Spider-Man: Far From Home Early Reviews – A Satisfying End to Phase 3

Early reviews for Spider-Man: Far From Home have arrived. The sequel to Spider-Man: Homecoming doubles as the conclusion to Phase 3 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and picks up shortly after the events of April’s Avengers: Endgame. Still reeling from Tony Stark’s death, Peter Parker (Tom Holland) just wants to take a break from being a superhero and joins his friends on a summer trip to Europe. However, things don’t go as planned and, before long, Pete gets roped into a new mission by Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson).

Far From Home features several returning cast members from Homecoming, with director Jon Watts once again calling the shots. The film also introduces Jake Gyllenhaal as Quentin Beck aka. Mysterio, a fellow who claims to come from another dimension (after Thanos’ snap tore a hole in fabric of reality) and need Pete’s help in battling a new set of enemies known as the Elementals. Early social media reactions to Far From Home have been largely positive so far, with many citing Mysterio as a highlight. The movie has since screened for critics, who are now weighing in with their own thoughts.

You can read through spoiler-free excerpts from the early Spider-Man: Far From Home reviews below. For more, click on the corresponding links to check out the reviews in full.

Molly Freeman, Screen Rant

Spider-Man: Far From Home isn’t as sharp or tightly written as Spider-Man: Homecoming, but the sequel more than makes up for it with sheer spectacle and MCU connections, and smartly knows when Holland or Gyllenhaal can carry a scene on their own. It’s exactly the kind of exciting moviegoing experience fans want from the MCU – but maybe don’t always get.

Josh Bell, CBR

With the burden of dealing with some heavy MCU continuity, Far From Home isn’t quite as refreshing as Homecoming, and its lively tone sometimes feels off for a movie that essentially takes place in the aftermath of the end of the world. But it also provides an effective epilogue and new beginning for the ongoing cinematic universe, looking ahead to the future without discounting the consequences of what came before.

Owen Gleiberman, Variety

Where does “Far From Home” fall on the scale of “Spider-Man” movies? It’s more urgent than the last one (and should be even bigger at the box office), with a richer sense of malevolence, and Holland’s kid-in-over-his-head hero – awkward and ingenuous, romantic and quicksilver – is alive inside in a way that Andrew Garfield’s Peter never was. “Far From Home” gets closer, in spirit, to the good Tobey Maguire films.

Ben Travis, Empire

Far From Home is a looser film than Homecoming, with pacing that occasionally slackens, and a compulsion to give every minor character time to shine. But it’s a light-footed summer blockbuster that faces Endgame’s monolithic legacy head-on, before leaving it behind to embark on its own globetrotting adventure. The MCU doesn’t need a new Iron Man yet – Far From Home proves it’s more than safe in the web-slinging hands of Spider-Man.

Darren Franich, EW

I wound up liking Far From Home more than any Spider-Man film this decade. There’s something eerie in the constant assertion of Tony Stark as Tycoon SuperJesus – but don’t underestimate the shifty layers the final act. The hero worship has a slippery quality here, with a less cheerful purpose than the sincere devotion of Homecoming or Into the Spider-Verse.

Jesse Hassenger, AV Club

In a way, Far From Home suffers slightly for the nimble work of its predecessor. Homecoming populated Peter’s world with such delightful high-school characters [that] Far From Home has a deep bench before it even gets to the likes of Fury, Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders), Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau), and the ghost of Tony Stark. That’s not a literal ghost (one should always clarify with long-term fantasy sagas), but Stark’s legacy looms over Peter’s conscience, and over the overstuffed movie itself.

Brian Truitt, USA Today

“Far From Home” has a lot more boxes to check than “Homecoming” in terms of storytelling, and while it’s always enjoyable, the film feels unfocused in parts. Everything changes when a major turn happens – of the story-exploding, can’t-talk-about-it-at-all variety – and the last half takes on a very meta vibe with some of the craziest visuals Marvel has unleashed in a while and a stellar understanding of what Gyllenhaal can do so well on screen.

Scott Mendelson, Forbes

Jon Watt’s Spider-Man: Far From Home is a robust improvement on its predecessor. At the very least, the film presents a Peter Parker who is relatively good at his job and doesn’t consistently screw up to the point where you wish he’d hang up the costume before he kills someone… With even more high school antics than last time, and a firmly competent superhero taking center stage, Far From Home offers more of what worked last time and less of what didn’t.

Overall, Far From Home‘s initial reception has been positive. The film is currently sitting at 91% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes after 46 reviews, which isn’t far off Homecoming‘s 92% score. That number could easily go down after more reviews are compiled, but it shouldn’t drop too far from its current rating. In general, critics seems to agree that Far From Home isn’t quite as strong as Homecoming, if only because it’s overstuffed and has a lot more to do (including, setting up Phase 4 of the MCU). Meanwhile, Gyllenhaal’s Mysterio continues to be singled out as one of the film’s best elements, and reviews in general seem to agree that the movie works as a satisfying epilogue to the MCU’s Infinity Saga.

It also sounds like Far From Home is a very important link in the chain for the franchise, which hasn’t always been true for MCU sequels. The movie has two post-credits scenes that are said to be vital to the MCU’s future, so fans will definitely want to stick around for those. Marvel Studios has yet to officially reveal its Phase 4 slate, but is expected to make the announcement at either San Diego Comic-Con next month or possibly August’s D23 Expo. In the meantime, audiences will have what should be an enjoyable sequel to check out in Far From Home.