Spider-Man Far From Home Review

WARNING: Minor Spoilers ahead.

Greetings Ladies and Gents! It is I, The Shaman of Animation back once again with a new movie review! 2018 was a great year for Spider-Man: The new comic run under Nick Spencer has been a great return to form, The PS4 game was a smash hit, Into the Spiderverse won an Oscar and Venom...happened. With all the great Spidey content in 2018, all eyes were on Marvel Studios' live action take on the character to really bring the heat in this sequel to Spider-Man Homecoming. Does it deliver? Let's take a look at Spider-Man Far From Home! Also, there will be Avengers Endgame spoilers so if you're one of the few who HAVEN'T it, tread carefully.

Peter is heading to Europe with his class for their summer vacation field trip, hoping to take a break from Spidey business and to win the affection of MJ. But those plans go up in flames when Nick Fury shows up in his room and forcefully recruits him in a mission to stop three elemental creatures from a different universe. Aiding them in this mission is Quentin Beck A.K.A Mysterio, a man from the same universe as the elementals who had been battling them, leading them to Peter's world.

Right off the bat, Far From Home's visuals and action is a huge step up from Homecoming. Seeing Spidey swinging around on the big screen is always fun, but the big action pieces in this film are some of the more innovative in a Spider-Man movie, and considering we're on the 8th Spidey movie, being able to innovate is key; and without getting into spoiler territory, this film delivers on exactly all the things I want from a Spider-Man movie that has Mysterio in it.

Speaking of the Mysterio, let's talk about the new guy on the block, or more specifically Jake Gyllenhaal as Mysterio. For me, Mysterio has always been an over-the-top character both in his mannerisms and appearance (The man wears a fish bowl on his head for heaven's sake!) so there was some skepticism as to whether the character could work in live action. But Gyllenhaal pulls it off easily and he has such charisma to him that you're constantly engaged in what he's doing and saying; and with the wide array of emotions Beck goes through in the film, I feel as though Gyllenhaal was probably the only actor that could really nail the character of Mysterio.

Joining Beck in this cast is the returning supporting cast from Homecoming who continue to be great, even if I feel some of their gags went on a little too long. The shining star in the supporting cast is Zendaya's MJ who does get more shine here than she did in Homecoming. While Peter having a crush on MJ is kind of a leap from where they were in Homecoming, their interactions are cute and they have a good chemistry with one another so I let it slide here. Nick Fury and Maria Hill are...about the same as they've always been throughout the MCU's tenure, so take it or leave it.

My biggest problem with Far From Home lies in Peter's arc and how I feel the film didn't get the most out of it. Peter's whole deal in the movie is that he doesn't want to deal with superhero related things while he's on his vacation and he's still coping with the lost of Tony in Endgame. Both are interesting and logical directions to take with this version of Spider-Man. But the one thing missing, especially in regards to Pete not wanting to take his suit to Europe is the fact that Peter dying in Infinity War isn't really mentioned at all.

Don't get me wrong, the snap itself is mentioned plenty of times early in the film, but with the trailers for FFH, I was really hoping we'd see more of Peter's mental state considering he knew and felt that he was dying in IW. I've always been against the whole "Iron Man Jr." argument, but I think this movie is the first time where Tony Stark being a major figure in this version of Spidey's life actually hurt the character, especially when the lesson he learns in the film is basically the same one he learned in the previous film.

And I get it: this version of Spider-Man is one that is going to grow and develop throughout multiple films, and I'm totally down with that. But it still feels like this movie was a stop gap and the big midcredits tease was the destination they really want to get to.

Overall though, I had an absolute blast watching Far From Home. While it does have a minor case of sequelitis in regards to the main character's arc, the supporting cast continues to be great, Mysterio, definitely leaves a mark, and the last act of this film is the stuff Spider-Man fans have dreamed of seeing on the big screen. You're enjoyment of the movie may also come down to whether or not you enjoy the MCU's take on the Webhead. For me though. I definitely got my money's worth and when I left the theater I definitely wanted more.

But that's all from me folks, if you're craving more Spidey goodness, check out my review of Spider-Man Homecoming! Til Next Time I'm The Shaman of Animation!

Take Care...