I remember that a few of my friends that are more casual in their approach to the Marvel Cinematic Universe elected to not see Spider-Man Far From Home promptly, not because they weren't interested in the film, but because they didn't want an ending to "Wave 3" that wasn't Avengers Endgame. Whilst I get this kind of thinking, I personally found that Far From Home was exactly what I needed after the series of emotional spikes that was Endgame. Although there is an arc to Far From Home and Peter does grow as a character, the stakes aren't world-ending and most of the film is just fun to watch. This is Spider-Man we're talking about after all, not Thor or Captain Marvel. In fact, that Peter has been anointed by Tony Stark to be his successor, but lacks the experience and maturity needed to so much as want the role, is a major narrative theme of the film, and works really well as a bookend to the events of Infinity War and Endgame. For all the "great power" stuff that Spider-Man is about, it can be easy to forget that he is a teenager and sometimes he just wants to be a kid for a little while, rather than fighting aliens or a moron in an animal-themed costume.
The cast, once again, is brilliant, the kids are great and I can't wait to see what they do with the rest of their acting careers, but Jake Gyllenhaal as Mysterio may be some of the best casting the MCU has done since everyone in Black Panther. For all the crap he's got as an actor, Gyllenhaal has decent chops, and does a great borderline prima donna when his plan starts to unravel. As someone who has been reading Spider-Man comics as long as he can remember, as much as I want to see most of the classic villains on the big screen, the long-form stories that made them great in the first place don't always translate well to a three-act film structure, like Chameleon taking months to reveal himself or Mysterio posing as Peter's therapist to drive him insane. Far From Home does one the better jobs in memory of adapting a character with a huge backstory and changing it enough to fit a new narrative, but keeping enough of what worked in the comics. Although straining the CGI at times, the "madness corridor" sequence in Berlin is pure vintage Mysterio adapted for the MCU.
Possibly best of all, JK Simmons is back as J Jonah Jameson, even if it's only for a few minutes. Ok, that's a little hyperbolic, but it was exactly the fan punch that Far From Home needed with the passing of Stan Lee. Like it or not, it's the younger stars that will lead the MCU forward into Wave 4 and beyond and Spider-Man will likely be at the forefront for a little while to come. Personally, I'm hoping Peter can take over Stark Industries after his solo films are done and become something of a mentor figure to even younger heroes we haven't seen yet, only breaking out the tights for the crossovers. That would allow Tom Holland to do other things and still keep a toe in, like Thor sticking around because Chris Hemsworth doesn't seem to get too many good roles for some reason. As of the time of writing (September 2020), this catches me up with all of the released MCU films, with no release date for Black Widow in sight. Going back over these films, even the ones I don't like all that much, has been a great experience and I think I'll be doing it more often. Certainly I need to get more watches of Thor Ragnarok and Ant-Man and The Wasp in.
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