Saw in Theaters with Tim, Carter, and Trevor.

[8.5/10] There’s a great deal of call and response between *Spider-Man: Far From Home* and its predecessor, *Spider-Man: Homecoming*. The web-slinger’s first MCU movie centered on Peter Parker being relegated to “Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man” when he aspired to be an Avenger. In this one, he’s straining to enjoy a normal life while being pushed and prodded to fill the big shoes of some big names. Once again, Peter tries to live up to the shining example of Iron Man, while facing off against someone who sees Tony Stark as a wretched usurper to be toppled instead of emulated. And once more, Peter Parker, and by extension Spider-Man, has to come of age, figure out who he is and where he fits into the grand, globe-threatening events that imperil his friends and into the pantheon of heroes defending the Earth against them. *Far From Home* anchors itself on the pressure and difficulty of that quest. With the backdrop of an international jaunt, the threat of friendly pretender to the throne, and perils of navigating the post-“blip” high school social scene, Spider-Man feels overwhelmed. He has to try to live up to the legacy of his idol rather than try to earn his notice, to deal with the expectation of being Spider-Man, rather than to get people’s attention as the wall-crawler. The personal struggle grounds both the globe-trotting adventure and the goofy humor that are nicely marbled throughout the film’s runtime. That’s the most impressive thing about *Far From Home* -- it is so many films at once, without ever losing the unity of purpose or tonal consistency. It is a superhero movie, with the appropriate number of bad guys, twists, and colorful clashes. It is a travelogue, with Peter and his classmates zipping through a number of picturesque European locales. It is a coming of age story, one that takes advantage of the shadow Tony Stark casts in a cinematic universe built around the character. And it is, assuredly, a comedy, full of the sorts of silly laughs that keep the film feeling light and fun despite its world-threatening stakes and the personal difficulties at its core. That last part will stick with viewers as long as Peter’s personal journey will. A recent article asked where the blockbuster studio comedies have gone, and you’re looking at it! (Er...reading about it.) Whether it’s Martin Starr stealing the show as Peter’s sad sack, high spirited teacher, the adorably silly teenage romance between Ned and Betty, or the simple physical comedy of Happy Hogan flailing a shield at an attacking drone to predictably weak results, there’s ample chuckles to be had. Beyond the MCU’s usual quippiness, there’s a lighter, more flopsweat-y tone to Peter Parker’s adventures that makes these Spidey films winning outing. *Far From Home* also wrings the humor from the awkward interactions between teenagers. Part of what makes the film work so well as both drama and comedy is that its kids feel like kids. While a love triangle between Peter, M.J., and suave newcomer Brad feels a little contrived, for the most part, the movie walks the line between the heightened realism of comic book flicks, and the recognizable pains and absurdities of youth well. The trials and travails of friendship, romance, and expectation are all relatable here, even if outfitted with spandex and explosions. But those are fun too! Beyond the gorgeous settings in Venice or Prague, the visuals of the film pop. Spider-Man himself has never looked this good in live action, flipping and thwipping through any number of impressive city scapes as the camera follows his balletic rooftop leaps and bounds. In sequences like a perilous ferris wheel ride, the editing team does a nice job of balancing the swirl and swarm of a supernatural threat with the personal stakes of two people in danger for us to latch onto. And while some of the fully-CGI sequences have that “video game cutscene” feel to them, *Far From Home* takes advantage of Mysterio’s presence for some visual creativity. Inventive set pieces that send Spider-Man bursting through skyscraper-level “elementals” or rumbling through a nightmare that doubles as a tweaking of his deepest insecurities, see director Jon Watts and company showing off what their version of Spider-Man, and his coterie, are capable of. What a coterie, though! In addition to the young cast, who are just as sharp and likable as they were in *Homecoming*, the MCU representative du jour is Nick Fury, who is understandably a little off in this guise, but whose dry wit and gravitas-laden pronouncement fit well with Peter’s anxieties about batting in the big leagues. Jake Gyllenhall does good work as Mysterio, both in his friendly older brother mode, and in his scheming, aggrieved former employee mode. The character has intrigue and, like Vulture before him, legitimate grievances with Tony Stark that add depth to his motivation even as he goes full mustache-twirl at points. The notion of the post-superhero, post-blip world demanding beaming heroes and outlandish backstories in order for anyone to be heard lightly deconstructs both the world of the MCU and the current cinematic moment, with Gyllenhall living up to each. The most surprising heavy hitter here, however, is Jon Favreau as Happy Hogan, who does some predictable bumbling, and some flirting with Aunt May, but who ultimately gives Peter what he needs to move forward. With a central focus of both protagonist and antagonist claiming and living up to Tony Stark’s legacy, and constant visual reminders of the mark that Iron Man left on the world, Happy tells Peter the most important thing he could here: that Tony was a mess. There’s a distance between the sterling image our culture crystalizes for its hero and the reality of who they were. There’s a comfort to Peter knowing that the real Tony Stark, the one who lived and faltered apart from pictures painted on murals, doubted himself and screwed up and made as many messes as he solved. *Far From Home* signposts it a little too neatly with its song cues, but realizing that his idol is flawed and human gives him what he needs to relax and do what he does best for the people he cares about, which makes him more like Tony than he realizes. The scene also works as a benediction from Jon Favreau, who directed the first *Iron Man* film, for this next, Stark-less phase of the MCU. His speech, along with a winking opening report, is an acknowledgement that the films that spurred this massive media uber-franchise were not perfect despite their veneration and consternation, and that there’s plenty of worthy ground to cover in the movies to come. That ground will be covered by a Spider-Man, and hopefully a distinctive crew of other heroes, who better understand their place in this world. Peter Parker leaves *Far From Home* a different person than when he started. As in *Homecoming*, he’s once again made peace with the space between where he is and where he thought he wanted to be, even if, as the post-credits scene suggests, there’s plenty more challenges, pressures, and menace to come.