Marvel is REALLY trying to make me like Spider-Man.
I have always had what can be described as a passable interest in the friendly neighborhood web-slinger, but not on the level that I have for others. I have seen Peter as a bit too whiny for my taste, and the Sam Raimi trilogy didn’t help any. The Mark Webb “Amazing” films started to turn me around (I was one of the ten people that actually enjoyed the second one), and I dare say that “Homecoming” was honestly my favorite one yet. Once “Avengers: End Game” came along, the MCU was changed forever, and “Spider-Man: Far From Home” serves as not only its epilogue but for Phase III as well.
Tom Holland continues his role as Peter Parker as we are post-snap with all of the classmates back together and taking a two-week trip to Europe. Peter is ready to profess his feelings for MJ (Zendaya), while his best friend, Ned (Jacob Batalon), wants to use the time to meet foreign women. As the trip begins, Peter gets a visit from Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), who wants Peter to join the Avengers full-time as a group of elemental beings is wrecking all four corners of the globe. When a strange hero (Jake Gyllenhaal) arrives on the scene from a parallel universe that has allegedly has dealt with this threat before, Peter has to evaluate everything (and everyone) he thinks he knows.
At a solid two-hours, director Jon Watts uses every single frame to tell a story that has multiple layers and weaves them together very well. With all of the familiars back, including Marisa Tomei’s Aunt May and Jon Favreau’s Happy Hogan, along with a few new characters, “Spider-Man: Far From Home” is everything I wanted it to be as this particular franchise continues it’s evolution in a positive direction. Holland should play this role as long as he wants to as especially from a Peter Parker standpoint, he seems to get the character in a way that no one before him has been able to. There are also some Easter Eggs that run DEEP that blend into the scenery around them in a way that will not take those not in the know out of what they are watching.
With only clues about what Phase IV will bring (and there is even an Easter Egg close to the end of the film that alludes to it, so keep your eyes open), this was a very strong way to end the MCU as we know it. With “Venom 2” also on the horizon, I really hope Sony can find a way to get these two properties intertwined in order to further right the ship that has started with the Fox sale to Disney, who also co-produces the Sony properties.