Grade: B-

I suppose, after the lengthy bombastic spectacle that was Avengers: Endgame, that we shouldn’t be surprised if the next couple movies from the Marvel Cinematic Universe were a bit more chill. Spider-Man: Far From Home is a fine if unremarkable sophomore exploration of Tom Holland’s Peter Parker/Spider-Man. Holland is utterly delightful. He has an infectious basic good-guy charm, and his voice sometimes has a raspy sing-songy quality – both of which reminded me of MJF’s Alex P. Keaton and Marty McFly.
I don’t know what you don’t want to know upfront. I almost can’t even talk about the premise without giving away the biggest spoiler from Endgame. I will tell you that this sequel takes Peter Parker and his classmates on a class trip through Europe. Enough familiar faces from previous Marvel movies show up to make it satisfying. I loved the abundance of Samuel L. Jackson in Captain Marvel, and was disappointed that he was barely there in Endgame. There is plenty of him here. Jake Gyllenhaal does nice work as a multi-faceted character, Zendaya is back as a spunky, sassy, scene-stealing MJ, and I enjoyed seeing Jon Favreau and Marisa Tomei again. There are two post-credits scenes. One gives some vital information and acts as a sequel setter upper, and the other one ultimately doesn’t matter, but is a fun twist.
Spider-Man: Far From Home is at times amusing, at times boring, and not the best one you’ll see. I learned two things from it. If you are hit by a train, a cut on the side of your face and a slight limp will be the extent of your injuries. Also, characters love to stand out among the wreckage, flames, smoke, and flying embers of the aftermath of an attack and have their dialogue there. Just once I wanted someone to suggest moving to a location with cleaner air.
Grade: B-
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