Sony and Marvel Studios have rounded out Phase Three of the Marvel Cinematic Universe in grand style with Spider-man: Far From Home. The film picks up shortly after the events of Avengers: Endgame, and finds Peter Parker (Tom Holland), attempting to deal with the aftermath of the final battle with Thanos and picking up his life as best as he is able.

As such, Peter is looking forward to a European trip as not only is his friend Ned (Jacob Batalon) coming along, but Peter also wants to use this trip to get closer to MJ (Zendaya) and express his feelings for her.

While the early part of the trip starts off as you would expect for a bunch of teens experiencing Venice for the first time, Peter soon finds himself struggling to save the day and keep his alter ego a secret when a dangerous Elemental creature attacks the city.

With the help of a powered individual named Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal), Peter is able to stop the attack but with the arrival of Maria Hill (Colbie Smulders), and Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), Peter learns that there are bigger attacks on the way and that his skills are being pressed into service for the greater good.

This causes a great deal of conflict for Peter as after his recent experiences with the Avengers – he simply wants to enjoy a vacation as a 16 year old and feels that he needs time to have a life and recover from his recent ordeals.

In a summer that has largely been filled with disappointments following Avengers: Endgame, Spider-Man: Far from Home delivers the goods.

The cast is great and the film mixes the action and humor of the character well. We get everything that fans have come to expect from the series.

The visuals are amazing and the audience was cheering for the twistingly nimble and gravity defying moves of the title character as well as laughing at the surprising amount of humor in the film. The comedic sequences set the tone for the film and support the action sequences well.

Holland truly owns the role, as his portrayal encompasses the duality and conflict of the character well. For all of Spider-Man’s quips and bravado, he is still an awkward and confused teen who has to deal with everyday issues despite having tremendous abilities, and lives in a world filled with dangers most could never fathom.

The supporting cast is amazingly strong and it was so nice to see Jon Favreau back as Happy, as he works so well within the Marvel Universe. There are two bonus scenes in the credits and rather than act as a bit of fun filler, they are filled with many surprise moments and cameos which not only delight, but set up some very interesting consequences and opportunities down the road when Phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe resumes.

This one is a must see. I’m giving it 5 stars out of 5.

Spider-Man: Far from Home debuts in theaters on July 2.

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[First published on SKNR.NET]

Gareth Von Kallenbach

Gareth is the mastermind behind the popular pop media site Skewed and Reviewed. He lives in Arizona with his wife Em McBride.