Director: Jon Watts
Screenwriters: Chris McKenna, Erik Sommers
Starring: Tom Holland, Jake Gyllenhaal, Jon Favreau, Zendaya, Cobie Smulders
Genres: Sci-fi/Fantasy, Action/Adventure
MPAA Rating: Rated PG-13 for sci-fi action violence, some language, and brief suggestive comments
Release Dates: 7/2/19 (Wide Theatrical); 9/17/19 (Disc/Streaming–Starz)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 91%
Not only is the latest Spider-Man film the best yet (and I’m including the previous Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire iterations, although I haven’t seen all of them), but it’s one of the best films of 2019. Far From Home arrives on the heels of the massively successful and well-received ending to this phase of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and is not afraid to dig into deeper themes that are relevant to the final Avengers installment. Yet, at the same time, it maintains the fun, youthful, coming-of-age vibe of Spider-Man: Homecoming. That is mainly due to the appeal of its young stars, namely Tom Holland as Peter Parker (who, from the moment he appeared in Captain America: Civil War, I knew was the best pick for that role) and the insanely likable and talented Zendaya as his love interest.
But, the teenage flirting and relationships take second fiddle to the main plot, which is far twistier and complicated than it appears. Without spoiling it, let me just that what Jake Gyllenhaal does with the Mysterio character (who is as mysterious and fascinating as the name suggests) is impressive and entertaining.
And, if all that wasn’t enough, there are two game-changing revelations in the mid- and post-credit scenes sure to have major impacts on future MCU films (thank goodness that Disney and Sony resolved their issues so this isn’t the last we’ll see of Holland’s Peter Parker).
A