Featured Blu-ray and DVD Review: Spider-Man: Far From Home

October 1, 2019

Spider-Man: Far From Home - Buy from Amazon: DVD, Blu-ray Combo Pack, or 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack
Video on Demand
Video on Demand (With Extras)
Video on Demand (4K Ultra HD)

Spider-Man: Far From Home was the first installment in the M.C.U. to come out after Endgame. It not only needs to tell a story by itself, it has the unenviable goal of setting up the post-Infinity Stones era of the M.C.U. Is it able to accomplish both of these tasks?

The Movie

The film begins with a very short prologue where we catch up with Nick Fury and Maria Hill, who are meeting a mysterious man just before being attacked by a rock monster.

We then switch to an incredibly cheesy memorial video and an exposition dump by Betty Grant about how the Snapping was reversed in an event called The Blip. Anyone snapped away was returned unaged five years later. This includes practically the entire main cast of Homecoming, which is mathematically unlikely, but whatever. As long as the movie is good, this shouldn’t be an issue. Meanwhile, Peter Parker and a bunch of his fellow students are going on a school-sponsored European vacation. He has a plan, a six-step plan that involves telling MJ how he really feels. Ned thinks this is a bad plan, but Ned isn’t a great source for romantic advice. One thing that is not part of Peter’s plan is being Spider-man. He’s not even planning on bringing the suit. He’s even going to far as to avoid answering Nick Fury’s phone calls. That’s not a wise thing to do.

The trip to Europe doesn’t get off to a great start in Venice, partially because of poor planning by the teacher involved, but mainly because of an attack by a water elemental. Thank goodness Aunt May packed Peter Parker’s suit so he could do something. And thank goodness that mysterious man from before showed up to defeat the elemental. The celebration for Peter Parker is short-lived, as Nick Fury shows up and is understandably annoyed at Peter Parker for avoiding him. Fury takes Parker to their HQ where he meets that mysterious man, Mysterio. Mysterio, real name Quentin Beck, explains he’s from an alternate Earth and that the Snappening and the Blip caused a tear that allowed travel between worlds in the Multiverse. These Elementals attacked and destroyed his Earth and now he’s here to protect this Earth so the same doesn’t happen here. Meanwhile, Fury informs Parker that Tony Stark wanted Peter to be in control of E.D.I.T.H., a satellite based security system. However, he struggles to use the system and in the end, decides Beck is a more natural successor to Tony Stark and given E.D.I.T.H. to him. What could go wrong?

Spoilers. What goes wrong is clearly a spoiler, but one that is more than 50 years old.

Review

There hasn’t been a single critical misstep in the M.C.U. Sure, not every film has earned near universal acclaim, but even their weakest films have earned overall positive reviews and only one hasn’t earned at least an A minus from CinemaScore. I point this out, because in my opinion Spider-Man: Far From Home, is a marginally above average entrant in the franchise. Normally, “marginally above average” wouldn’t be a ringing endorsement, but the M.C.U.’s track record is far from normal and Far From Home is one of the most entertaining action films I’ve seen this year. If we narrow the comparison to the M.C.U., it can’t match Endgame, but I would say it is a little better than Captain Marvel, since it is not an origin story and doesn’t have to deal with a lot of the baggage that comes with being an origin story.

Far From Home is also an improvement over Homecoming in most ways. Tom Holland is just wonderful as Peter Parker and he’s really grown into the role. Zendaya gets more to do as MJ this time around and I really like that change from the first film. I am torn on which movie has the better villain. Jake Gyllenhaal is excellent as Mysterio, but it is hard to beat Michael Keaton as the Vulture. And of course Nick Fury makes everything better.

The Extras

Extras begin with Peter’s To-Do List, a three-minute short film with Peter Parker preparing for his European trip. It includes some scenes that were in the trailer, but not in the movie. There are four minutes of outtakes and six minutes of deleted / alternate scenes. Teacher’s Travel Trips is a five-minute guide to international travel. The Jump Off is a six-minute long making of featurette. Stepping Up is four-minute look at how Peter Parker’s place in the M.C.U. changes post-Endgame. Suit Up looks at the new suits in the movie. Now You See Me looks at Beck and how he is introduced in the M.C.U. Far, Far, Far From Home is a five-minute featurette on the locations in the movie. It Takes Two is a three-minute look at the collaboration between Jon Watts and Tom Holland. Fury and Hill is self-explanatory. The Ginter-Riva Effect is much less self-explanatory. It’s about the Beck crew, the details of which are spoilers. Thank You, Mrs. Parker is a four-minute look at Aunt May and how her role is different in the movies than it is in the comics. Stealthy Easter Eggs is a four-minute featurette on all of the Easter Eggs in the movie. The Brothers Trust is a 12-minute look at the charity Tom Holland and his brothers run to help those across the world. Finally, there are eight minutes of pre-vis for various scenes.

Overall, there’s more than 70 minutes of extras and while a lot of them are rather short featurettes, it adds up to a lot to check out.

The Verdict

Spider-Man: Far From Home isn’t among the very best of the M.C.U., but it is closer to the top than the bottom and considering the bottom is still okay and the top is award-worthy, it is worth repeat viewings. Additionally, while the extras on the DVD, Blu-ray, or 4K releases are not amazing for a monster hit, they are more than enough to lift it to a Pick of the Week contender.

C.S.Strowbridge

Filed under: Video Review, Avengers: Endgame, Spider-Man: Far From Home, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Samuel L. Jackson, Robert Downey, Jr., Jake Gyllenhaal, Michael Keaton, Martin Starr, Marisa Tomei, Tom Holland, Cobie Smulders, Jon Watts, Angourie Rice, Zendaya, Jacob Batalon, Dawn Michelle King