After the epic and emotional impact of Avengers: Endgame, Phase 3 of the MCU ended on a lower-key and entertaining note with Spider-Man: Far From Home. Tom Holland returned as the wall-crawling hero as he attempted to get over Tony Stark's death during a school trip to Europe only to be recruited by a new superhero named Mysterio to save the world again.
The movie was a hilarious high school adventure that introduced one of the most timely and fascinating villains to the MCU. The film delivers plenty of laughs and thrills making it the perfect end of the latest chapter of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
"EDITH Stands For 'Even Dead, I'm The Hero.'"
The death of Tony Stark is perhaps the biggest event in the MCU to date. Tony was a big part of Spider-Man's journey, acting as his mentor, which made for a sweet relationship. This film allows Peter to deal with Tony's death while also continuing that mentor relationship.
Peter is given access to EDITH, a high-tech surveillance system created by Stark. And the name also makes for a nice reminder of Tony's ego even in death. As EDITH reminds Peter, "Tony loves his acronyms."
"Did I Tell You How My Wife Pretended To Blip Out?"
Far From Home had the difficult duty of being the first of the MCU films to address the events of Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame, specifically, the ramifications of half the world disappearing then coming back five years later.
The movie takes a comedic approach to the events, calling it "the Blip" and showing some of the more bizarre complications. As Peter's teacher Mr. Harrington explains, his wife just used the phenomenon to ditch their marriage.
"I Thought That You Could Sense That With Your Peter-Tingle."
Though the MCU's version of Spider-Man has forged his own path, they still bring in some classic comic book elements for the character. Peter's spider-sense is addressed for the first time in this movie, although he's having a bit of trouble with it.
After Peter fails to sense May throwing a banana at his head, she remarks that "I thought you could sense it with you 'Peter-Tingle.'" Peter laments that specific name for his ability but it sticks.
"I May Not Know Much But I Know This: Europeans Love Americans."
Spider-Man is mostly known as a New York City hero, but Far From Home decides to take him abroad. The European school trip adds a fun element to the film and gives Peter a bit of a fish-out-of-water vibe.
Before the trip, Peter confides in Ned about his plan to tell MJ how he feels about her, but Ned advises him against it. As Ned sees it, they will be bachelors in Europe — although he might be overestimating how welcomed they will be by the Europeans.
"See? That Wasn't So Hard."
Jake Gyllenhaal is a really fun addition to this movie as Mysterio. While he presents himself as a hero from another dimension, fans of the comics know he is not to be trusted. When Peter hands over control of EDITH to Mysterio, he finally lets his true intentions reveal themselves.
Even if some fans might have been expecting the villain turn, seeing Gyllenhaal having a ball with this side of the character is a real treat. And his backstory connected to Tony Stark is very clever.
"And Therefore I Have Value?"
Surprisingly, even with all the superhero action, one of the most compelling aspects of the film is the burgeoning romance between Peter and MJ. While MCU romances can be a little hit-or-miss, this one is genuinely charming and awkward like most high school romances.
Zendaya is a big reason the relationship works so well as she hilarious displays MJ's dark sense of humor. When Peter tries to compliment her by saying she looks pretty, she immediately turns it around on him. When he panics, she tells him she's kidding and adds, "You look pretty too."
"Oh I Love Led Zeppelin!"
A big part of the movie is about how Peter doesn't feel ready to step into the void left behind by Tony. The world is calling for another hero, but he feels he cannot live up to the man he looked up to.
The person who helps him to realize why he's the right hero for the job is Happy. He explains to Peter that Tony had similar anxieties and in a sweet moment, Happy watches Peter and is reminded of his late employer. But when he puts on Tony's favorite AC/DC music, Peter ruins the moment by reminding him how young he really is.
"It's Easy To Fool People When They're Already Fooling Themselves."
Mysterio makes for a great visual villain as his illusions play with Peter's head until he doesn't know what to believe. But aside from all the fun the character brings to the table, he is also a surprisingly timely villain.
In the era of so-called "fake news," Mysterio realizes that people want to believe in something to the point that they'll believe in anything. It is an interesting idea to see and is ultimately why he wins.
"B***h, Please! You've Been To Space."
Another fascinating aspect of the film is the fact that Peter is a reluctant hero this time around. After being the most enthusiastic hero in the MCU, losing Tony took a toll on him and he just wants to step away from that world for a while.
When he is recruited by Nick Fury, he attempts to back out of the mission. He tells Fury that this world-saving stuff is out of his league and insists he is a friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. Fury correctly points out that that is hard to swallow after Peter went to space.
"Spider-Man's Name Is Peter Parker!"
The post-credit scenes have always been a fun little treat for fans to offer a glimpse at an upcoming film or perhaps just an extra joke to end the film on. Far From Home delivers a credit scene that is a shocking game-changer.
After getting the epic return of J.K. Simmons as J. Jonah Jameson, we see a recording of Mysterio before his death in which he blames everything on Spider-Man then reveals to the world that Peter Parker is Spider-Man, setting up a thrilling next chapter.