Comics and Cartoons Aren't Just for Kids Anymore

Spider-Man: Far From Home is swinging into theaters this weekend and it continues the movie storyline that's been building since the revamp with Tom Holland playing the lead character. The franchise decided to keep Peter Parker young and it seems to be working out well for the classic comic character.

Spider-Man has appeared in Captain America: Civil War and Spider-Man: Homecoming, as well as the last two Avenger movies. The Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse also fits into this pocket of the universe and even picked up an Academy Award after it debuted.

This can all be very confusing to someone that doesn't read comics or hasn't kept up with the all the movies. Some people don't know where to begin with watching the movies. Spider-Man: Homecoming is a good one to begin with, then the two last Avengers movies should follow that one. Far From Home relies on audiences knowing plot points from Endgame. If you haven't seen Avengers: Endgame yet don't go to this one. There will be spoilers all over the place or you will just be plain confused.

Jake Gyllenhaal does a fine job as Mysterio and thanks to special effects there are some mindblowing scenes in Far From Home. My mouth dropped open at one point with both awe and ahh!

The new Spider-Man is a welcome addition to the saga as is the new movie Toy Story 4. It's very different than part 3 and watching the other Toy Story movies is not a requirement before seeing part four. General knowledge of the characters is helpful, but mainly this is a stand alone piece. The plot involves Woody bringing the gang of toys on a road trip that leads them to interact with some antique toys. This is when things get scary. Some children might have nightmares from the creepy dolls involved, even as a adult I was a bit frightened.

Luckily, Keanu Reeves put my fears to rest as Duke Caboom, the hilarious motorcycle man. He's a welcome distraction from any scary subplots and Tony Hale as Forky almost steals the show. Reeves is on a roll after John Wick 3 and apparently Marvel has been trying to get him in a superhero movie so maybe it will finally happen with his current hot streak.

The original Toy Story had adults going to see the cartoon in theaters without having any kids along with them. This was groundbreaking at the time and even years later with part four, there seems to be no end to ticket sales anytime soon. Navy Pier hosted an RV camper recently to promote the movie that had games and fun for all ages where players could win prizes. It was a fun way to market a fun movie.

This Toy Story is supposed to be the last one, but with so many other utensils in the drawer why not more? Even years later this doesn't seem stale yet.

You think cartoons and comics are for children? Well, not in this day and age. Not by a longshot!