Photo Credit: Sony Pictures.

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD FOR SPIDER-MAN: FAR FROM HOME, AVENGERS INFINITY WAR, AND AVENGERS ENDGAME.

Spidey Gets a Vacation

This week saw the release of Marvel Entertainment’s most recent addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-man: Far From Home. This film occurs very soon after the events in Avengers: Endgame. So if you’re one of the few that haven’t seen it yet, get out there and do it!

Quick Synopsis

The film begins with a touching, yet comical tribute to the fallen heroes of Avengers: Endgame. This film doesn’t baby its audience. It expects you to know exactly what’s been going on in this Universe for the past 12 years. This film mirrors the tone of the first Spider-man film, Spider-man: Homecoming. It follows our goofy, teenage hero through the woes of High School, while also finding time to save the world. This is essentially another High School comedy with superpowers thrown in. But, isn’t that why we are watching in the first place?  The tone is very similar to Homecoming in its constant use of comedy and the occasional visual gag. While not every joke resonates with every person, there’s enough comedy to find something to laugh at.

Tired from saving the world, Peter uses a school field trip to Europe as an excuse to unwind and leave Spider-man back in Queens. If you’ve seen the films that follow this one, it makes perfect sense why Peter Parker is so worn out. Our hero just finished fighting a Titan in Endgame, so his sabbatical is well deserved. Upon arriving in Europe, Peter is immediately approached by Nick Fury, head of SHIELD. Fury recruits Peter to aid in taking down The Elementals. These are four beings that reflect the four elements of Earth, Fire, Water, Wind, and Dirt. Fury is assisted by Mysterio, who left his parallel universe to come to ours in an attempt to defeat this threat.

Photo Credit: Sony Pictures

Far From Boring

In order not to spoil any major plot details for the film, this will be a comprehensive review of Spider-man: Far From Home. Any fan of Spider-man should thoroughly enjoy this film. Though, any REAL fan will not be surprised by the film’s twist. Spider-man: Far From Home compensates for this with a good, solid story. The plot can seem chaotic at times, as characters are propelled from one country to another in a flash, but this adds to the urgency that the film creates in its second half. Once the twist is revealed, the film sets a pace that doesn’t stop until the end.

The characters that were fleshed out in the first film return with just as much quirkiness as we’ve seen before. The chemistry between Tom Holland and Zendaya in this film will bring back memories of your embarrassing, High School dating fiascoes, while simultaneously warming your heart with the passion these actors bring to the screen.

This film is beautifully shot, using its many locations across Europe to make you feel as though you are travelling yourself. It really shows off the bright colors of the different countries Spidey encounters; specifically a hilarious scene in the Netherlands. The special effects in this film were top notch. Even in other more recent Marvel films, Far From Home stands out as having some of the most impressive visuals yet. Apart from this, the film is a very solid cap to Marvel’s Phase 3 of films.

Photo Credit: Sony Pictures

Where Do We Go From Here?

What does this film mean for the future of the MCU? Now this is where spoilers may get heavy, but most is speculation.

Aftermath

The film discusses everyone’s place in the world after “The Snappening,” or as they call it in the film, “The Blip.” Those that were returned to our timeline in the Endgame came back the same age as when they left. Those that stayed are now five years older than those that ‘blipped.’ This is interesting in that we could see stories of new heroes that emerged in the five years between Infinity War and Endgame. We could see stories of young heroes trying to fill in the gaps that were left in the wake of ‘the blip.’

Heavy is the Head

Another nod in the film is the idea of who will take up the mantle of Tony Stark. It’s implied that Tony has left his tech to Peter and that this he will be the next tech genius, or the new Iron Man. Peter, unsure if he can handle this great responsibility, considers passing on the tech, and the mantle of Stark. This opens the door for new heroes to come in and take the place of Iron Man. While no one can ever replace Tony Stark, Iron Man could be anyone. Pepper Potts currently has an Iron Man suit, so why not someone else?

Invasion

Finally, this film mentions “Kree sleeper agents” and reintroduces us to the shape-shifting, alien race of Skrulls. We see two major characters in the MCU transform back into Skrull form to send a report back to their main base. This could lead the MCU in the direction of deception through an invasion of Skrulls or Kree, also an alien race. So, not only will the next Phase in the MCU be introducing new characters, but it could reveal the lies behind our old ones.

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