Cast: Tom Holland, Samuel L. Jackson, Zendaya, Cobie Smulders

Director: Jon Watts

Review:

Marvel is certainly in an interesting spot following Avengers: Endgame’s cataclysmic April release.  One one hand, they’ve firmly established themselves as one of the greatest franchises of all time.  On the other hand, there was almost no chance that Spider-Man: Far From Home would ever be able to match what the previous movies brought us this year.  So where does that leave Spider-Man: Far From Home?  Benefiting from a strong and established source material and yet another dominating performance from Holland in the lead role, Spider-Man: Far From Home is a palatable summer blockbuster and caps off another financially glowing year for Marvel.

The film takes place after the events of Avengers: Endgame and follows Peter Parker (Holland) as he balances life as a high school student as well as being Spider-Man; one of the world’s most powerful superheroes.  When Peter decides to go on a summer vacation to Europe, Nick Fury (Jackson) follows him there and explains to him the danger the world is in.  It is up to Peter to decide what type of life he wants to live and how to find a way to balance these two very different worlds.  Of the more recent additions to the MCU, Holland has emerged as one of the strongest performers in the franchise.  While the Sam Raimi Spider-Man movies are what I have often referred to as the gold standard of Spider-Man movies, Holland is one of the main reasons why these newer movies can be brought up in the debate of which movie is the best.  I don’t know if he’s the best Spider-Man, but I think he’s easily the best Peter Parker in the same way that Christian Bale wasn’t the best Batman but he was the best Bruce Wayne.  Holland has a difficult job in managing both the role of a normal high school student as well as being tasked with the responsibility of keeping the world safe, but Holland has no problem handling this and shows us just how delicate this situation is.  Outside of Holland, the usual positive elements associated with the MCU are once again on full display here.  One of the larger scenes between Spider-Man and Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal), another hero recruited by Fury to save the world, in the second half of the movie is legitimately one of the most impressive scenes of the year and provides a quality balance between the emotional weight of the scene as well as the technical aspects and special effects involved.  Gyllenhaal being the world-actor that he is allows the film to add a welcome new addition that elevates it in every one of his scenes.  When you have the editing and choreographic strengths that Marvel seems to get better at with each iteration they release, you knew walking in that at the bare minimum the film would be competent and at the very most one of the most enjoyable films of the summer.  The only thing we can ask now is what is Marvel going to do next?  Whatever they end up doing, I think we can all expect to see Holland at the forefront of most major releases in the next few years.

Overall, Spider-Man: Far From Home follows the Marvel formula and once again provides the audience with pure entertainment for 129 minutes.  With actors like Holland and Jackson reprising their roles and continuing to provide the balance of both comedy and action while newcomers like Gyllenhaal also showing up and presenting a new take on his perceived role and you have more than enough reasons to see Spider-Man: Far From Home.  After the monstrosity that was Avengers: Endgame, Spider-Man: Far From Home ends Phase 3 of the MCU on a lighter note and will make any fan excited about whatever comes out next.

Overall Score: 8/10