2019 | Dir. Jon Watts | 129 Minutes
"People need to believe, and nowadays they'll believe anything."
Nick Fury recruits Peter Parker to take part in a secret mission assisting an otherworldly stranger in his fight against an incredible threat, disrupting Peter's school trip touring Europe. Still grieving over the recent loss of his beloved mentor, Peter is reluctant to answer the call to action as he juggles his duo-identity as unassuming high school student and famous masked hero.
Taking on the unenviable task of following Avengers: Endgame and closing out a decade of Marvel Studios productions, on top of delivering a satisfying sequel to his well-received Spider-Man reboot, Jon Watts returns to the direct and hits it right out of the park. Spider-Man: Far From Home balances mildly raunchy teen comedy and high-flying superhero action while exploring hefty themes with skill and style. This sequel is centered around the inherent challenges of carrying on the legacy of the departed and the dubious veracity of information during uncertain times.
Taking a page from the very best Spider-Man stories, Peter Parker struggles with embracing the responsibility of being a hero, this time with the added pressure of having to fill the void left in Tony Stark's absence. Until the final act of the story, Peter dodges the public expectation for him to be the next Iron Man, much to the chagrin of an impatient Fury. Peter even concedes the role much too quickly when he makes his biggest mistake yet. Having shared with Peter the grief over losing Tony, a decidedly more sympathetic Happy Hogan helps Peter realize that no one expects him to be infallible because Tony certainly wasn't. However, it becomes apparent that many still bear a grudge against Tony for his fallibility.
Posthumously bringing the story of Tony Stark full circle, the primary antagonists of the picture are revealed to be disgruntled Stark Industries ex-employees, eager to fabricate and install their own hero to take Tony's place. In the aftermath of the cataclysmic and unpredictable events of Avengers: Infinity War and the years that followed, this band of purportedly downtrodden engineers take advantage of the seemingly constant state of widespread panic to construct a crisis and a champion that the vulnerable public is conditioned to accept. On top of the villains' sinister plot of false narratives and manufactured catastrophes, the script is full of jibes questioning the accuracy of online reports and broadcast news. Brilliantly fitting, the evil ringleader's final attack is the weaponized deployment of doctored video footage, more harmful than a physical attack against the hero.
The picture is one of the better looking Marvel Studios films, making good use of location shooting in Venice, Prague, and London. The visual effects behind several waking nightmare sequences during the back half of the film are magnificent, comparable and even besting some of the wilder, more surreal sequences from Doctor Strange. Michael Giacchino's musical score is some of his best work for Marvel Studios yet, further developing on his Spider-Man theme from Spider-Man: Homecoming as well as contributing an appropriately bombastic theme for Mysterio.
It's not difficult to make the case that Tom Holland is the best live-action Spider-Man. It helps that Marvel Studios' writers continue to provide him with inspiring material, with it he is able to showcase a broad and nuanced range of emotion, selling the physical comedy with panache and really delivering the touching moments when Peter is at his most helpless. Jake Gyllenhaal is an absolute pleasure playing the selfless would-be mentor-figure Quentin Beck, and he's even better after the fateful mid-point of the picture. As M.J., Zendaya's chemistry with Tom Holland is palpably adorkable, and she has some of the best lines accentuated by her natural delivery for dry humor.
The supporting cast features Jacob Batalon, Angourie Rice, and Tony Revolori reprising their roles as Peter's classmates Ned, Betty, and Flash, each with their fair share of funny moments. Martin Starr is joined by J.B. Smoove portraying Peter's bumbling amusingly clueless schoolteachers. Jon Favreau and Marisa Tomei appear briefly as Happy and Aunt May, sharing a budding romance that makes Peter hilariously uncomfortable. Samuel L. Jackson is reliably cool in his eleventh appearance as Fury, once again alongside Colbie Smulders as Fury's trusty confidant Maria Hill who is afforded her first truly awesome action beat since Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Remi Hii delivers a believable performance as Peter's insufferable square-jawed romantic rival.
The supporting cast features Jacob Batalon, Angourie Rice, and Tony Revolori reprising their roles as Peter's classmates Ned, Betty, and Flash, each with their fair share of funny moments. Martin Starr is joined by J.B. Smoove portraying Peter's bumbling amusingly clueless schoolteachers. Jon Favreau and Marisa Tomei appear briefly as Happy and Aunt May, sharing a budding romance that makes Peter hilariously uncomfortable. Samuel L. Jackson is reliably cool in his eleventh appearance as Fury, once again alongside Colbie Smulders as Fury's trusty confidant Maria Hill who is afforded her first truly awesome action beat since Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Remi Hii delivers a believable performance as Peter's insufferable square-jawed romantic rival.
With an excellent cast, affecting light-hearted comedy, and some truly spectacular visuals, Spider-Man: Far From Home is a worthy second installment in the Tom Holland Spider-Man film series, and a fitting coda for Marvel Studios' Infinity Saga. Clearly produced with as much love, style, and appreciation for the spirit of the source material as Spider-Man: Homecoming, the scope and spectacle is on a larger, much more impressive scale this time around.
A breaking news report sourced from media personality and conspiracy nut J. Jonah Jameson broadcasts Quentin Beck's dying message to the world: doctored video footage framing Spider-Man for his crimes coupled with the revelation that Peter Parker is Spider-Man.
POST-CREDITS STINGER
Nick Fury and Maria Hill are revealed to be the Skrulls Talos and Soren in disguise. The couple notifies the real Nick Fury that they delivered Tony's glasses to Peter. Meanwhile, Fury directs a Skrull crew in a massive space station.
FRAGMENTS
- Jake Gyllenhaal was once briefly in the running to replace Tobey Maguire as Peter Parker in director Sam Raimi's Spider-Man 2
- The return of Iron Man executive producer Peter Billingsley as erstwhile Stark Industries scientist William, famously on the receiving end of Obadiah Stane's classic "Tony Stark was able to build this in a cave! With a box of scraps!" outburst, might be my favorite unexpected MCU callback so far
- Composer Michael Giacchino references Alan Silvestri's theme for The Avengers in two key scenes
- Happy cuing up AC/DC's "Back In Black" as Peter uses Tony's tools to create a new Spider-Man suit (and Peter misidentifying the song as a Led Zeppelin tune) is also a nice callback for MCU true believers
- J.K. Simmons reprises the role of J. Jonah Jameson, having previously appeared as the most vocal Spider-Man hater in the multiverse in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man film trilogy, and I couldn't be happier; he is the undisputed definitive J.J. Jameson after all
SUPPLEMENTAL STUFF
- Video: Donovan Mitchell (ESPN Spot)
