Parker was in modern-day Queens, the characters of Ned Leeds, Flash Thompson, and Mary Jane could very well be minorities. However, the characters of Aunt May and Mary Jane Watson are betrayed. Mary Jane had a super-outgoing personality coupled with strength and confidence - but Zendeya plays it with emo, attitude, and smarminess. Marisa Tomei plays Aunt May as an outgoing, sexy older woman who is more selfish for her own interest. The original Aunt May was selfless, strong, quiet, and reserved. And it seems EVERYONE realizes Peter is Spidey faster than Lois Lane realized who Clark Kent really was!
Also, it seems like Peter Parker took a step back from what he wanted in Homecoming. In that movie, he wanted to be treated like an adult by Happy and Tony. He desired hero status, and wanted to do bigger things. In this film, he wants to be more like a kid and not have those responsibilities. Finally, since when can someone dupe Nick Fury as Quentin did?
However, there is a lot to like about this movie. First is Tom Holland who plays the character with such Ernst. He makes Peter complicated, conflicted, and confused. He has to finally take initiative in order to protect the people he loves. This was much appreciated as Andrew Garfield played the part with too much emo, depression, and reactionary.
Another strength, of course, are the special effects. As with most MCU movies, they do not take precedence over story, but rather add flavor to it. Furthermore, one particular scene laced with confusion and bizarre imagery matches what the Mysterio character was all about in the comics. It is truly mesmerizing.
Far from Home does have a lot of misses, but the hits are rock solid. Probably the biggest shot-in the arm comes in a post-scene cameo that should have an audience clapping and laughing at the same time as an old Spiderman staple returns.
Review of Spider-Man: Far from Home
