Spider-Man: Far from Home
Stepping Up
I can’t believe they made Mysterio work.
Seriously, Jon Watts and co. deserve praise just for translating this guy to the screen so well, fishbowl and all.
MCU Spider-Man: all the power, with some of the responsibility. At least, that’s the feeling I’ve gotten lately. In his previous appearances, he’s primarily playing second fiddle to the big boys, save for some stellar moments in Homecoming, which I adored. I was thrilled to see him step up and come into his own more with Far from Home, and Tom Holland does a wonderful job selling the mixed emotions Peter feels after everything that happened in Endgame. But I still feel ever so slightly disconnected at times from things that happen to this version of Peter Parker. Maybe it’s the sidestepping of Uncle Ben, but this Peter rarely loses. Homecoming did a lot right, but Spider-Man’s bit parts in the last two Avengers films didn’t do a lot for Peter Parker’s day-to-day life. Far from Home does, thankfully, push the character forward in several ways, and helps alleviate some concerns I had.
Everything in this movie serves to help Spider-Man transition from the wide-eyed kid of Civil War to something closer to the traditional depiction of the character. His mentor is absent, his daily life is clashing more than ever with his superhero duties, and his love life is all over the place. Speaking to that last point: I genuinely enjoyed the dynamic between Peter and MJ in this film, and I think Holland and Zendaya are a large part of that. They perfectly capture the awkward, hopeful moments that the story calls for, and I hope to see more of that relationship in future stories.
I’ll admit: the first act feels a little contrived, as we have to quickly and efficiently figure out how and why Peter is out of the country. But once Mysterio and the Elementals show up, things begin to move along quite well, and the relationship between Peter Parker and Quentin Beck is wonderful. It builds so well on the way Peter worshipped Tony Stark, and the way the entire film calls back to every moment of that bond is clever.
Visually, this movie is spectacular. The visual effects are outstanding, and so many scenes look like comic book panels brought to life. The action is kinetic and bombastic, showcasing Spider-Man’s unique abilities in ways prior films haven’t quite established. His growth as a character is reflected not only in the plot, but in how he carries himself: without adults like Iron Man and Captain America to lead the way, Spider-Man is forced to make hard choices and quickly address challenges in new ways.
I won’t get into spoilers, but I thoroughly enjoyed the third act, both in terms of how it developed Peter as a character, and for how visually interesting each moment was. This is the best use of Peter’s spider-sense(Peter tingle?) in several movies, and its function also reflected his growth as a person. I love that stuff, when the movie helps the viewer feel the protagonist’s change. Peter’s struggles here are about more than supervillains; they’re about moving on and growing up. By the end of the movie, Spider-Man is exactly where he should be, and the mid-credits scene makes me (giddily) excited for whatever happens next.
