Spider-Man: Far From Home hit theaters this week to end Phase 3 of the MCU. What should you expect if you’re planning to see it? 

Spider-Man: Far From Home hit theaters this week as the first MCU movie to follow Endgame. It also marked the final movie of the Universe’s Phase 3. It’s not an easy task to follow an Avengers Film (ask Ant-Man and the Wasp) but there were still some loose ends to tie up on the world level after Endgame. While most were happy to accept that 5 years passed and people who disappeared simply came back and everything was fine, many of us needed to know how it went. Far From Home gave us those answers.

I do want to try to keep this spoiler free so I won’t go any further on that front. I will say that the events of the movie, and the post-credits scenes, made me remember why Spider-Man was my favorite superhero growing up.

Let’s get to it.

Elevator Review

Spider-Man:Far From Home does a great job of trying up the loose ends from Endgame while also advancing Peter’s story arc. We get a proper introduction to one of Spider-Man’s many arch nemeses (and my favorite) and are led directly into one of my favorite Spider-Man story lines. When he has to face the… well you’ll see.

What I liked

The Laughs

Far From Home jumps straight into the job of telling us what happened when everyone was snapped away and then when they came back. They do this in a comedic way, complete with footage of the events, so it’s both informative and hilarious. From there, they do show us some of the more serious side of the ramifications with Aunt May running a charity for those who came back and no longer had a home. Then, it’s time for Peter’s field trip.

Watching Peter navigate trying not to be a hero, being on a trip to a foreign country, trying to win over MJ, and dealing with his teacher’s and classmates’ interference was full of comedic moments. Nothing appeared to be going Peter’s way and then a monster shows up that he is unprepared to face. Even after this threat he tries to avoid his superhero duties but that’s not something that a little manipulation won’t fix as those efforts are blocked at every turn. It’s clear that Peter is not going to be allowed to be a regular kid but his attempts to do so were hilarious.

Once he realizes he has no choice but to help, the comedy continues as he still has to navigate being on this trip and trying to make sure his classmates don’t realize he’s Spider-Man. While almost every character has some great comedic moments, the dynamic between Peter and Nick Fury was the best. I was also glad to see Ned get plenty of screen time.

Mysterio

If you know me, you know that Jake Gyllenhaal is my favorite actor. You may not have known until earlier in this review that Mysterio was my favorite Marvel villain however. To be honest, it was probably just his costume that I loved as a kid but that isn’t important. To have my favorite actor play my favorite villain was too perfect and I just had to hope they didn’t make him weak.

Fortunately, they did not and Gyllenhaal was great as the master of illusions. They did alter his story a bit but it works within the framework of the MCU. They changed it to add emotional weight to his fight with Peter and that added to the film. Peter is already vulnerable after the events of Endgame. In this movie he is looking for a mentor and Mysterio steps into that role with Iron Man now deceased. The best villains usually don’t start out as villains.

The future

I did my best not to give anything away here and in doing so I’ll keep this review pretty short. However, the post-credits scenes gave me something that I wasn’t sure was going to happen for Spider-Man. While I’m still waiting for the Sinister Six to show up, there is no doubt that we are a step closer. In the meantime, one of my favorite Spider-Man stories did not necessarily center on a particular villain but a situation that he had to deal with. That situation was teased at the end of the movie and I can’t wait to see how the MCU handles it.

I’m looking forward to what the future holds for the MCU’s Spider-Man.

-Bibs