Marvel has the second biggest box office movie for all time (i.e. in Hollywood) in the form of Avengers: Endgame.
Instead of using that tent pole to close off Phase 3 of the MCU, they rather go in with the friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man as its closing chapter.
Does this work? Well, let's dig in...
Sony seems to have its groove back when it comes to everything Spider-Man... Venom did reasonably well whilst Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse was a massive success critically and commercially. It even nabbed an Oscar for Best Animated Movie so Far From Home had to bring its A game for it to even matter.
Director Jon Watts does not disappoint. It may not be as inventive as Into the Spider-Verse but Far From Home does entrench itself in teen culture and works as a greatest hit recap for MCU.
Watts basically builds on Homecoming beats but this time on a Euro trip visit rather than New York setting.
Tom Holland has mastered his Spider-Man and he's able to make Peter Parker as interesting as Spider-Man.
He still sells the idea of Parker being a teen even though he's now in his tweenties. The teen romance between him and Zendaya's MJ is sweet and it will be interesting to see what the 3rd movie does with it because the young cast's acting chops are getting better and better.
Another great and clever feat Far From Home has is Jake Gyllenhaal. He who was once supposed to replace Tobey Maguire in the Raimi Spider-Man movies comes in as Mysterio.
Gyllenhaal hits it out of the park. The film is clever to tie its strongest theme of perception and the burden of wearing the crown within the dynamics of Mysterio and Spider-Man.
It's this dynamic and the two post credit scenes that give us something to look forward to in the new phase 4 of MCU movies that the big honcho at Marvel Fiegie will announce in a couple of weeks at Comic Con. Yet Far From Home is not just pointing us forward but also looks back.
There are clever winks to lines, dialogues, scenarios from previous MCU movies just put under different contexts that should give the fanboys a lot to smile about.
The message is clear in the movie but does not get in the way of the fun of the movie. If Spider-Man :Into the Spider-Verse had never happened I would say this is the best Spider-Man movie since the Sam Raimi trilogy but it comes a close second to the Miles Morales Caper and I can't wait for the Spider-Verse to make it to the MCU.
What did it feel like: MCU greatest hits but in a Spider-Man context.
Trivia: This is the first ever MCU movie not to feature a Stan Lee cameo since his passing last year.
Verdict :
****
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* crap **ja nee ***only if theres nothing better ****almost perfect ***** Instant Classic