Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019)

After the insanity that was Avengers: Endgame, I think we’d all want to go on a European vacation. This is Spider-Man: Far From Home!

**POTENTIAL SPOILERS BELOW FOR ENDGAME & FAR FROM HOME**

Following the epic battle of Endgame and the loss of Iron Man, the world is rebuilding from the snap and looking for a hero like Spider-Man to step into his place. But Peter Parker (Tom Holland) is struggling with the weight of these expectations and the loss of his mentor. Fortunately, he has a class trip to Europe to look forward to with one goal in mind: to confess his feelings to fellow classmate MJ (Zendaya). But nothing comes easy for the web-slinger when his trip is hijacked by Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), who tasks him with fighting a group known as the Elementals with new hero Quentin Beck, aka Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal).

Far From Home takes our friendly neighborhood Spidey outside of his home turf and puts him out of his element on multiple levels. We’re treated to a fun globe-trotting adventure through Europe, each new locale providing an action set-piece that is more fun than the last. We also get to see Peter Parker pushed to his limits as he’s up against a villain who constantly seems to have the upper hand. But what makes Far From Home so good is how at its core, it’s still Peter Parker wrestling with the motto: with power, comes great responsibility. He fears he’s not enough to fill his mentor’s shoes and just wants to be a kid for a little bit longer. But when he’s pushed, he finds he’s capable of things he didn’t realize. Even far from home, he’s still Spider-Man.

The cast in Far From Home is one of the strongest parts of the movie. Playing Spider-Man for the fifth time in three years, Tom Holland has solidified himself as one of the definitive Spider-Men. He continues to bring a naiveté and charm to Peter Parker that makes him relatable and likable. It’s fun to see him get into teenage scenarios like trying to ask MJ on a date while dodging calls from Nick Fury and attacks from the Elementals. Another cast member I was impressed with was Jake Gyllenhaal. In fact, he may be one of my favorite parts of Far From Home. His Mysterio may just be one of my new favorite Marvel villains. He really gets the chance to let loose and give a crazy fun performance. It’s no secret that Gyllenhaal and Holland have a bromance and it shows. Their chemistry is magnetic. The MCU Spidey films are 2/2 on their villain performances. Hopefully they can stick the landing! The Marvel Cinematic Universe casting continues to impress me 23 movies in.

Spider-Man: Far From Home is a fun globetrotting adventure that gives you what you want from a summer blockbuster. Led by a top-notch Tom Holland and Jake Gyllenhaal, the 23rd MCU movie continues to perfectly capture Spider-Man and his lessons in great poser and great responsibility. Of course Far From Home has some jokes that don’t quite land and the story has some muddled moments, but it’s all things I’m willing to look over because I had a great time with my favorite friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. I give Far From Home a B.

P.S. Stay for the post-credits scenes! They are mind-blowing!