Film of the Week: Spider-Man Far From Home

The prospect of a multiverse being introduced via this film was strongly hinted at within the trailers, mainly because the characters specifically mentioned Mysterio being from another Earth. However, in true Mysterio form, a multiverse was not to be seen as Quentin Beck was from this Earth and set about wanting to be the best superhero in the world using the technology he invented by Tony Stark took as his own.

Mysterio is a trickstar. He’s entire persona is built around deceiving people, so it makes sense to not have him from another Earth - it was all an act made possible by other former members of Tony Stark’s science division. Being the final film - the epilogue, if you will - of the Infinity Saga of the MCU, it was pleasing to feature those characters who were affected in the background come out into the spotlight and attempt to claim back what is rightfully theirs, or at least make a statement about what happened. Having one of the scientists from the very first Iron Man, the man who Obidiah Stane shouted at, “TONY STARK WAS ABLE TO BUILD THIS IN A CAVE, WITH A BUNCH OF SCRAPS!” Spider-Man Far From Home not only caps off the Infinity Ark storyline, but also acknowledges the past, sort of bringing it full circle. It didn’t rely heavily on setting up the future, because that wasn’t the intention. It was about rounding off a few plot points, explaining a couple of mysteries us fans had about the snap, and really just exploring a new, complicated world.

What would have been nice to have been left out of the trailer was M.J. figuring out Peter Parker was Spider-Man. It would have been a pleasant surprise for the audience, for someone, especially the love-interest to figure out he was Spider-Man. Whilst that trope is borderline cliche, it’s unique for a Spider-Man film as every other film sees him having no choice but to reveal his identity to who he loves in order to save them from the film’s main antagonist.

There are a few other surprises in this film, a couple of big reveals come right at the end and perfectly sets up the third film, which will explore a storyline that we haven’t seen in a Spider-Man film, and is synonymous to that of Iron Man’s storyline right at the very beginning, therefore strongly hinting at Spider-Man being the new face of the MCU - a notion that was questioned heavily by a few bombarding reporters right at the beginning of the movie. Understandably, the thought of being the new face puts an unbearable amount of pressure on Peter’s shoulders, something he wishes he can brush off for a limited time whilst on a school trip with his friends. Unfortunately, there is no resting for the neighbourhood superhero… whilst halfway round the world in Europe.

Visually, Spider-Man Far From Home is incredibly pleasing to the eye, with the way they play around with the holograms to not only give them the depth needed to fool the characters, but also for us audience to see the inner workings of Mysterio’s main objective - creating an Avenger’s level threat which he alone will defeat, which, as a result will become the greatest superhero in the world.

As for the Multiverse, Avengers Endgame sort of confirmed the existence of other universe by way of utilising their time travel. They create alternate timelines whilst roaming around in the past, literally creating multiple universes. But even before Endgame, Doctor Strange heavily hinted at a multiverse during that weird and wonderful trip Doctor Steven Strange took as a way to widen his eyes to what is truly possible. Having the trailers to Spider-Man Far From Home state that Quentin was from another Earth, whilst was exciting to actually meet someone who had made the transition from one world to another, certainly deserve the mild disappointment it received when it was revealed to be just a hoax designed to fool people.

However, the title to Doctor Strange’s sequel was recently revealed as: Doctor Strange: Multiverse of Madness, so hopefully it’s finally fully explored then.

Spider-Man Far From Home was a fitting end to the Infinity Saga. It complimented Endgame’s complications by explaining how the world works now, and what effect it has on the characters, especially those closest to Tony Stark.

Thanks for reading

Antony Hudson

(TonyHadNouns)