Marvel’s Next Phase
Spider-Man: Far from Home is now in theatres, ushering in a new era in the MCU. The film effectively marks the end of Phase 3, and provides a light-hearted, fun-filled finale after the emotional turmoil evoked by Avengers: Endgame. Like the rest of us, our friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man is reeling from past events and takes off on a school trip to Europe.
Tom Holland’s Peter Parker is just looking for a relaxing vacation with his best friend, Ned (Jacob Batalon) and the beautiful, brainy, delightfully deadpan, MJ (Zendaya). The film follows the same narrative flow as Spider-Man: Homecoming. The first film in the Spider-Man reboot took us away from a heavy, action-packed universe into the lives of regular teenagers. Now, we get to swing back into these kids’ lives and enjoy them awkwardly trying to navigate regular teenage problems.
Not to worry, though, because a superhero film is nothing without its villains. Soon enough, the imminent arrival of the Elementals poses a threat to the world, and more importantly, to Parker’s European getaway. This 17-year-old would like nothing more than to enjoy being seventeen, but former S.H.I.E.L.D. director Nick Fury will not have it. Fury’s intrusion is unsurprising, and he is bent on recruiting Parker to do what he does best: be the coolest, youngest web-slinging superhero he was destined to be. And he has brought a friend. Jake Gyllenhaal makes his debut in the MCU as Quentin Beck/Mysterio, a master of illusions and an expert on the Elementals. He claims to be from Earth-833 in the Multiverse, and there are many paths to which that could lead in Marvel’s next phase. However, Spider-Man remains a very human tale and steers clear of anything too cosmic.
Still, this is Marvel we are talking about. And if there is one thing we can count on, it’s the post-credits scene. So, once those end credits roll, stick around for a cliff-hanger and some interesting cameos that will reveal the future of our teenage superhero.
Comments