Spider-Man: Far From Home
Spider-Man: Far From Home, the sequel to 2017's Spider-Man: Homecoming, serves as a soft cushion for Marvel fans after the emotional events of Avengers: Endgame. It serves as a transition from Marvel's Phase 3 to Phase 4, feeling more like a scene filler than an integral piece to the story as it ties up loose ends in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Far From Home shifts back into teen movie mode following Peter Parker and his classmates on a summer European trip after the events of the Snap. The film skips the heaviness of Endgame by having Peter's main focus being telling MJ (Zendaya) how he feels about her. The villain, Mysterio, (Jake Gyllenhaal) is more toned down and in tune with reality than most MCU villains.
The film starts off back in New York after the events of Endgame with Iron Man now dead. Spider-Man is bombarded with the question if he is going to be the new lead Avenger now that Tony's gone. Far From Home gives a look at the world celebrating and mourning the Avengers post-Un-Snapping. The world is still healing from the Snapped being gone for five years and the Unsnapped's journey of learning how to move on during that time. The world is not entirely back to normal and the movie does a good job at giving an insightful look on how this event played out through the civilian perspective. Peter Parker is trying to move on and shifts his focus on his class's summer trip to Europe as well as winning the heart of the girl he likes. However, his plans are halted as new enemies and a mysterious new savior hijack his school trip.
Jake Gyllenhaal is utilized to his full potential in this film. Marvel always excels at bringing indie film actors into their huge budget films. The indie actors manage to deliver show-stopping performances and Gyllenhaal can be added to this list of indie-turned-superhero actors. The presence of Gyllenhaal feels meta to the franchise. His character warns us that at a time when the world is in utter chaos, people will believe anything and, if someone has a cape, it makes them of more importance than someone with a degree. Tom Holland gives a charming and sincere performance. Holland's portrayal of Parker is dealing with PTSD and the aftermath of his mentor Tony Stark's death throughout the film. This pushes him to want to escape and be a teenager, but he realizes that the world needs him, and he eventually steps up to the plate to do what Tony wanted him to do. Peter can fall in love and graduate, but he will always be stuck in this simulation that feeds to the greater good of the MCU story line: Something is always coming.
Lastly, the visual effects in this film were some of Marvel's best. The scenes with Mysterio and the drones were incredible. The scene that will blow audiences away is definitely Peter living his greatest nightmare's through Mysterio's illusions as he keeps falling deeper and deeper. This is normally found in the Spider-Man comics as Peter Parker is often faced with his greatest nightmares in his battles. This scene reminds me of the Doctor Strange scene in Infinity War but at a larger scale. Marvel has nailed its use of CGI and visual effects and they will continue to get better. Major applause goes to the actors who are able to portray emotions of bravery and trauma as they are acting with nothing while filming these intense scenes.
Overall this film was fun and is a great cushion to what was experienced in Avengers: Endgame. Tom Holland portrays the perfect Spider-Man and Peter Parker fans have been waiting years for. The background characters of Ned, Betty, MJ and Aunt May provide extra enjoyment in this franchise. Far From Home is a wholesome teen movie with elements of superheroes. Peter Parker has proved himself to be the next Iron Man and the MCU has left fans with two phenomenal post-credit scenes that continue to open doors to more films in their universe.