Spider-Man: Far From Home arrived in theaters a little earlier this week, and it's been receiving rave reviews from fans ever since. The
Spider-Man: Homecoming sequel is definitely up there with
Spider-Man 2, but no movie is completely perfect, especially when you're a comic book fan!
There was a lot that worked here, but also a few things that weren't quite so spectacular. We've already
taken a spoiler-free look at those, of course, but now it's time to delve into spoilers!
From characters who weren't portrayed the way they arguably should have been to moments that didn't stick the landing and others that most definitely did, this is an in-depth look at all of that and more. Regardless of whether you've watched the movie or just want to know what to expect before seeing it this weekend, you definitely need to check this out.
To do so, all you guys have to do is click on the "View List" button down below!
Didn't Work: So, Dmitri Is Just A Guy?
As soon as we found out that
Spider-Man: Far From Home would include a "S.H.I.E.L.D." agent called Dmitri, speculation started running rampant that he might be The Chameleon. It would have been a fun twist for him to be revealed as working with Mysterio, and even a hint that he's able to change his appearance (something Quentin Beck could help with!) would have been appreciated.
Sadly, we get none of that and this "cameo" feels about as worthless as Donald Glover playing Aaron Davis in
Spider-Man: Homecoming, a character better known as The Prowler in the comic books. He could return down the line, but it seems doubtful and a bit of a waste of a cameo!
Did Work: J.K. Simmons Return As J. Jonah Jameson
Let's face it, there's really no one else who could have done J. Jonah Jameson justice on the big screen. J.K. Simmons delivered a downright iconic performance in the original
Spider-Man trilogy and bringing him back is not just a jaw dropping surprise for fans, but a great way to reintroduce the character.
It's definitely fitting that he's the one responsible for outing Spider-Man to the world, and while it's hard to say whether he'll continue playing a role in future MCU-set adventures, it would be crazy not to bring him back, even if it's just to continue branding the wall-crawler a menace to the public!
Did Work: Mind-Bending Visuals
I briefly touched on this sequence in my spoiler-free look at what did and didn't work in
Far From Home, but now I can finally delve into what made this perhaps the most spectacular scene in the MCU's history. Using his powers of "illusion," Mysterio takes Peter Parker on a mind-bending trip which includes Iron Man's skeleton pulling itself up from his grave and the return of his old costume.
In terms of pure visuals, this whole thing was incredible, and it really is like watching the comic books come to life. The fact that it ends in such a shocking way (Spider-Man getting hit by a train) makes it even more memorable and shows just how much potential Mysterio could have moving forward.
Didn't Work: Who Owns Avengers Tower?
At the end of the movie, Spider-Man swings through New York City and glides right through the reconstructed Avengers Tower. At this moment fans probably expected the camera to pan up and reveal who bought the building from Tony Stark in
Spider-Man: Homecoming, but, nope, that reveal never comes our way.
This hardly ruins the experience of watching the sequel, but it is a tad frustrating that we're still no closer to finding out what is going to become of Avengers Tower, especially after a two-year wait!
Did Work: A Much Better Take On MJ
I'm sure that not all of you will agree with this one, but not only is Zendaya's MJ a much better Mary Jane Watson than the one we saw in Sam Raimi's trilogy, but she's also the wall-crawler's best love interest on the big screen to date. There was a lot to like about Emma Stone's Gwen Stacy but MJ, is both smarter and a lot stronger as a character.
Her romance with Peter Parker feels earned rather than forced, and the fact that she figures out that he's Spider-Man just feels that little bit more interesting than if he had revealed his identity. She's also a lot more proactive than previous love interests and a real match for Peter in terms of wit and intelligence.
Did Work: Spider-Sense, Finally
Spider-Man having Spider-Sense has been hinted at a number of times (him getting goosebumps in
Avengers: Infinity War, for example) but he finally masters control of his "Peter-Tingle" in this movie. He's clearly not an expert yet, but he's able to use it to manoeuvre through the drones Mysterio sends after him and this is hopefully an indication of what comes next for him.
While it would be a little boring to see him able to dodge every single attack moving forward, there are a lot of ways Marvel Studios can utilise Spider-Man's Spider-Sense and it will be a lot of fun seeing how it's utilised in future adventures, especially against villains like Doctor Octopus or Kraven the Hunter!
Didn't Work: Mysterio's Monologue
Arguably the worst scene in the movie comes when Mysterio reveals his villainous nature. The entire monologue (delivered to his fellow disgruntled former Stark Industries employees) is overlong and feels like it's simply spelling everything out for people in the audience who can't keep up.
This could have been handled in a much better way, and while regular moviegoers unfamiliar with the comic books will probably be surprised by the Mysterio reveal, I can't imagine this monologue was any more fun for them to sit through than the rest of us. On the plus side, it definitely appears as if Jake Gyllenhaal is having fun here, and I couldn't fault his performance!
Did Work: The Real Fishbowl Helmet
Heading into
Spider-Man: Far From Home, none of us really knew how Mysterio's powers would be portrayed. It seemed to have something to do with magic (which made sense if he was from another Earth), but the reality is that it's all technology based and ties into the B.A.R.F. tech first introduced in
Captain America: Civil War.
Mysterio's "illusions" are created with projectors and drones, and he wears a mo-cap costume of sorts to control them and act them out. While doing so, he wears an actual fihsbowl helmet which is an awesome nod to the source material and gives it a decent reason for being included.
Did Work: Avengers: Endgame Fallout
I appreciate that not everyone is a fan of the way "The Blip" is handled in
Spider-Man: Far From Home, especially as if feels like something of an afterthought that's explained away with a few jokes.
Eight months have passed since the events of
Avengers: Endgame and the world has quickly returned to normal, but is that such a bad thing? Spending too much time delving into the fallout from the superhero ensemble would have bogged this sequel down and there are plenty of other upcoming movies that can further address the aftermath of Thanos' attack on Earth and "The Snap."
Didn't Work: Killing Mysterio
There's a chance that Mysterio faked his death and I certainly hope that's the case, because killing him off here feels like a massive waste. It could be that Jake Gyllenhaal only wanted to star in one superhero movie rather than being contracted for half a dozen more, but seeing as Quentin Beck is responsible for outing Spider-Man's identity, it would be crazy not to follow up on that.
Mysterio would be an amazing addition to the Sinister Six, so fingers crossed he does return in some capacity - assuming that team assembles one day. Marvel Studios had seemingly gotten out of the habit of killing off its bad guys, but returning to that here feels like a mistake and having him just disappear would have been a better option than him dying. Time will tell what happens, though.
Continue reading below to find out how Spider-Man:
Far From Home sets up the future of the MCU!
Spider-Man: Menace
Thanks to Mysterio's master manipulation, the world believes that he was a hero who saved the world and that Spider-Man killed him because he wants to become the next Tony Stark. A huge part of Quentin Beck's mission here is to prove that people will believe anything they're told, and it's clear now that the public (and authorities) will view the wall-crawler as a menace.
That's something his comic book counterpart has been going through for decades now, and Spidey being chased down by the cops (and even his fellow heroes) is a common sight.
However, the big change here is that his secret identity has also been outed and that's going to change Peter Parker's status quo in a major way; he can't hide behind a mask, and is surely going to have to go on the run. He might deny the accusations, of course, but that would feel like something of a cop out on Marvel's part.
The Daily Bugle Is Back
Perhaps the biggest shocker in the mid-credits scene is the fact that J. Jonah Jameson is back (and played by J.K. Simmons!) and The Daily Bugle is now a website. As of right now, we don't know whether either Jameson or the Bugle will return in the future, as this could have very easily been a one-off cameo to make comic book fans happy.
In the MCU, Peter doesn't have any sort of relationship with Jameson, so including him in future adventures could feel a little forced. However, even just the odd appearance on TV as he continues bashing Spider-Man would be a fun to see, and wouldn't require a lot of time from Simmons. With The Daily Bugle part of this shared world now, though, there are a lot of very exciting possibilities.
Spider-Sense
During the movie's final act, the web-slinger finally gains control of his Spider-Sense (or Peter-Tingle) and uses it to navigate Mysterio's drone attack. There have been hints that it exists before now, but this hopefully means it will play a larger role in his adventures moving forward.
While Spidey being able to dodge every attack would be a little boring, the hero is definitely more confident now and so having the precognitive ability would be an exciting addition and gives Marvel Studios the opportunity to show off an interesting new side to Peter's powers.
Nick Fury...In Space!
The movie's post-credits scene may be played for laughs, but it also reveals that Nick Fury has been commanding a Skrull spaceship in outer space. The fact that Talos and Soren are on Earth doesn't really mean much (especially when they're still heroes and not about to embark on any sort of "Secret Invasion"), but Fury heading into space could definitely come into play somewhere down the line.
After all, it doesn't seem like he's interested in coming home, and after
Captain Marvel was praised for the dynamic between Carol Danvers and the then S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, common sense says we'll see them team-up in the present day, this time on Carol's turf!
Mysterio...Lives?
Mysterio appeared to be dead as a doornail the last time we saw him, but should we really buy into that? After all, this is Quentin Beck, a character who has routinely faked his demise and was even resurrected at one point after blowing his brains out in front of Daredevil.
Seeing as he's responsible for outing Spider-Man's secret identity to the world, there's definitely unfinished business here, and while
Spider-Man: Far From Home doesn't exactly set the stage for the Sinister Six, it would be crazy for Mysterio not to be part of that villainous team.
Kree Sleeper Cells On Earth
During a conversation between Nick Fury (Talos) and Maria Hill (Soren), we learn that there are Kree sleeper cells on Earth. This may seem like a throwaway mention, but Marvel Studios must have known that fans would pick up on this and it's impossible to imagine there not being some sort of pay off.
Captain Marvel 2 seems like the most realistic option, but it could just be that following Thanos' devastating attack on the entire universe, a lot of aliens have now gravitated to our planet. That sets the stage for both the Kree/Skrull War (2?) and even Secret Invasion. We'll have to wait and see.
Aftermath Of The Blip
Spider-Man: Far From Home only briefly touches on the aftermath of
Avengers: Endgame and mostly in a comical fashion. However, it's clear that the world has gone through some changes and it would be very surprising not to see this continue to be touched upon.
While it seems we've already had our answers about how everyone returned after being dusted, the fact that the world thinks Captain America is dead is bound to be addressed in
Falcon & The Winter Soldier on Disney+, and it doesn't seem like a stretch to believe that Doctor Strange might be dealing with an even greater level of guilt than Peter Parker in his sequel over what happened to Iron Man.
Romance For Peter And MJ
MJ may be a very different take on the version of the character we know from the comic books, but she and Peter have clearly fallen for each other and that sets the stage for one of the Marvel Universe's greatest romances to play out in the MCU moving forward.
There's a lot of potential here, especially now that Spider-Man's identity has been outed, and it will be interesting to see the impact that has on their budding romance. Someone not quite so lucky in love is Happy Hogan, as the movie makes it clear that May just viewed their relationship as a summer fling. So, chances are things between them won't continue to develop in future instalments.
Hydro-Man's Return
Shortly after the water Elemental attacks Venice, Flash Thompson reads out a report from Buzzfeed which mistakenly claims that it must have been Morris Bench, a criminal with water powers. There's nothing to say we'll necessarily see the real Hydro-Man enter the MCU, but the fact that he exists is definitely intriguing, and he could easily end up being a member of the Sinister Six or a even just a hired thug.
Time will tell, but with no mention of The Vulture or Scorpion in the movie, there's a strong possibility that this reference to another of Spidey's villains could be more significant than it initially seems.
Avengers Disassembled
One thing that's clear in
Spider-Man: Far From Home is that The Avengers are definitely disassembled, because they're not there to help battle The Elementals and Talos makes it clear at the end of the movie that he had no idea what to tell people when they asked.
It seems Earth's Mightiest Heroes went their separate ways following the events of
Avengers: Endgame, and the stage is now set for a new team to come together...or for a certain villain to create his own dark roster. Either way, while Spidey seemed like a prime candidate to lead the team after getting E.D.I.T.H., there's no way that's happening now he's been framed as a murderer.