It truly has been a great two years for Spider-Man fans. Not only has the wallcrawling wonder been making a big splash in his native comic book environment, but he's also has a VERY SUCCESSFUL Playstation 4 game by Insomniac Games and made appearances in TWO EPIC Avengers films that brought together all of his fellow heroes from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Those films, along with the Academy Award winning animated movie "Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse" has shaped our hero's future into a very bright one... And I can safely say that the latest live-action tale in "Spider-Man: Far From Home" is just another example of why we call this character AMAZING.
Thanks to the folks at Columbia Pictures Philippines, I was able to view a special media screening for Far From Home together with friends in the press and some of my fellow personalities in the Spider-Man Fan community.
To say it was nothing short of Spectacular is putting it mildly - this long awaited follow-up to 2017's "Spider-Man: Homecoming" just made its predecessor look like an appetizer to the main course that is this sequel! It's definitely that good, and it's an experience and treat that will certainly go with the best theaters and IMAX theater you can swing nearby to once this movie opens in theaters this July.
So without any more delays, here's my straightforward and NON-SPOILER REVIEW for "Spider-Man: Far From Home"!
Serving as an "Epilogue" to Phase Three of the Marvel Cinematic Universe as well as the final chapter in "The Infinity Saga" that began with the first "Iron Man" in 2008 and culminated in an epic battle in this year's "Avengers: Endgame", "Spider-Man: Far From Home" carries with it the weight of responsibility to follow through with the events of the previous film - especially after "The Snap" and the years that have passed since everything was restored thanks to the efforts of Earth's Mightiest Heroes. Peter Parker/ Spider-Man feels this close to home as his mentor figure and friend Tony Stark/ Iron Man sacrificed himself to defeat Thanos and his invading armies in the final battle that saw heroes return and the universe restored, yet many changes following soon after.
Moving on with his life and reuniting with his High School friends, Peter Parker is readjusting to the world again after a five year absence but finds the need for a vacation. He also finds himself being attracted to his fellow Midtown School of Science and Technology classmate Michelle "MJ" Jones, and he finds the perfect opportunity to confess his feelings when his class goes on a two-week summer field trip to Europe. Unfortunately as Parker Luck would have it, things take a turn for disaster as element based creatures known as Elementals begin attacking at random, and Nick Fury enlists Spider-Man to take on them with the help of a superpowered individual from another reality named Quentin Beck, who is dubbed by the public as "Mysterio". As Peter befriends Beck and investigates the nature of the Elementals, he also has to deal with his feelings for MJ, the legacy Tony Stark has entrusted to him, and what it means to be a hero as Spider-Man fights one of his greatest battles yet.
When Sony Pictures and Marvel Studios paired together to bring Spider-Man to the Marvel Cinematic Universe beginning with "Captain America: Civil War", I was wowed and didn't know what to expect - especially with young English actor Tom Holland cast as a younger and teenaged Peter Parker. Thankfully the rest is history and Holland has emerged as one of the greatest talents to portray Peter Parker and his alter ego in the big screen - with renewed conviction and a remix of everything in his life that any long time Spidey reader like myself has to rediscover again. That of course is because he's the MCU version of the character who has Tony Stark as another "Uncle Ben" figure - and after Robert Downey Jr. went off heroically in "Avengers: Endgame", we are left with a young hero who has to figure out things on his own and deal with a new world fully restored yet still brimming with the dangers that need heroes in watch. "Far From Home" is truly a marvel masterpiece that emphasizes Peter's growth and takes time for us to focus on his adventures after a grand and cosmic scaled one. Did I also mention that he has AMAZING new suits in this one?
Besides Peter, we have a plethora of co-stars and other characters that reign in Spider-Man and make us care about them all the more. Chief among these is Mysterio - the new guy who is played by Jake Gyllenhaal and is definitely full of surprises for audiences walking into this movie. Among all the recent characters in Spidey's world to get the MCU treatment, Quentin Beck works very well and I'm glad he was given the spotlight in this film. The same goes for Jon Favreau coming back as Happy Hogan. He now acts as the guiding mentor force to help Peter in the wake of Tony's passing, and also spends some time now with Pete's hot Aunt May Parker played again by Marissa Tomei. Samuel L. Jackson and Cobie Smulders return as Agents Nick Fury and Maria Hill - who have their own time working together with the wallcrawler that proves to be quite the dynamic to see after the former Director of S.H.I.E.L.D's relationships with Iron Man, Cap, and the rest of the Avengers.
Of course we can't forget Peter's best bud Ned Leeds played once again by Jacob Batalon. Ever the friend in need, he's witty, funny, and has a lot more scenes in this film that bring about change to his character aside from being the "Guy in the Chair". And of course Zendaya reprises her role as MJ - now the focus of Peter's romantic feelings and not just being a smart mouthed and observant girl who always watches over the guy in strange way. Also sadly, this is the first Marvel and Spider-Man movie where we do not have a Stan Lee cameo. We will always miss The Man, but his legacy lives on and he definitely would be proud of this film.
All that being said, all I can say without spoiling is YOU NEED TO WATCH SPIDER-MAN: FAR FROM HOME. This is a masterpiece in filmmaking that Marvel Studios has taken years to perfect and it shows how well they have mastered their craft together with Sony Pictures in delivering some great Spidey films under director Jon Watts' watch. We are treated to a Phase Three finale that is cleverly written, funny, has good chemistry, action scenes, and plenty of surprises. It certainly doesn't disappoint, and I'd stick to the end all the way to see some two very huge post credits scenes too! My friends and I really enjoyed it... And I need a second watch!
Spider-Man: Far From Home will open in theaters on July 3 in the Philippines courtesy of Columbia Pictures Philippines
Rating - 5/5
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