SPOILER-FREE REVIEW
Following the events of “Avengers: Endgame,” Spider-Man must step up to take on new threats in a world that has changed forever.
I have to confess, I have never been a Spider-Man fan. Sam Raimi’s trilogy was fine and I never even saw Andrew Garfield’s iterations, let alone Tom Holland’s first Spidey outing, “Spider-Man: Homecoming.” The reason I went to see this was because I thoroughly enjoyed “Avengers: Infinity War” and “Avengers: Endgame” and wanted to see how the world was after the events of both those movies. Plus, the trailer actually looked like fun.
After the events of “Endgame,” the world has forever changed. Peter Parker (Tom Holland) has returned to his home in Queens, New York and is looking forward to traveling to Europe with his class and best friend Ned (Jacob Batalon). He also wants the chance to tell MJ (Zendaya) how he feels about her. Before leaving for Venice, Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau) meets up with him and informs him that Nick Fury is going to call him. Peter tells him that he is going to Europe with his class and when Nick finally calls, he puts him straight to voicemail and leaves.
Once in Venice, the city is attacked by a Water Elemental, an extradimensional humanoid who can control natural forces. Peter interjects and does his best to keep the creature away from his friends but then a new superhero named Mysterio arrives and using his lasers, kills the Elemental. Later, Nick Fury catches up with Peter and tells him that as an Avenger, he needs his help. He travels with Fury to a secret hideout where he meets Mysterio, also known as Quentin Beck. Apparently, after Thanos snapped half of the universe into oblivion, he inadvertently opened a doorway between parallel universes, called the Multiverse, thereby allowing Beck to travel back and forth between his timeline and ours.
When Beck tells Fury and Peter that he has killed all of the Elementals except for the last and most powerful one, fire, he warns them to be ready and together, he and Spider-Man should be able to take him down. When the Fire Elemental turns up in Prague, both men tackle him but Peter quickly realizes that something else is wrong, something that goes way beyond extradimensional beings and when his spidey senses kick in, he follows them to an outcome that he never saw coming.
From the very beginning, “Spider-Man: Far from Home” employs a steady consignment of humor and playfulness that works surprisingly well. Awkward teenage angst? Check! Falling in love with someone you feel is way out of your league? Check! Being bullied by fellow classmates that think you’re a dork but idolize Spider-Man? Check! It’s all here, on top of having to save the world. Again. Jake Gyllenhaal, known more for his contrasting appearances in smaller indie films like “Velvet Buzzsaw,” “Nightcrawler,” and “Brokeback Mountain,” here, never feels like he’s phoning it in, instead, he appears to be having fun, along with the rest of us and the film is better because of it. Tom Holland infuses the character of Spider-Man with just the right balance of heroism and vulnerability, a characteristic most of his fellow Avengers lack. If you are a Spider-Man fan then you will absolutely love this but be warned, if you still have not seen “Avengers: Endgame,” DO NOT see this film, otherwise, it will spoil everything for you. “Spider-Man: Far from Home” is filled with excitement, laughter, and the occasional tear, in other words, the perfect summer movie.
In theaters Tuesday, July 2nd
