Warning: Review contains full spoilers for Avengers: Endgame and Spider-Man: Far from Home.
After reviewing Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse (Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, and Rodney Rothman, 2018) late last year, I was convinced I couldn’t enjoy another Spider-Man film as much as I did Spiderverse. Not only was Spiderverse a perfect film by all standards, but it was also revolutionary in redefining animated and, specifically, Spider-Man films forever. As game-changing as Spiderverse was, I found it hard to place myself back into the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe) version of Spider-Man when I watched the Spider-Man: Far from Home (John Watts, 2019) trailer in January. All the color, nuance and maturity that Spiderverse encapsulated was washed away for another formulaic return to the live-action world. However, after now fully watching Spider-Man: Far from Home, I can say I was completely wrong. Spider-Man: Far from Home is an excellent true to form Spider-Man film that grows out of its teenage upbringings established by Spider-Man: Homecoming (Jon Watts, 2017). With excellent performances by Tom Holland (Spider-Man), Zendaya (MJ), and especially Jake Gyllenhaal as Mysterio, Spider-Man: Far from Home is a superb Spider-Man film and one of the best MCU films to date. With deep and emotional character development, exploration of themes of consequence, loss, and responsibility, all choreographed with excellent special effects, Spider-Man: Far from Home establishes that it is possible to enjoy two drastically different Spider-Man stories, and both can be exceptional.
Spider-Man: Far from Home takes place eight months after the conclusion of Avengers: Endgame (Joe and Anthony Russo, 2019). Tony Stark, Black Widow, and Captain America are dead, the Avengers are in shambles and life has returned to somewhat normalcy after the invasion of Thanos. In helping others recover any way he can, Peter grapples with the feelings of loss, grief, and trauma as he remembers Tony’s influence and sacrifices to the world. Hoping to leave these thoughts and responsibilities behind, Peter sets out with MJ, Ned (Jacob Batalon), Betty (Angourie Rice), and the rest of his high school class as they embark on a tour of Europe. After an invasion of intragalactic demons called The Elementals, Peter must choose whether he wants to suit up with Mysterio, Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders), and Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) to stop the invaders, or ignore his responsibilities and enjoy the trip with his class.
By every account, Spider-Man: Far from Home feels like a Spider-Man movie. Like Spider-Man films of the past, Spider-Man: Far from Home strikes the delicate balance of being a fun high school film whilst showcasing the mature themes and consequences of being a superhero. My biggest gripe with the MCU’s rendition of Spider-Man is that the character felt too immature and childish in comparison to previous iterations. With Spider-Man: Homecoming, in particular, the film felt too much like a dated John Hughes high school movie rather than a Spider-Man film that balanced these elements of immaturity with heroism and responsibility. Instead of showcasing Peter’s unique situation of being Spider-Man as well as a high school teen, the film swung too much the other way as it exchanged these essential Spider-Man story features for conventional high school movie quips. By the end of Spider-Man: Homecoming, I never observed Peter learning about or at least building on his biggest theme: with great power comes great responsibility. Luckily, Spider-Man: Far from Home corrects these issues by providing a sense of purpose to the world of Spider-Man. Existing after Avengers: Endgame, Spider-Man: Far from Home understands the aftermath and fallout Thanos had on the world and specifically Peter himself. Life is not the same, the Avengers are in disarray, and, most importantly, Iron Man has fallen. Setting up these emotions of sadness and melancholy at the very beginning of the film allows Spider-Man: Far from Home to carry an excessive amount of emotional weight. For example, when the film opens, we are presented with the students explaining how the “blip” has affected their high school life both for good and bad. Though this scene is comedic and absolutely hilarious, it does lay the bedrock for Spider-Man: Far from Home to start with themes of consequence and purpose laid by the events of Avengers: Endgame. Even in these simple scenes, Spider-Man: Far from Home executes the perfect balance between displaying high school emotions and personalities in a world full of devastating world-changing consequences and repercussions. Whether it’s Flash getting punched in the balls, The Elementals destroying Venice, or Spider-Man designing a new Spider-Suit, all these scenes work in tandem to provide a movie that works both as a coming-of-age and as a Spider-Man film.
The biggest concern I had going into Spider-Man: Far from Home was that the film was set in Europe instead of New York City. As everyone knows, the city of New York is as important to the Spider-Man universe as Spider-Man himself. New York, like Aunt May or Mary Jane Watson, is a character in its own right, providing the backdrop for both Peter and Spider-Man to grow as heroes. Whether it’s web-slinging through Times Square or catching baddies with New York’s finest, New York always defined Spider-Man. However, as deeply rooted as my concern was, Spider-Man: Far from Home uses the trip away from New York not as a gimmick but rather as a tool to provide consequence, responsibility, and wholeness to Spider-Man/Peter Parker. For example, eight months ago, Peter lost his biggest mentor/father figure in his life. Symbols of Tony’s accomplishments are plastered all over the world, reminding everyone of the hero that was Iron Man. Feelings of trauma, loss, and discontent are all on display as Peter struggles to move past the aftermath of Avengers: Endgame. Spider-Man: Far from Home takes these feelings and extrapolates on them, with Peter often refusing his heroic responsibility as Spider-Man in exchange for his normal teenage life. Whether it’s Peter giving Edith to Quentin Beck or refusing to help Nick Fury save the world, Spider-Man: Far from Home never lets the audience forget that Peter, regardless of his heroism in Endgame, is still a high school teen, not the next Iron Man. Unlike some past MCU films I’ve reviewed, Spider-Man: Far from Home always makes sure to take the time to explore these reserves, emotions, and feelings of Peter rather than rush past them for flashy action scenes (especially when there are a lot of them in this film). By these character-focused moments, Spider-Man: Far from Home feels like the whole package when it comes to a Spider-Man story. Fully exploring Peter as a character allows him to feel overall complete, whole, and deep so that, when the Spider-Man moments do come (like the use of Spider-Sense [Peter tingle]), they feel purposeful, earned, and overall perfect.
By far the best part about Spider-Man: Far from Home is Jake Gyllenhaal as Quentin Beck/Mysterio. In my opinion, Gyllenhaal has always been one of the most underrated and overlooked actors in Hollywood. From Donnie Darko (Richard Kelly, 2001) to Prisoners (Denis Villeneuve, 2013), Gyllenhaal’s range of talent has been far-reaching. Especially in his most recent films such as Nightcrawler (Dan Gilroy, 2014) and Enemy (Denis Villeneuve, 2013), Gyllenhaal’s ability to balance normalcy with the sadistic is enveloping and nothing short of masterful. This concept is brought to fruition to its fullest extent with Gyllenhaal’s take on Mysterio. In the comics, Mysterio represents a failed special effects artist who could never make it into the movies. Spider-Man: Far from Home extrapolates on this as Beck represents a failed augmented reality (AR) designer at the hands of Tony Stark. Instead of greenlighting Beck’s AR technology, Tony cans the project, making mock of Beck and his colleagues in an excellent return scene from Captain America: Civil War (Joe and Anthony Russo, 2016). Spider-Man: Far from Home does a great job of showcasing Tony in two very different lights: one as the hero and the other as the evil corporate overlord. The way this perspective gives rise to Beck is unique as it provides excellent motivation to his character. Through Gyllenhaal’s performance, Beck is manipulating, cunning, intelligent, ruthless, and completely nihilistic. Seeing him swap from being a kind mentor for Peter to a ruthless madman as the façade fades away is as perfect as it is spine-chilling. Appropriately, the VFX in Spider-Man: Far from Home is the best the MCU has to offer as drones, The Elementals, and Mysterio (in his iconic green suit and purple cape) look fantastic. By all these accounts, Mysterio is an excellent villain and Gyllenhaal’s portrayal makes him one of the most established villains in the MCU.
Furthermore, the reason why Mysterio works so well in Spider-Man: Far from Home is due to the film’s modern take on internet culture and fake news. Underneath its Spider-Skin, Spider-Man: Far from Home is a cautionary tale about questioning the reality of news and online media. Spider-Man: Far from Home very much exists in 2019 as themes of surveillance, biased news reporting, and internet influence are on display. Alex Jones’s InfoWars is referenced as inspirations for The Daily Bugle (with the excellent return of J.K. Simmons as J. Jonah Jameson) and Mysterio’s drones are a nod to overbearing government surveillance. As Spider-Man: Far from Home teaches the audience, what you see is not always the truth. This is especially apparent when Mysterio is defeated by Spider-Man at the end of the film. Through the course of the film, Mysterio tries to convince the public that he is the next Iron Man. By using VFX, drones, and AR technology, Beck creates this persona of Mysterio, a man from the multiverse sent to destroy The Elementals and save the planet from destruction. Though this is completely made up, everyone believes Beck is telling the truth due to the cosmic events of Avengers: Endgame. Like our current geopolitical climate, Beck’s “nowadays [people] will believe anything” moniker rings true in a world riddled by trauma and fear. Whether it’s the war on terror or the Red Scare, Mysterio’s geopolitical symbolism is far reaching. For example, when faced with death, Mysterio decides to copy himself and send out a fraudulent video to defame Spider-Man rather than die gracefully. Even in death, Mysterio is an illusion and a symbol of mass hysteria where nothing is ever as it seems. In a nation full of Wikileaks, Deep Fakes, and fake news, Spider-Man: Far from Home’s lesson is modern and speaks volumes about our current society.
Spider-Man: Far from Home understands what ingredients go into a great Spider-Man film and nails it completely. Through focusing on character development of Peter, the film never feels like it outstays its welcome or loses the familiar vibe that is a New York City Spider-Man movie. Instead, by scaling down the flare for introspective character building and emotional resonance, Spider-Man: Far from Home becomes a thematically deep film heightened by Jake Gyllenhaal’s Mysterio. Spider-Man: Far from Home feels like a complete film in every regard such that when Peter does finally return home and we see Spider-Man swing through New York, the journey feels complete and, overall, perfect.
9/10
Author Biography
Jason Husak is a University of Alberta film studies graduate who currently resides in Edmonton, Canada. He hopes to pursue his passion for film by doing a graduate degree in film studies. For more in-depth film reviews, discussion, and analyses, you can follow Jason on his personal Twitter and Instagram or his film and entertainment podcast Boring People, Bad Opinions on podcast and social media services.
Film Details
Spider-Man: Far from Home (2019)
USA
Director Jon Watts
Runtime 129 minutes
