“Avengers: Endgame” came out only two months ago and everything is still fresh with us: the tears, the jokes, the conclusion to one of the most popular and beloved series.
How could anything live up to that? The original squad has been laid to rest — figuratively for most, literally for some. What would the Marvel Cinematic Universe do to follow up one of the most anticipated movies of the Marvel franchise?
The answer: “Spider-Man: Far From Home.”
And oddly enough, it was the right answer. The Marvel Cinematic Universe knew exactly what to give its diehard fans and Spider-Man lovers. Twenty-three movies into the MCU, and the intrigue is still intact.
Peter Parker is back immediately picking up where “Endgame” finished. After the emotional blow of losing his role model Tony Stark, Parker wants nothing more than to be a normal kid who gets to go on his class vacation and hopefully catch the eye of his crush, M.J.
Of course, that doesn’t happen. Nick Fury is back and ready to recruit Parker to fight a new enemy, Quentin Beck as known as Mysterio.
Tom Holland and Samuel L. Jackson continue their usual Marvel magic with their well-known characters in Parker and Fury, which was no surprise. Jackson continued with his stubborn, my-way-or-the-highway attitude while Holland kept his lovable, right-minded teenperformance. But Jake Gyllenhaal as Mysterio was a great addition to the dynamics.
Gyllenhaal is able to capture the charming, intelligent personality of a man fired by Stark, claiming he did not get credit for his work and scheming to become the hero everyone needs.
His character makes you feel sympathy for him but also despise him for taking advantage of Parker.
“Spider-Man: Far From Home” is the perfect beginning for the next chapter of the MCU. It’s lighthearted bringing some contrast to the past few Marvel movie releases. The actors do a fantastic job showing the awkward cuteness of the life of high schoolers through Parker, M.J. and Parker’s best friend, Ned Leeds.
But the film also doesn’t focus much on other storylines outside of Spider-Man. This next chapter is starting with a clean slate and barely made reference to the other Avengers. It made the focus on Parker becoming more of a leader like Stark.
Too much focus on the original Avengers would take away from the new direction and the setup of what’s to come. “Infinity War” and “Endgame" were jam-packed with information making both films a mental race to keep up.
“Far From Home” lets everyone take a nice, long breath. The fandom is able to relax and get resituated. It gives the chance to refuel and not worry about which main characters might be gone next.
