Spider-Man: Far From Home is an action packed follow up to 2017’s incredibly successful Spider-Man: Homecoming. It’s also the closing of phase three in Marvel’s 23 film-Cinematic Universe, tying directly to the events of Avengers: Endgame. Directed once again by Jon Watts, Far From Home continues its love letter to the Spider-Man franchise. Tom Holland’s portrayal of Peter Parker/Spider-Man is just purely enjoyable to watch. You can see all the complexities in his face and body language, leaving you empathizing with his dilemma of saving the world, and his urge to simply be a teenager.  

Far From Home utilizes returning cast members in such cleaver ways, and it provides depth and offers purpose for them in this story. Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal) is a new addition to the cast. He gels in so well that he almost feels like a returning character. I hope we see more of him in the franchise…Sinister Six anyone? We can only hope. Another reason why Mysterio works so well in this story is that you can easily picture him as a new Tony Stark-like figure, which makes it that much more interesting as the story unfolds. Expect several locations in this globe trotting adventure, with London taking a central focus over New York City this time.

Aside from all the travelling, Spidey’s biggest battle throughout the film is coming to terms with the loss of his mentor Tony Stark/ Iron Man. Everyone seems to be on his back about stepping up to the plate and becoming a leader, but of course, he isn’t ready to do that. He wants to step away from the suit and the responsibilities that come with it, however, he’s reminded of the ultimate sacrifice Tony made at every turn. Apart from this struggle, Peter’s attention is mainly focused on connecting with his love interest MJ (Zendaya/ Dune). He wants to get to know her better and he teams up with his recently distracted friend Ned to make it happen. Good luck Pete!

Far From Home has everything you want in a Spider-Man film. It manages to take a character like Mysterio, who many thought could never successfully make it to the big screen, and drop him into a cleverly orchestrated story. It works perfectly with the events of Endgame and further defines Holland as the best live action Spider-Man we’ve had thus far. I think Homecoming is a few steps ahead of this outing however i’m not trying to diminish this films endless successes.

- Spider-Man: Far From Home -
Letter Grade: A-
Rated PG
Run Time: 2hr 10min
Current Worldwide Box Office: $1,116,677,596 (Aug 31)