By George Haerle

For Grays Harbor News Group

As Superman is perhaps the poster child for DC comics, Spider-Man has always been so for Marvel comics. And while he had a bit of a slump on the silver screen during the Andrew Garfield era of “The Amazing Spider-Man” series, the character has reclaimed that spotlight.

Tom Holland’s casting as Peter Parker/Spider-Man starting with “Captain America: Civil War,” as well as an incredibly fresh and fantastic original adventure in last year’s “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse,” have propelled the character’s resurgence.

Holland swings in for another outing as the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s wall-crawler, and this is his best performance as Peter Parker and his secret alter ego. With a well-known origin and “Spider-Man: Homecoming” getting some essential character development out of the way, Peter Parker’s story arc in “Far From Home” is given far more depth and dimension with a hybrid of superhero flick and teen rom-com.

Zendaya is also given far more meat to work with in terms of script, character depth and room to grow her character of Mary Jane. She keeps the sarcastic, dry humor of her last performance but adds some hilariously dark commentary at times, as well as an undertone of vulnerability and shyness. This version of MJ is far more interesting and likable than the one portrayed by Kirsten Dunst in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy (though that was a product of poor writing).

But the show-stealer might be Jake Gyllenhaal as Quentin Beck (aka Mysterio), who has come from his former dimension to help save Earth from an incoming threat. Once you watch “Far From Home,” you’ll see why he was perfectly cast, playing a charming do-gooder type with compassion and even fatherly wisdom for Peter during their feature-length battle with the elementals that have come to attack Earth.

These elementals arrive just as Peter is about to go on a class trip to Europe, where he has big plans to try to enter a relationship with his classmate MJ. His hopelessly romantic plans get spoiled by Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) and his team of agents and operatives, along with their new ally Mysterio.

With all of that, Peter is also trying to cope with the loss of father figure and mentor Tony Stark after the events of “Avengers: Endgame.” He feels lost and depressed at the thought of a world without Stark, and the loss of his seemingly infinite knowledge. It’s an interesting angle that hasn’t yet been explored in the MCU in the moving sort of way it is in “Far From Home.” You feel Peter’s loss and a bit of sadness knowing Iron Man is no more; and it’s in these moments, as well as the entirety of the third act, where Holland especially shines in the part of Peter/Spider-Man.

While the plot does center heavily on the battle with the elementals, it is never given so much priority over the excellent human moments. But don’t worry, this strange sci-fi plot that seems out of place in a Spider-Man film ramps up to an extremely satisfying and oh-so-cool direction in the second half, which shows off some of the best Spider-Man action scenes since the 2004 “Spider-Man 2.” The trailers don’t do the film justice; you’ll get a far better plot and spectacle of a show than you might ever expect.

This movie is just fun, and is now one of my personal favorites within the entire MCU series. It’s in the same league of fun and coolness as the “Guardians of the Galaxy” movies and “Thor: Ragnarok,” while still being maybe one of the most authentic Spider-Man films to date. It also sticks the landing in capping off the entire three-phase, 20-plus film Infinity War/Thanos saga to a close with a grin-inducing rollercoaster epilogue — and at times, it even manages to be an adorable romantic comedy.

“Spider-Man: Far From Home” is a must-see on the big screen. If you’ve still been lacking the excitement you may have had in the early 2000s for the character’s prime era on film, this is the movie that may respark that excitement; I know I could watch 10 more if they were as good as this one. This isn’t just a home run for Disney’s Marvel Studios; it’s a grand slam.

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“Spider-Man: Far From Home” is currently playing at the Riverside Cinemas, 1017 S. Boone St. in Aberdeen.

George Haerle holds a bachelor’s degree in creative writing for media and lives in Cosmopolis.