In 2016, Tom Holland made his debut as Spider-Man in Captain America: Civil War. Upon hearing the news that there would be a new incarnacion of the web slinger only two years after Andrew Garfield‘s version, I was not happy at all. It wasn’t because I thought Garfield’s was the best iteration of the character, it was because I wanted Sony to have fleshed out his Spider-Man before moving on to the next actor. Fast forward to Civil War and my feelings about Holland being the new Spider-Man completely changed toward the best. Not only was he the best part of that film, he is now my favorite person to have played Spider-Man/Peter Parker.
I’m not the only one who feels this way either. Everyone raved about Holland in Infinity War and screamed their heads off when he was “undusted” in Endgame. Speaking of the juggernaut, Endgame obviously left fans with a ton of questions, most of them related to the massive time jump after The Snap. How could Peter and some of his classmates still be the same age while others aged five years? How would they adjust to life in a post-Endgame world?
Far From Home didn’t waste any time jumping right into those answers. Within two minutes, we’re back at Midtown High where the school’s news bulletin addresses The Snap and its aftermath, specifically how most of their classmates – like Brad – were suddenly five years older. From there, Peter and Ned are seen talking about their class trip to Europe and a short time after, off they went. Thank Peter’s lucky stars for Aunt May packing his suit for such an emergency, which came in the form of the Elementals. After Hydro-Man strikes in Venice, Peter’s vacation is “hijacked” by Nick Fury who recruits him along with Mysterio aka Quentin Beck to stop them.
Right off the bat, the very best thing about this film is Jake Gyllenhaal as Mysterio. If you’re familiar with his filmography, you know he’s a phenomenal actor, but Gyllenhaal is on a whole other level in this one. It’s like he stepped right out of the pages of a Spider-Man comic onto the screen, especially in the third act. Complementing Gyllenhaal is yet another fantastic performance by Tom Holland. Holland manages to elevate both his performance and the character, making Peter that much more sympathetic.
The supporting cast did an equally great job, whether you’re talking about Jacob Batalon, Zendaya, or the OG’s Cobie Smulders, Jon Favreau and Samuel L. Jackson. They all were a fun, welcome addition to the film, bringing more depth and layers to their characters. Of course, I’d be remiss if I forgot to mention the superb directing by Jon Watts once again. The action shots in this movie were incredible, from Mysterio battling mid-flight to Spider-Man leaping and swinging around every foreign city. Regarding the post-credit scenes, all I will say is that they are both great and will indeed have heavy ramifications on the MCU moving forward.
As great as Far From Home is, there were a few issues that prevented it from being excellent, like a certain plot point involving the Elementals that I won’t reveal. The other issue I had with the film was how heavily it leaned into Tony’s death. It was inevitable that it would play a significant role in this film, but about the halfway point of the movie, it became too excessive. Along with that, I felt the utilization of Stark Tech – particularly in one scene – and the sub-plot of Peter being the next Iron Man just overdid the matter.
Overall though, Far From Home was an absolute blast and a great wrap-up to the Infinity Saga!
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