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Review: Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019)
I found this movie pretty enjoyable. Spoilers.
Story
I thought the main story was alright. Mysterio wanted to become a world famous superhero and staged a bunch of illusions with all of the technology he probably took when he was still an employee of Stark Industries. I admit there were some things that Beck did that I wasn't completely sold on. For example, he did one final move that took out the Fire Elemental. But if that totally took out the Elemental, why didn't he do it before? Anyway, that cleared up when we realized it was all a fabrication. Mysterio was trying to make himself as heroic as possible, so seeing these cracks in writing would've made sense.
In terms of Peter Parker's personal life, he was building up the courage to confess his feelings to MJ, and in the end, he told her not only about his feelings, but also that he was Spider-Man.
I was content with this main story line. I don't love "secrets as plot devices" so it was a relief to see Peter finally tell MJ everything he'd been hiding from her.
Where things take a turn are in the post-credits scenes. In the first post-credits scene, Mysterio had taken selective clips to show that Spider-Man was a cruel villain, and also that his human identity was Peter Parker. This will undoubtedly have huge ramifications in the next movie, and I'm willing to bet that clearing Peter's name will be the main story line of the next film.
The second post-credits scene showed that Nick Fury and Maria Hill were actually being portrayed by Talos and Soren. Nick Fury was on a Skrull spaceship and tells his crew that they're going back to work. So I suppose Fury is going to come back to earth with some news or some new technology that will be a big part of the next MCU movie (next chronological instalment).
Production
Action
The action was pretty good. As we know, Spider-Man's fighting style lends to some of the most exciting cinematography because of how he flies through the city and relies on the momentum of his webs.
Illusions
I thought the illusion scenes were very cool too. They looked pretty realistic and it was trippy to see how illusions changed. It was also pretty cool seeing when the illusions were transitioning back to real life and vice versa (such as when Peter was using his Peter-tingle to fight the drones).
Characters
Peter Parker
As usual, Tom Holland played a quirky kid who struggled to balance his personal life with his huge responsibilities. Since the last few instalments, the stakes have increased significantly.
Peter seemed to be nearing the end of high school, which, as we know, is a huge part of adolescent life. While it seems small and petty to most adults, I thought the movie did a well enough job showing us how nerve-wracking it was for Peter to reach out emotionally.
As for his superhero life, Tony Stark literally died in Endgame, and Peter's been passed the mantle from Tony Stark even though he's a kid. It's kind of surprising that Tony left so much Stark technology to Peter (as opposed to the other more mature and experienced heroes), but I think Tony wanted to believe in Peter. He wasnted to believe that Peter would keep his moral compass.
In the end, we thought that Peter was doing fine and dandy, not having to hide his alter ego to MJ, and having fun dates. However, we saw that Quentin Beck not only smeared his name but revealed his true identity, and that is definitely anxiety inducing.
Anyway, I thought Peter was fun and likeable as usual in this movie.
Nick Fury
Fury was pretty good in this movie. He wasn't being overly quippy in this movie, but just enough to show us that we were still talking to Nick Fury. The thing is, the Nick Fury we'd been talking to for the entire movie was actually Talos. So it kind of negated everything I thought I liked about Fury.
Anyway, Fury is supposed to be a mentor figure to Peter in terms of the technical stuff, assigning missions, coordinating with other Avengers, etc.
Maria Hill
Much of what I said about Nick applies to Maria, in that what I thought about Maria doesn't even apply because it was actually Soren and not Maria.
Anyway, I wonder if Maria might take over from Nick Fury in future movies (if Samuel L. Jackson no longer wants to be in MCU movies, or if Fury gets killed off).
Happy Hogan
Happy was Peter's mentor in terms of the emotional and motivational stuff. He was very close to Tony Stark, and thus understood their relationship quite well. When Peter was feeling down about balancing his work and personal life, this wasn't something he could talk about with Aunt May or with Nick Fury. But Happy filled that role because he was an assistant to Tony in both his personal life and as Iron Man.
He confessed that he was in love with Aunt May, but I don't see this being anything more than a running "gag" in future instalments, whether or not they do get together.
MJ
There were huge developments in the relationship between Peter and MJ. In the first Spider-Man movie, I actually thought that MJ's character seemed a little unnecessary because she didn't do much plot wise.
MJ represented the part of Peter that just wanted to be a normal kid. MJ was quirky (like Peter) and also a little dark, which was a little annoying, but I'd just chalk it up to that teen edginess.
During the Europe trip, she discovered both that Peter was Spider-Man, and that Peter reciprocated her feelings. I think their relationship is going to be fine in the next film, but I do wonder if the writers are going to write in any of that melodrama that we had in the other Spider-Man movies. I sincerely hope not, because it's refreshing to have a hero whose family is totally supportive of them.
Ned Leeds
Ned continues to be Peter's best friend, but he didn't provide as much tech support in this movie. In Far from Home, Ned played a bigger role in Peter's personal life. He was in a relationship with Betty and that kind of made Peter a little uncomfortable because he too was after his own relationship.
May Parker
Aunt May continued to be a source of moral support for Peter. She never played the overbearing maternal type and it's kind of refreshing (I know, I use that word a lot). Instead, she just reminds Peter to take care of himself, which is sweet. Their relationship is nice :3
Quentin Beck
Beck is kind of the vengeful sort. He hated Tony Stark because of how he was treated at Stark Industries despite being a pretty smart guy. After Tony Stark died, he wasnted to become the next most popular superhero and he recruited other disgruntled former superheroes to help him.
He was also pretty ruthless. Peter Parker, MJ, Ned, and even Betty had to die because they could possibly out Beck as a fake.
Beck's final videos that revealed Peter Parker's identity and were purposefully cut to mislead others to believe that Spider-Man was evil, was a combination of Beck's revenge-drive and ruthless attitude. He was dying already, but he couldn't let Peter be the next biggest superhero if he couldn't be.
I wonder if Mysterio will still appear in the future instalments, considering that he's just a projection, and also that this big smear campaign was his entire doing.
Other
I lost my mind when JK Simmons showed up in the first post-credit scene as J. Jonah Jameson. I don't know anybody who hated him in that role in the first Spider-Man movies, and I wonder if he will come back in future instalments as a minor villain (because of his smear campaign against Spider-Man).
Marvel Cinematic Universe
Technology
I'm a big fan of how Spider-Man is so updated and adapted for the MCU. Spider-Man's powers have never really been about the technology because he had his webs and heightened senses and physicality. However, Tom Holland's Spider-Man is outfitted with all sorts of tech, which is appropriate because he was mentored by Tony Stark, the techiest superhero ever in the MCU.
The tech gave us the opportunity to see Peter wear different suits and use different sorts of fighting methods, but I'm a fan of how well it fits in the narrative. This Spider-Man has traits that are specific to this Spider-Man in this MCU story line.
I also thought the Edith glasses were pretty dope. They are extremely Tony Stark-esque. Tony Stark was the heart of the MCU, and it's cool to see his mark being made both on the MCU films and within the context of the story with the newer heroes.
It is also probably due to the fact that the MCU has way more money budgeted than the other Spider-Man films, and they have to put the money somewhere, so might as well put it in fancy new fighting gear. That doesn't make it any less cool though.
Avengers
Peter was struggling with his role as an Avenger throughout the entire film. Everybody kept saying how Tony handed his mantle over to Peter. The question is, was Peter meant to be a leader in the Avengers? Or is he just struggling with being an Avenger?
I'm leaning towards the latter, because Peter himself is just struggling with being a hero. He has to be a part of the Avengers before he can be a leader of the Avengers.
But I really wonder whether Peter, as one of the more popular heros and more popular members of the second generation of MCU, will eventually be elevated to leader status (akin to Captain America or Iron Man).
I used to think that Captain Marvel would be the next leader of the Avengers, but we see that she doesn't really spend much time on Earth, so now I'm sure that she won't be a leader, but rather, their cannon that only comes by once in a while.
Overall
I thought this was a fun flick. While the stakes were high for Spider-Man, they weren't dire, if that makes sense. He was trying to grow as a human but also as a hero, which are both pretty positive story lines. I would recommend this as an exciting and humorous watch.
I do predict the next instalment to be a little more anxiety inducing, because Peter will be forced to clear his name. Everybody will be against him now, and he'll probably have trouble determining who he can trust.
Story
I thought the main story was alright. Mysterio wanted to become a world famous superhero and staged a bunch of illusions with all of the technology he probably took when he was still an employee of Stark Industries. I admit there were some things that Beck did that I wasn't completely sold on. For example, he did one final move that took out the Fire Elemental. But if that totally took out the Elemental, why didn't he do it before? Anyway, that cleared up when we realized it was all a fabrication. Mysterio was trying to make himself as heroic as possible, so seeing these cracks in writing would've made sense.
In terms of Peter Parker's personal life, he was building up the courage to confess his feelings to MJ, and in the end, he told her not only about his feelings, but also that he was Spider-Man.
I was content with this main story line. I don't love "secrets as plot devices" so it was a relief to see Peter finally tell MJ everything he'd been hiding from her.
Where things take a turn are in the post-credits scenes. In the first post-credits scene, Mysterio had taken selective clips to show that Spider-Man was a cruel villain, and also that his human identity was Peter Parker. This will undoubtedly have huge ramifications in the next movie, and I'm willing to bet that clearing Peter's name will be the main story line of the next film.
The second post-credits scene showed that Nick Fury and Maria Hill were actually being portrayed by Talos and Soren. Nick Fury was on a Skrull spaceship and tells his crew that they're going back to work. So I suppose Fury is going to come back to earth with some news or some new technology that will be a big part of the next MCU movie (next chronological instalment).
Production
Action
The action was pretty good. As we know, Spider-Man's fighting style lends to some of the most exciting cinematography because of how he flies through the city and relies on the momentum of his webs.
Illusions
I thought the illusion scenes were very cool too. They looked pretty realistic and it was trippy to see how illusions changed. It was also pretty cool seeing when the illusions were transitioning back to real life and vice versa (such as when Peter was using his Peter-tingle to fight the drones).
Characters
Peter Parker
As usual, Tom Holland played a quirky kid who struggled to balance his personal life with his huge responsibilities. Since the last few instalments, the stakes have increased significantly.
Peter seemed to be nearing the end of high school, which, as we know, is a huge part of adolescent life. While it seems small and petty to most adults, I thought the movie did a well enough job showing us how nerve-wracking it was for Peter to reach out emotionally.
As for his superhero life, Tony Stark literally died in Endgame, and Peter's been passed the mantle from Tony Stark even though he's a kid. It's kind of surprising that Tony left so much Stark technology to Peter (as opposed to the other more mature and experienced heroes), but I think Tony wanted to believe in Peter. He wasnted to believe that Peter would keep his moral compass.
In the end, we thought that Peter was doing fine and dandy, not having to hide his alter ego to MJ, and having fun dates. However, we saw that Quentin Beck not only smeared his name but revealed his true identity, and that is definitely anxiety inducing.
Anyway, I thought Peter was fun and likeable as usual in this movie.
Nick Fury
Fury was pretty good in this movie. He wasn't being overly quippy in this movie, but just enough to show us that we were still talking to Nick Fury. The thing is, the Nick Fury we'd been talking to for the entire movie was actually Talos. So it kind of negated everything I thought I liked about Fury.
Anyway, Fury is supposed to be a mentor figure to Peter in terms of the technical stuff, assigning missions, coordinating with other Avengers, etc.
Maria Hill
Much of what I said about Nick applies to Maria, in that what I thought about Maria doesn't even apply because it was actually Soren and not Maria.
Anyway, I wonder if Maria might take over from Nick Fury in future movies (if Samuel L. Jackson no longer wants to be in MCU movies, or if Fury gets killed off).
Happy Hogan
Happy was Peter's mentor in terms of the emotional and motivational stuff. He was very close to Tony Stark, and thus understood their relationship quite well. When Peter was feeling down about balancing his work and personal life, this wasn't something he could talk about with Aunt May or with Nick Fury. But Happy filled that role because he was an assistant to Tony in both his personal life and as Iron Man.
He confessed that he was in love with Aunt May, but I don't see this being anything more than a running "gag" in future instalments, whether or not they do get together.
MJ
There were huge developments in the relationship between Peter and MJ. In the first Spider-Man movie, I actually thought that MJ's character seemed a little unnecessary because she didn't do much plot wise.
MJ represented the part of Peter that just wanted to be a normal kid. MJ was quirky (like Peter) and also a little dark, which was a little annoying, but I'd just chalk it up to that teen edginess.
During the Europe trip, she discovered both that Peter was Spider-Man, and that Peter reciprocated her feelings. I think their relationship is going to be fine in the next film, but I do wonder if the writers are going to write in any of that melodrama that we had in the other Spider-Man movies. I sincerely hope not, because it's refreshing to have a hero whose family is totally supportive of them.
Ned Leeds
Ned continues to be Peter's best friend, but he didn't provide as much tech support in this movie. In Far from Home, Ned played a bigger role in Peter's personal life. He was in a relationship with Betty and that kind of made Peter a little uncomfortable because he too was after his own relationship.
May Parker
Aunt May continued to be a source of moral support for Peter. She never played the overbearing maternal type and it's kind of refreshing (I know, I use that word a lot). Instead, she just reminds Peter to take care of himself, which is sweet. Their relationship is nice :3
Quentin Beck
Beck is kind of the vengeful sort. He hated Tony Stark because of how he was treated at Stark Industries despite being a pretty smart guy. After Tony Stark died, he wasnted to become the next most popular superhero and he recruited other disgruntled former superheroes to help him.
He was also pretty ruthless. Peter Parker, MJ, Ned, and even Betty had to die because they could possibly out Beck as a fake.
Beck's final videos that revealed Peter Parker's identity and were purposefully cut to mislead others to believe that Spider-Man was evil, was a combination of Beck's revenge-drive and ruthless attitude. He was dying already, but he couldn't let Peter be the next biggest superhero if he couldn't be.
I wonder if Mysterio will still appear in the future instalments, considering that he's just a projection, and also that this big smear campaign was his entire doing.
Other
I lost my mind when JK Simmons showed up in the first post-credit scene as J. Jonah Jameson. I don't know anybody who hated him in that role in the first Spider-Man movies, and I wonder if he will come back in future instalments as a minor villain (because of his smear campaign against Spider-Man).
Marvel Cinematic Universe
Technology
I'm a big fan of how Spider-Man is so updated and adapted for the MCU. Spider-Man's powers have never really been about the technology because he had his webs and heightened senses and physicality. However, Tom Holland's Spider-Man is outfitted with all sorts of tech, which is appropriate because he was mentored by Tony Stark, the techiest superhero ever in the MCU.
The tech gave us the opportunity to see Peter wear different suits and use different sorts of fighting methods, but I'm a fan of how well it fits in the narrative. This Spider-Man has traits that are specific to this Spider-Man in this MCU story line.
I also thought the Edith glasses were pretty dope. They are extremely Tony Stark-esque. Tony Stark was the heart of the MCU, and it's cool to see his mark being made both on the MCU films and within the context of the story with the newer heroes.
It is also probably due to the fact that the MCU has way more money budgeted than the other Spider-Man films, and they have to put the money somewhere, so might as well put it in fancy new fighting gear. That doesn't make it any less cool though.
Avengers
Peter was struggling with his role as an Avenger throughout the entire film. Everybody kept saying how Tony handed his mantle over to Peter. The question is, was Peter meant to be a leader in the Avengers? Or is he just struggling with being an Avenger?
I'm leaning towards the latter, because Peter himself is just struggling with being a hero. He has to be a part of the Avengers before he can be a leader of the Avengers.
But I really wonder whether Peter, as one of the more popular heros and more popular members of the second generation of MCU, will eventually be elevated to leader status (akin to Captain America or Iron Man).
I used to think that Captain Marvel would be the next leader of the Avengers, but we see that she doesn't really spend much time on Earth, so now I'm sure that she won't be a leader, but rather, their cannon that only comes by once in a while.
Overall
I thought this was a fun flick. While the stakes were high for Spider-Man, they weren't dire, if that makes sense. He was trying to grow as a human but also as a hero, which are both pretty positive story lines. I would recommend this as an exciting and humorous watch.
I do predict the next instalment to be a little more anxiety inducing, because Peter will be forced to clear his name. Everybody will be against him now, and he'll probably have trouble determining who he can trust.