Spider-Man: Far From Home: Film Review

Spider-Man: Far From Home: Film Review

Cast: Tom Holland, Zendaya, Jake Gyllenhaal, Samuel L Jackson, Cobie Smulders, Marisa Tomei, Jon Favreau
Director: Jon Watts

More a film about fallout and fallen heroes, as well as father figures, Spider-Man: Far From Home thwips and zips around Europe as it unleashes the concluding picture in Phase 3 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Peter Parker (Holland, lithe and offering depth in whatever's commanded of him) is grieving the loss of Tony Stark in Avengers: Endgame and fielding calls to become the next Iron Man.

With the world reeling from the replacement of everyone who disappeared from Thanos' snap, and the social problems it poses, Parker just wants to concentrate on being a teen, go on holiday and tell MJ (Zendaya, nicely awkward and giving some resonance to their relationship) how he feels.

But when a new threat emerges, Nick Fury (a petulant and off-key Jackson) is determined to get Spider-Man to man up - however, even with the arrival of Jake Gyllenhaal's fatherly Quentin Blake (aka Mysterio), Parker has to deal once again with the fact that with great power, comes great responsibility.

While Spider-Man: Far From Home will proffer little surprises to those well-versed with their Spider-lore, what Watts and the team does is provide a wrap up capper that leans on the humour, builds on the heart and goes heavy on the action when it's needed.

The tone feels right for Spider-Man, and while the relationship between Peter and Jacob Batalon's Ned is sidelined when it sparkled in Homecoming, Far From Home is more interested in giving Parker surrogate father figure options to replace Stark's cold hard mentoring.

From Favreau's Happy via Jackson's sharp Fury to Gyllenhaal's soft and open-to-listening Blake, and taking in Parker's interactions with MJ as he struggles to say what matters, the human touches are welcome ones, as the film zips around its European settings before ending with an action-packed London finale that shows the CGI off to its highest capabilities. It's these moments which help Spider-Man: Far From Home soar to the heights it's trying to achieve.

Deftly being thrown around the screen, and leaping where necessary and pratfalling when required, Tom Holland's take on Parker now feels essential, both in the context of Spider-Man and in returning him to more high school related woes as he juggles his conscience and his desire to be normal.

The CGI shows no signs of creaking as the screen occasionally overfills with the action - something the biggest screen is required for. Some nightmarish scenes offer the kind of head trips last experienced by Doctor Strange, but never lose their intimate scope and subject in the mix as the film deftly dances around people's beliefs.

In many ways, Spider-Man: Far From Home is a fairly disposable, but supremely enjoyable piece of superhero fare.

It proffers an alternative to the heavy-laced edges of Avengers: Endgame and the doom-laden films it's led up to, but never loses sight of its place within the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

It may conclude in the usual fashion with the expected CGI carnage, but thanks to the work done by Holland, it feels like it's light and lithe on its feet, a web-slinger that embraces its canon and identity but isn't afraid to play fast and loose with expectations.

(Oh, and it scores extra points for embracing one of the best parts of last year's Spider-Man PS4 game.)