Movie Title: Spider-Man: Far From Home
Genre: Superhero, Action, Adventure
Writer: Chris McKenna, Erik Sommers
Starring: Tom Holland, Samuel L. Jackson, Zendaya, Cobie Smulders, Jon Favreau, J. B. Smoove, Jacob Batalon, Martin Starr, Marisa Tomei, Jake Gyllenhaal, Tony Revolori, Angourie Rice, Remy Hii, Numan Acar, Peter Billingsley
Review: Heading to Europe on a class trip, Peter Parker (Tom Holland) gets recruited by Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal), who needs Peter's help defeating a host of super villains known as the Elementals. As Peter sets out to plan the perfect date with his crush MJ (Zendaya), he must learn to balance his obligations as a superhero with his desire to be a regular high school teenager.
Spider-Man: Far From Home picks up after the events of Avengers: Endgame, with half of the world's population reeling from being reinserted back into society after five years of being "blipped" out of existence. I think this film did a fantastic job fulfilling the monumental task of being the first Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) film since Avengers: Endgame. I thought Tom Holland was spectacular playing our friendly neighborhood Spider-Man, bring multiple dimensions to a character who wants desperately to carry on the legacy left by Tony Stark/Iron Man, but equally as much just wants to enjoy a nice European vacation with his friends. Holland and Zendaya did a fantastic job selling themselves as two awkward teenagers who's feelings for one another are coming to a head despite their inability to smoothly convey those feelings. This makes their characters completely relatable, as many of us have been in that situation before. Jake Gyllenhaal's Mysterio is also an interesting addition to the MCU, as a high-flying superhero with a secretive ulterior motive that will surely throw you for a loop. I thought Gyllenhaal did a great job with the role, and I really enjoyed Mysterio's costume. Really my only criticism of this film, is that Mysterio's alternative side was kind of a letdown. I found myself initially liking the character, but later finding his motivations and his execution to be kind of underwhelming. Despite that, I really enjoyed the storyline, as well as all of the great characters that we've come to know and love from both Spider-Man: Homecoming as well as previous MCU films. The host of European cities used in this film keep the scenes fresh and fun, there are incredible visuals, not to mention there are plenty twists and turns along the way that have me excited for future installments. I really enjoyed this film and I think it's another big hit for the MCU and this series of Spider-Man films!
Fun Fact: Peter's suitcase has the letters "BFP" on it. This refers to Benjamin Franklin Parker, Peter Parker's Uncle Ben whose death motivated him to become Spider-Man.