Where does Marvel go from here? After the events of Avengers: Endgame, most fans might have become a little worried at the power vacuum left behind that movie’s wake. Spider-Man: Far From Home should help alleviate those concerns. If Homecoming established Tom Holland as maybe the best version of Spider-Man to hit the movies so far, Far From Home shows how he is ready to take on a bigger role in the MCU, and how Marvel has finally solved some of its other big weaknesses along the way: They’ve become a perfect summer blockbuster machine.
Oh, there will be Endgame SPOILERS, so tread lightly.
After an amusing introduction to the post Blip (the fact that everyone came back after the Thanos snap) world, we see things are starting to get back to normal for Peter Parker (Tom Holland), though the wounds of Tony Stark still linger. Thankfully, a European class trip creates the diversion Peter needs, and also gives him the guts to hopefully actually ask MJ (Zendaya) out. While galavanting through Venice with MJ and his best bud Ned (Jacob Batalon), Peter gets thrust into a battle he wasn’t ready for by Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson). Apparently after the “Blip,” elemental creatures from another dimension have started attacking random cities, and Fury thinks it’s time for Spider-Man to step-up, team up with Quentin Beck (Jake Gyllenhaal) who also came from another dimension, and help defeat these creatures. But when will Peter find the time to reveal his feelings to MJ?
What I like about Marvel is how it can sense questions the audience has and push forward with them head on, usually assuring audiences in the process. The Avengers Power void is the BIG question out in the world, known by everyone, including villains. With no Iron Man or Captain America as a rallying force to defeat evil creatures, Peter slowly realizes that he’s got to step up. Marvel did a great job making Spider-Man known to Nick Fury, Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau), and even Aunt May (Marisa Tomei), who help encourage him to push himself into this role even though he might not be ready for it. By establishing the Stark/Parker relationship as an emotional centerpiece of the Avengers, Peter’s journey from sidekick to front and center hero is the big struggle in Far From Home. Tom Holland’s boyish enthusiasm is fun in the short term, sure (it’s probably the biggest reason people love his Peter Parker at the moment). However, in order for him to lead the Avengers, Peter has to learn some hard lessons and prove he can be the biggest adult in the room, even though he’s only 16. Holland does a great job making the audience believe in his ability to step up, and reassures Marvel fans that he’ll have a very high place in the MCU as a new group of Avengers prepares to take center stage.
Far From Home also assuages viewers in the fact that Marvel can learn from past mistakes but continue its strengths. Zendaya and Jacob Batalon get a lot of really fun material here, further proving how smart their casting was and how much fun it will be to have them in MCU movies: I especially hope Batalon becomes a SHIELD agent. In addition, Homecoming showed Marvel can actually create a real villain, who’s motivations can be compelling enough to at least understand and maybe even sympathize with in Michael Keaton’s Vulture. Jake Gyllenhaal isn’t really a villain here, but he’s given a heck of a lot to do, and his presence really propels Spider-Man forward in the big third act twist. Homecoming‘s biggest mistake was a CGI battle that felt at odds with the rest of the movie that came before it; Far From Home does not have that problem, mostly because of Chris McKenna’s deft screenplay, and Holland and Gyllenhaal’s prodigious talents carrying the load. Far From Home makes me less worried about Marvel villains in the future, and proves Marvel is willing to look critically at itself and course correct on the fly.
I’ve read a lot of reviews that Far From Home is the epilogue to Avengers: Endgame, and that’s an accurate description. Successfully merging a Spider-Man movie into an Avengers universe is not an easy feat, but Marvel makes it look so easy that the big swings Endgame takes proves Marvel can find a way to make almost anything work. It also makes me excited to see a Spider-Man/Black Panther/Captain Marvel leadership council for the new Avengers, with MJ providing creepy commentary and Ned excited to get punctured by more Nick Fury darts.