129m/Rated PG-13
NOTE: Generally spoiler-free review, but do NOT read further (or watch the trailer below) if you have not yet seen Avengers: Endgame, and/or don't want that film spoiled for you!
Prose (Story): The events of Avengers: Endgame have left the world mourning and badly in need of what few superheroes remain - so when Peter Parker, on a European trip with his high school class - comes across both a new hero and a new threat, the young webslinger finds himself concripted to help in a world where good and evil - and all the rules about both - may have changed for good.
Don's (Review): Tom Holland remains pretty much the perfect live-action incarnation of the teenaged Peter Parker, who is simply trying to balance his duties to humanity (and Tony Stark) as a superhero with trying to live the life of a teenager, which includes the ongoing crush on MJ (Zendaya) he's hoping to turn into a real relationship ... until this latest threat to the world throws the proerbial wrench in the works. With Stark gone, it's now Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) Spider-man answers to, and along with a new hero named Mysterio (an earnest Jake Gyllenhaal) the screen blows up with explosions and CGI whenever the set-piece fight scenes play out with this new dynamic duo, all action/all the time. But it's in between where the film finds its best moments in the quiet ones - Peter trying to woo MJ, dealing with a potential new arrival for her affections, or even staring in awe at the spontaneous romance his best friend Ned (Jacob Batalon) has fallen into during their class trip. These are the nicest, funniest aspects that ground the film: Peter dealing with his classmates and teachers, or his feelings for MJ, all while remaining a genuine, unsure-of-himself introvert behind the mask when it comes to her. Nothing original, but sweet. But this is a superhero film, which means the action must dominate - and the big "reveal" here isn't much of a surprise - its backstory right out of a primer on how to write a superhero movie - but the finale comes to the rescue soon after, pulling both toned-down and ramped-up story arcs together in a satisfying "final battle" that helps to answer some questions, while also (duh) setting up others for the next film in the franchise. Fun and full of action, what the film may lack in originaility it more than makes up for in its unlikely hero, Peter Parker - Tom Holland absolutely solidifiying his ownership of the iconic film role here. 4/5 stars
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