'Spider-Man: Far From Home' Review

Synopsis: Our friendly neighborhood superhero decides to join his best friends on a European vacation. However, Peter's plan to leave super heroics behind for a few weeks are quickly scrapped when he begrudgingly agrees to help Nick Fury uncover the mystery of several elemental creature attacks, creating havoc across the continent.

Runtime: 129 minutes

MPAA Rating: PG-13 (for sci-fi violence, some language, and brief suggestive comments)

Who should see it? Marvel fans of all ages.

**Spoiler Warning for Avengers: Endgame**

Billed as the end of Marvel's "Infinity Saga" and third phase of superhero outings, Spider-Man: Far From Home sees Spider-Man: Homecoming creatives Jon Watts, Chris McKenna, and Erik Sommers swing Peter Parker across the Atlantic to embark on a globe-trotting adventure in the wake of Avengers: Endgame's poignant resolution. Though Iron Man is a no-show, Tony Stark's shadow looms over the production as the world mourns the heroic billionaire-philanthropist and asks who will step up to fill the void Stark left behind. All the while, Peter feels lost without his mentor. Clearly traumatized by all he's endured, Peter's unsure if he's ready to singlehandedly accept the responsibility associated with super-heroics when he'd rather partake in the pleasantries of an average teenage life. 

Peter's struggle to balance both identities has been a staple of the character across every medium since his creation, but that dilemma is especially prevalent in Far From Home. Every incarnation of the web-head deals with this eventually, but I particularly like how this version is doing so while still in High School. Fighting elemental creatures made of fire and water is just as challenging as telling a girl he likes her, and that aspect of the character makes Peter more relatable than most superheroes. Not to mention his headspace after Endgame further complicating matters.

Returning director Jon Watts ups the ante of Spidey spectacle, seemingly more confident helming action after his experience on Homecoming, as he and his crew deliver sequences I'd never have imagined to be possible on the big screen. The visual effects were noticeably an improvement over Homecoming as well while the spectacular new suits Spider-Man dons throughout the flick each have their moment in the limelight. Underneath it all, Michael Giacchino's varied orchestral arrangements provide an ideal accompaniment to the wall-crawler's international exploits.  

Swinging onscreen for his fifth outing as Spidey, Tom Holland continues to portray Peter Parker with the appropriate awkwardness and insecurity contrasting his youthful exuberance. He's solidified himself as my favorite iteration of Spider-Man by this point, and I hope he carries on with the role in years to come! Opposite Holland, Zendaya's MJ proves to be more than a strange, snarky side character as she's fleshed out through her interactions with Peter.

Meanwhile, Mysterio's live-action debut piqued my interest as I was thrilled to see he would be brought to the big screen complete with the green/gold suit, purple cape, and glorious fishbowl helmet. Underneath said helmet, Jake Gyllenhaal lends manic energy to Quentin Beck that was an utter delight to witness. Discussing the character in detail risks spoiling the movie's many twists and turns, but I was pleased it proved to be a faithful onscreen adaptation.

Filling out Peter's class, Jacob Batalon, Angourie Rice, and Tony Revolori return as Ned Leeds, Betty Brandt, and Flash Thompson while Remy Hii is introduced as new student Brad Davis. The young cast offers humorous depictions of familiar high school personalities. However, some comedic bits in the first act didn't stick the landing. 

Reprising their roles from other corners of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Samuel L. Jackson, Cobie Smulders, and Jon Favreau each appear as Nick Fury, Maria Hill, and Happy Hogan respectively. One of the joys of the MCU is witnessing characters come together and interact with one another for the first time, so it was nice to watch these characters bounce off Peter. Other noteworthy adult characters include Marisa Tomei's dependable Aunt May and Martin Starr and J.B. Smoove as a pair of wacky high school teachers chaperoning the trip. I noticed people leaving my theater, so I felt it was worth reiterating that you should stick around after the ending for two pivotal post-credit scenes.

Full of laughs, action, adventure, and awkward teen romance, Spider-Man: Far From Home is a spectacular sequel that delivers everything audiences have come to expect from an entry starring the celebrated web-slinger. Far from what I'd imagined I would walk away thinking, Far From Home is also my new favorite live-action Spider-Man film.

Film Assessment: A

'Jack Reacher: Never Go Back' Review

Jack Reacher: Never Go Back returns to the life of ex-major military cop Jack Reacher and almost immediately one of his new allies, Major Turner his replacement as military police officer, is incriminated for espionage and Reacher's pulled into the mess and must prove both their innocence along with handling his past.

I'm not a huge fan of it's precursor Jack Reacher, but I will certainly admit it was a solid action flick and unfortunately that can't quite be said for this addition. Edward Zwick directs the sequel, filling in for Christopher McQuarrie seeing as he's moved on to other Tom Cruise collaborations, and has difficulty pulling Never Go Back out of the doldrums considering there's little to no energy or charisma present in the painfully long hour and fifty eight minute runtime, trust me it felt more like two and a half hours. 

The cinematography from director of photography Oliver Wood looked stale compared to the previous Reacher film and evokes modern action genre tropes by utilizing shaky-cam. The actions sequences were admittedly exciting in the moment but were rather forgettable because I can't remember much beyond the punching I've seen Cruise execute a million times in the trailer. 

The screenplay cooked up by Zwick, Richard Wenk, and Marshall Herskovitz based on Lee Child's novel Never Go Back finds itself overcrowded with extraneous plot lines, and unnecessary characters that just seem forcibly inserted in the story. Trust me, nobody that enjoyed the first Jack Reacher wants to add an angsty teenage girl to the mix and that's just what the screenwriters did. 

Tom Cruise puts on a steely gaze as Reacher, putting in tons of commitment into the stunt work but almost sleeping through his dialogue delivery. Cobie Smulders has a nice show in supporting capacity as Major Turner, certainly living up to the physicality of the role and performing up to par with Cruise in regards to combat sequences. While it was nice to see Cruise and Smulders run alongside each other, since Cruise is notable for his action sprint in many an action film, the duo don't have much chemistry whatsoever. All their moments and humor intended to bounce off one another fell flat and simply felt forced. 

Danika Yarosh plays the obnoxious teenage girl to a tee, serving as a one-note plot device, but her character detracts more from what's in play than what she brings to the table. Really no other performance was worth noting because they were all so bland and devoid of energy, especially Reacher's dull foes. 

Like it's predecessor Jack Reacher: Never Go Back is an uninspired action movie filled with predictable clichés and genre tropes but also features some notable action sequences worth watching. It fulfills it's purpose of being a by the numbers action movie but it never really exceeds that, and in some cases is even worse. If you really want to see a better film that was released this year about two investigators and a sassy young girl, I'd highly recommend checking out The Nice Guys.

Film Assessment: D+