Spider-Man: Far from Home (2019) Review

Fresh off the climatic end of Marvel Cinematic Universe phase 3 with Avengers: Endgame, we get a much more gentle coda as Peter Parker decides to go on his class trip to Europe.  Also, a new hero named Mysterio emerges.  If you are still worried about spoilers for Avengers: Endgame, avoid this movie and this review.  If you are worried about spoilers for Far from Home, there are lots of twists and surprises it would be difficult to review it without saying more.

Title: “Spider-Man: Far from Home”

Director: Jon Watts

Cast:

Tom Holland as Peter Parker / Spider-Man
Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury
Jake Gyllenhaal as Quentin Beck / Mysterio
Marisa Tomei as May Parker
Jon Favreau as Happy Hogan
Zendaya as MJ
Jacob Batalon as Ned Leeds
Tony Revolori as Flash Thompson
Angourie Rice as Betty Brant
Remy Hii as Brad Davis
Martin Starr as Mr. Harrington
J.B. Smoove as Mr. Dell (as JB Smoove)
Jorge Lendeborg Jr. as Jason Ionello
Cobie Smulders as Maria Hill
Numan Acar as Dimitri

Premise:

Following the events of Avengers: Endgame (2019), Spider-Man must step up to take on new threats in a world that has changed forever. (From IMDB.)

High Point:

The entire movie keeps you invested in it, right through to the end  Even after the credits roll, it gives you more things to think over.  Additionally, there are many comic book elements, such as poses and references, to delight long time readers.  There is also an appearance of an actor in the mid-credits scene that will remain nameless, but the appearance was a squeal inducing surprise.

Low Point:

The internet had complained and even suggested that the Tom Holland did not have a Spider-Sense because it hadn’t been explicitly stated.  This movie seems to have been made to tell those people he does have Spider-Sense.  The low point, however, is they never call it that, and refer to it as his “Peter Tingle.”

The Scores:

Originality: 4/6 It’s a derivative work, but they make it feel fresh and tell a story that you’ve heard before.  They treat parts as if they were new, but there wasn’t much here you hadn’t seen before or couldn’t have seen coming.

Effects: 6/6 The web slinging through cities, the explosions, the destruction, and all your typical movie magic is up to the high standard you expect from the MCU, and even out paces some of the more recent offerings.   Mysterio’s illusions give a real sense of what Spider-Man must be feeling in all of the comic pages where suddenly his world has changed into a different one.

Acting: 6/6 Everyone plays their part excellently.  Everyone plays the part that their part is playing excellently.  While it is a cheat, any flaws can be explained as being intentional.

Production: 6/6 The only fault with this production was that it was released so near to Avengers: Endgame that it risks spoiling that movie.

Story: 6/6 There is a super-hero story here, where Spider-Man has to step up to face his villains.  There is a much more tangible and grounded story of a high-schooler who has lots of power and responsibility, and who is dealing with all of that as much as he is dealing with typical high-school drama.

Emotional Response: 6/6 Audience members are left downright aghast by the end.  There is a “big reveal” with Mysterio, which is to be expected when a character named Mysterio is introduced, but the movie can’t be blamed for expecting it to be surprising.  It more than makes up for it throughout the rest of the film.

Overall: 6/6 This movie had everything a Spider-Man story should have, with the possible exception of time spent in New York City, but with six other live action Spider-Man films, the change of venue is nice.

In total, “Spider-Man: Far from Home” receives 40/42.

 

5 replies on “Spider-Man: Far from Home (2019) Review”

  1. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Well, almost. I noticed some poor CGI in the water before the Venice fight, which had me worried, and the bell in the clock tower didn’t swing at all as the tower fell, until Peter’s head hit it. After that, the effects were great and I watched the rest without any issues.

    The only other thing is I wish I could have watched the movie without knowing Mysterio’s history. It seems the twists and turns would have been more enjoyable if it was fresh.

    • I have to agree with you there, as those of us who knew he wasn’t a hero were just waiting the entire time for the turn. I give them a bit of credit because I doubted he was the real villain for a moment when he mentioned being from an alternate universe, so I thought it might be one where alignments were flipped, but even then it wasn’t convincing.

      • Yeah, but he claimed to be from Earth 833, which is the Earth where Brian Braddock becomes Spider-UK, so that’s not a hero-flipping Universe. It felt more like a subtle shout out to the fact that Spider-Man is being played by a British actor, so they reference the “Spider-Man is British!” Universe.

        • Agreed. At the time I didn’t remember exactly which universe 833 was, so there was that flicker of doubt about Mysterio. Not enough to make me trust him, but a bit of doubt he was your typical comic-book version.

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