The Most Underrated Spider-Man Movie Came Out 7 Years Ago & Deserves More Love

The world got the first movie about Marvel's most popular superhero in 2002 with the release of Sam Raimi's Spider-Man. Nobody would've expected that the upcoming Spider-Man: Brand New Day would be the ninth live-action feature film focusing on the hero, to go with two animated hits and the wall crawler appearing in some tandem movies. We've had a lot of Spider-Man over the years, yet audiences are still clamoring for more, with Spider-Man: Brand New Day and Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse being highly anticipated.

While most of the Spidey films have been liked by critics and casual moviegoers, a few have been considered disappointments. Spider-Man 3 famously was a misfire after two hits and led to no more Tobey Maguire projects being greenlit, while The Amazing Spider-Man 2 tried to do far too many things and ended up being messy, resulting in that franchise ending early. All of Tom Holland's films have been critical and commercial successes, yet one installment doesn't get the credit it deserves.

The second movie starring Holland, Spider-Man: Far From Home, is considered the worst of his movies, and though that's more due to how great Homecoming and No Way Home are, it has still led to Far From Home being underrated. It's actually a great movie for several reasons and some could even argue it's one of the best Spider-Man films to date.

Tom Holland Gives A Great Performance In Far From Home

It's widely agreed upon that Tom Holland does great work in each of his appearances as Peter Parker/Spider-Man. The actor is extremely charismatic and nails the character in every iteration. For Captain America: Civil War and Spider-Man: Homecoming, he was perfect at showcasing the boyish charm of a high school student, while in Spider-Man: No Way Home, he handled the heavy emotional toll of everything in that movie, including losing his aunt.

In the middle of those is Spider-Man: Far From Home, where Holland's performance is somewhat overlooked. Although his grief in No Way Home is more prominent, it's a key factor in Far From Home. Peter deals with the loss of Tony Stark in Avengers: Endgame and being back in the world after being one of the victims of the Blip. The scene where he breaks down in front of Happy Hogan features some of Holland's best work.

He's also fantastic at showcasing the pressure he feels now that Tony is gone. People are expecting someone new to step up in a big way and Spider-Man is a popular choice but Peter is still a kid in high school. He just wants to go on a school trip and get the girl he's crushing on. Holland is also great in the romance section, displaying tremendous chemistry with Zendaya's MJ. He also delivers the comedic bits of the movie, with the kind of quips that make the character so popular.

Mysterio Is One Of The Best Spider-Man Movie Villains

One criticism lobbied at Spider-Man: Far From Home is that the early portions of the film feature Mysterio acting as an ally to Peter Parker. However, anyone who knows Spider-Man knows that Mysterio is a villain, so the turn was expected, which took away from those early scenes. While that's an understandable take, it also tends to look past just how good Mysterio is as a villain, thanks in large part to Jake Gyllenhaal's performance.

The bonding scenes between Quentin Beck and Peter Parker feel like the former is becoming a new mentor to the latter. That's incredibly important to making sure the turn, whether expected or not, works. It adds emotion to the rivalry because they were at one time close, even if it was for a short while. Beck's use of illusions also makes for some of the coolest action sequences ever to feature Spider-Man, including the memorable shot of a zombified Iron Man.

The fact that Beck, despite losing, is able to reveal Spider-Man's identity to the world adds another layer to his success as a villain, as that changed Peter Parker's future forever. Mysterio is, like most of Far From Home, not viewed in as high regard as he should be because the Vulture and the Green Goblin are two of the best villains in the entire MCU.

The most underrated aspect of Spider-Man: Far From Home is the romantic comedy bit. Most of the first act deals with Peter trying to live more of a typical high schooler's life as he goes on a field trip to Europe. We don't get a lot in the way of action during that time, as it's just Peter trying to get closer to MJ. That gives us plenty of time for some classic teen rom-com hijinks and it's one of the best parts of the movie.

There are some good comedic bits in that section, from Mr. Harrington's phone falling in the water to MJ's use of "boh." In fact, the dialogue is sharp in these scenes, while the chemistry between Holland and Zendaya brings it to life expertly. While we come to superhero films for the action, an entire 90-minute romantic comedy focusing on Peter and MJ's relationship would've been highly entertaining, given how much it works in this short timeframe.

Far From Home's Setting Is Unique

Spider-Man: Far From Home taking place in Europe was a cool idea that helps set it apart from the rest of the films led by the titular character. Sam Raimi's trilogy and Marc Webb's duology both take place mostly in New York, which makes sense since that's what Spider-Man is known for. He swings through the city and it's what we know from the comic books, video games, and pretty much every iteration of the character.

Homecoming and No Way Home do the same, outside of a few scenes like the one at the Washington Monument. That makes it extra fun to go back and watch Spider-Man: Far From Home, as it allows us to see Spider-Man in a totally new location. The movie has action in Venice, the Netherlands, Germany, and more. They even use it for comedy as Peter disguises himself as the "Night Monkey," a European version of Spider-Man.

Between the unique location, the fun romantic comedy side of things, Tom Holland's performance, and a great villain, Spider-Man: Far From Home is fantastic and should be held in higher esteem when compared to other Spidey films.