Staff Picks – "Spider-Man: Far From Home" swings into theaters

 
WOODBURY - “Spider-Man: Far From Home,” the latest in a long line of Marvel films, hit theaters last week to big box office earnings and rave reviews – at least from this News 12 Digital staffer.
Though several actors have played Spider-Man over the years, Tom Holland is the most recent. We’ve seen Holland in several films, but this is the second that features just him as Spider-Man. It’s a fun, entertaining film that picks up right where “Avengers: Endgame” leaves off, with Peter Parker (Holland) and his friends trying to live normal lives after the ‘Blip’ – what they call the return of half the Earth after the Avengers stepped in and reversed Thanos’ ‘Snap.’
WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD.
Parker finds himself dodging Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) as he packs for a class trip to Europe. He just wants to put the past behind him and be a kid with a crush on a girl or the ‘friendly neighborhood Spider-Man,’ instead of being an Avenger superhero who helped save the world. Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau) has taken a liking to Parker, as well as his Aunt May (Marisa Tomei), and is now basically his right-hand man, just as he was to Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.). Stark leaves behind his AI glasses uploaded with EDITH – an interface similar to JARVIS designed specifically for Parker to help assist him with superhero duties.
As Parker embarks on his trip, he struggles with the reality that Stark may want him to be the next Iron-Man – something he feels he’s not ready for. And it’s not long before Fury and a threat in the form of Elementals find Parker in Venice. After helping to fight off the Water Elemental, Parker meets with Fury and Quentin Beck (Jake Gyllenhaal), aka Mysterio, to find out what is going on. Parker is adamant he can’t help because he doesn’t want people to figure out he’s Spider-Man, but, of course, Fury diverts Parker’s trip to Prague, where the next Elemental will attack.
After a battle to save the city, world and his friends, Parker meets with Beck and explains his insecurities about following in Stark’s footsteps. After handing over the EDITH glasses to Beck, he leaves, once again ready to go back to a normal life of being a teenager with a crush on a girl. The audience, and Parker, quickly realize that this is a huge mistake, as Beck is a former disgruntled employee of Stark’s, who is working with other former disgruntled employees, determined to be the next big superhero by creating fake threats and disasters using drone and AI technology.
Parker is quickly back in the superhero game as he tries to stop Beck from yet another attack, which could cause mass causalities in London. After a call to Happy, a trip on Stark’s jet and a chance to play with Stark’s ‘toys,’ Parker seems to have gained his confidence, or rather his ‘Peter tingle,’ back.
Spider-Man, of course, saves the world and defeats the bad guy. He heads home with his friends – and MJ, who now knows his identity. However, as Spider-Man goes about his friendly neighborhood duties – it seems MJ isn’t the only person who realizes his true identity!
Stay tuned through the credits for some great extra scenes and hints to the next films in the Marvel universe.
Overall, I really enjoyed the film. After some of the heaviness and emotions that came with the three-hour Endgame film, “Spider-Man: Far From Home,” does a nice job of lightening up the films again, but keeps with the storyline of what happens next. Holland shows signs of a young Downey Jr., which only makes the transition of Spider-Man taking over for Iron-Man more real. Sure there are some questions – but it really wouldn’t be a Marvel film without the questions and theories.
Did you see the film yet? What did you think? Let us know in the comments below.
Check out the video below to see what other fans thought!
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Check out the photos below from the Los Angeles premiere of "Spider-Man: Far From Home" on June 26.