Film Review - Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019)

When Marvel announced that Avengers: Endgame was not actually the end to Phase 3, and that Spider-Man: Far From Home would be closing out the entire Infinity Saga, I was a little bit sceptical. Having to follow such a huge film and close out over 10 years’ worth of storytelling whilst also setting up the future of this cinematic universe, Spider-Man had a lot to prove. After seeing the film, I definitely feel foolish that I doubted it for even a second. Now, much like Endgame, I just need to figure out how to talk about it without any spoilers.

Hot on the tail of the latest Avengers outing, Spider-Man: Far From Home picks up around 8 months after Endgame as Peter Parker (Tom Holland) and his friends are adjusting to life post-snap. Whilst on a school trip around Europe, Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) enlists Spider-man in a fight against the devastating Elementals, with the help of a new ally, Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal).

When it comes to the story, Far From Home knocks it out of the park. It’s difficult to discuss without giving anything away, but it’s truly a joy to watch the plot unfold in ways I didn’t expect. There’s a slight rushed feel to everything during the first act, culminating in a major exposition dump midway through the film, but the charm and power of the performances keep the story from veering off-track.

And boy are the performances fantastic. Tom Holland proves once again that he is both the perfect Spider-Man and the perfect Peter Parker. So much of the movie hinges on his character and performance, and he manages to play it with just the right balance of whimsy, weight, and heart. Zendaya echoes this as MJ, receiving a much-needed character upgrade in this sequel when compared to her somewhat one-note character in Homecoming. MJ is fleshed out here, showing much more personality, and her dynamic with Tom Holland is mesmerising.

Jake Gyllenhaal and Tom Holland star in Columbia Pictures’ SPIDER-MAN: ™ FAR FROM HOME.

The rest of the supporting cast do a great job, adding a lot of the humour into the story, and it’s impossible to single anyone out in an array of fantastic performances. However, one of the best Marvel casting choices to date has to be Jake Gyllenhaal as Quentin Beck, aka Mysterio. The character seems almost made for him as he plays the new addition with so much weight yet oh so much charm. There are moments when a lesser actor could have driven the role into over-the-top, scenery-chewing territory, but Gyllenhaal reins it in just enough whilst still feeling perfectly comic booky.

Whilst on Mysterio, all of the visual effects set pieces across the runtime are absolutely awe-inspiring; bright and eye-catching with a grounded sense of depth to them. The choreography is phenomenal throughout, and the mix of the two provide two of my favourite scenes from the MCU to date.

As I’ve said already, it’s so difficult to talk about this film without going into spoilers but trust me when I say that it’s more than a worthy sequel to Homecoming and a great follow up to Endgame. Jon Watts has crafted an almost perfect Spider-Man movie once again and I hope he continues on with the franchise.

Spider-Man: Far From Home is funny, smart and absolutely awe-inspiring with some of the best performances from the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe so far. It’s also a beautiful epilogue and tribute to the Infinity Saga, deftly dealing with grief, responsibility, and power.

Also, stay until the very end of the credits. There are two post-credits scenes for Spider-Man: Far From Home and they are possibly the most consequential post-credits scenes from the entire 24 films in this universe.