Review by JD Piche, RCRs Producer and Pop Culture expert, follow him on Twitter at @misadventurer

If Endgame was the finale of the first 3 Phases of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, FFH is the post credit scene.

We catch up with the world, post the Snappening, and (Endgame spoilers; the return of everyone) and we see how, when titans clash, it affects the lives of the smallfolk. In an early scene, Aunt May (Marissa Tomei) is leading a charity fundraiser for those displaced after the events of Endgame. And Endgame’s shadow looms large over the film for the duration. Tony Stark is dead and we’re reminded of that fact constantly, and it’s taking a toll on Peter Parker (Tom Holland, already in his 5th outing as the Wall Crawler). Spider-Man needs a vacation, and Peter is going on a class trip to Europe, however, he wants to leave the web-shooters behind, in an attempt to protect his secret identity, why would New York’s friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man be in Venice or Paris at the same time as some Midtown High Kids, and why does Pete always disappear when Spidey shows up? However, Nick Fury has need for ol’ Webhead in Europe, as the other Avengers are unavailable. It seems that after all the Infinity Stone shenanigans caused some type of multiversal shift, which brought Quentin Beck (Jake Gyllenhaal), a Hero from another Earth to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, he identifies as Earth-616 (editor’s note, Earth-616 is the Main Marvel Comics continuity, and the MCU films take place on Earth-199999, either a misdirect or a continuity error on Sony’s behalf, as Spider-Man FFH was made by Sony Pictures, but had help from Kevin Feige’s Marvel Studios…)

Far From Home breaks new ground with some of the most imaginative feats Spider-man has ever done. A bold statement after the 2018 PlayStation Exclusive Spider-Man game from Insomniac, puts players on control and offered unprecedented ability to wall crawl around Manhattan and fight evil. There are even a few sequences that feel lifted front the game itself, including Spidey taking a selfie mid-Web Swing. Although there are a few rough scenes that just looked like Tom Holland was wearing a Wire harness hopping around inelegantly, as well as a couple other scenes that leave you scratching your head as to why, other than to remind you “it’s a movie” – cheap earmarks that drag down Sony films, the kind of things that wound up ruining Spider-Man 3, and other films that had to answer to artless “Studio Notes.”

Getting into the story of the film would spoil it, there is a big second act twist, which changes the trajectory of the adventure, but by the end Peter matures into being a Spider-Man, Holland is the only Peter portrayer who nails how nerdy Parker is, being one of the smartest characters in the MCU, as he reels off the possible implications of quantum entanglement and people from one Earth coming here. Zendaya is solid, despite her MJ’s playing aloof at ever turn. A great foil for Holland’s Peter. Gyllenhaal brings his own brand of charisma to the film, as Mysterio was always a B-Level rogue’s gallery member for Spider-Man. Director Jon Watts returned from Spider-Man Homecoming and pulled together a top tier entry to the MCU.

One could jump in and watch Far From Home, absent having seen any other of the MCU movies, which really are just serials now, it would be like starting to watch an ongoing Soap Opera without any context, but as Marvel’s Generalissimo Stan Lee would say, “Every Comic is Someone’s First” – you would be able to pick up that Spider-Man is just a 16-year-old kid, who has a crush on Zendaya’s MJ, and she seems to like him back, and his best friend’s name is Ned and there’s a lot of Tony Stark talk but, yadda yadda. The movie works on its own as much as any film can, especially when it’s the 7th Live Action Spider-Man Film with the 3rd actor playing the part (editor’s note: back when Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 2 was in preproduction, Tobey Maguire had injured his back working on Seabiscuit, and wanted more money to return to the role as Peter Parker, Sony threatened to replace Tobey with Jake Gyllenhaal)

Spider-man: Far From Home will be in theaters July 2, 2019

About SPIDER-MAN: FAR FROM HOME
Following the events of Avengers: Endgame, Spider-Man must step up to take on new threats in a world that has changed forever.

• Directed by: Jon Watts
• Written by: Chris McKenna & Erik Sommers
• Based on the MARVEL Comic by: Stan Lee and Steve Ditko
• Produced by: Kevin Feige, Amy Pascal
• Cast: Tom Holland, Samuel L. Jackson, Zendaya, Cobie Smulders, Jon Favreau, JB Smoove, Jacob Batalon, Martin Starr, with Marisa Tomei, and Jake Gyllenhaal

Photos Courtesy Sony Pictures / Spider-Man: Far From Home