DESPITE THIS REVIEW BEING SPOILER FREE, I WILL NEVERTHELESS DEFEND THE USE OF THE FISHBOWL HELMET FOR MYSTERIO WITH MY LIFE, AS WELL AS HOW HE’S USED IN THIS MOVIE

Spider-Man: Homecoming was a true delight, breezily swaggering onto our cinema screens in a year of feverishly entertaining Marvel comedies and resurrecting audience’s interest in the Spider-Man property. Under the reassuring watch of Kevin Feige the project flourished rather than being massacred by Avi ‘the tinkerer’ Arad. We were fully introduced to a charming and likeable Peter Parker in the form of Tom Holland after his first appearance in Civil War, as well as a unique and winning tone and humour which perfectly matched the spirit of the character. Following the astronomical success of the last two Avengers movies, Spider-Man is more popular than ever before, and for any fellow Spider-Man fans we’re entering a seemingly dreamlike period in the character’s cinematic history. Far From Home successfully continues the character’s consistency thus far, delivering a fitting accompaniment to Endgame whilst still developing the character and MCU in engaging and dynamic ways.

Spider-Man: Far From Home is a sequel to Homecoming and the 23rd movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It’s directed by Jon Watts just like its predecessor, based off a script written by Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers. The returning ensemble from the first movie include Tom Holland as the title character, Zendaya, Jacob Batalon, Jon Favreau and Marisa Tomei, with additional actors also being cast for the sequel including Samuel L. Jackson, Cobie Smulders and Jake Gyllenhaal.

Set shortly after the events of Avengers: Endgame, Far From Home sees Peter Parker dealing with the tragic sacrifice made by Tony Stark at the climax of that movie, as well as the responsibility of stepping up and becoming ‘the next Iron Man’. During a school trip to Europe, Peter tries to win over MJ and tell her how he feels, but a new threat presents itself in the form of huge and destructive Elemental creatures. Located and enlisted to help by Nick Fury, Parker must defeat these monsters and keep his friends safe, with the assistance of a newcomer claiming to be from a different Universe called Quentin Beck.

Far From Home is in my opinion possibly even better than its predecessor. In my mind, the mark of a competent sequel is defined by a series of objectives it must meet: it must expand the Universe of the first movie, raise the stakes to new levels, develop the characters in new and captivating ways, and crucially, must also deliver new and original aspects to engage the audience with. Spider-Man: Far From Home is successful in all of these areas, whilst still retaining the unique, coming-of-age tone of the first movie. In short, it met my expectations of what a Spider-Man sequel should be, much in the same way as Spider-Man 2 did. One of the most thrilling aspects of this movie was seeing the ways in which the filmmakers challenged Peter Parker. Admittedly, the character has already had a rough road so far in his journey across these movies, but seeing him deal with emotional problems and dilemmas such as those he goes through in this movie continues to endear the character to me.

The movie retains the tone of its predecessor as I say, but there is certainly the sense that it is a distinct film set in a changed world. Jon Watts does a terrific job at giving this movie an independent identity. The first Act is very reminiscent of Homecoming, perhaps leaning more on the High-School comedy aspect that Watts enjoys playing up. We’re eased into the narrative, but it’s not until Act two that the movie truly reaches its potential, as the enigmatic character of Mysterio energises the story. However, despite the awesome visuals ripped straight out of a comic book (they really let loose with the visual ingenuity that comes with the Mysterio character), the beating heart of the narrative is the relationship between Peter and MJ, which grounds the story whilst also providing stakes towards the end of the movie. It’s a believable romance, and Holland and Zendaya are very authentic in their awkwardness and romantic chemistry.

Undoubtedly, I can say that this is a difficult movie to review, because similarly to Endgame, there a number of integral parts I’d like to talk about without spoiling. I will probably do a Spoiler Review and delve into them but for now, I’ll have to be annoyingly vague. One thing I can say is that if you enjoyed Homecoming, the best parts of that movie are carried over, minus the gravitas perhaps of the intensely terrifying Michael Keaton. More often than not the gags hit, although by this stage we all know Marvel movies can be hilarious without breaking too much of a sweat. Plus, there’s still an endearing charm, that certain something you can’t quite put your finger on that wins you over. It’s probably due to Tom Holland’s performance or the emotional messages present in the story, but whatever it is, this movie’s got that spark.

Let’s discuss characters. There are rumours that Tom Holland might get 9 movies as Peter Parker, each trilogy charting a stage in his growth as a person, and Holland has stated he loves playing the character and would love to continue for as long as possible. I’m enthralled by this, because he’s improving with every movie in which he portrays Peter, and in Far From Home, it’s actually unbelievable that he’s as young as he is. He’s able to make Peter charming, but also express at times when he’s vulnerable, and that makes him a compelling lead. Not only this, but his character is written well, and changes satisfyingly across the movie.

Jake Gyllenhaal is great as Mysterio. I’ve been a fan of his for a while now, and Mysterio is among my favourite Spider-Man comic villains, so to see Quentin Beck brought convincingly to the screen along with his dynamic power-set is very satisfying. I won’t elaborate about his role in the movie, as that’s for you to see for yourself, but I think the way his character has been written fits neatly into the MCU and is very smart. His chemistry with Tom Holland is also very strong.

The rest of the ensemble also shines, with MJ given an expanded role that never devolves into becoming a straight-up love interest due to her fun awkward energy, hilarious turns from JB Smoov and Martin Starr, and Ned, ‘shipped in a way I disliked but he’s still a funny and charming character. Samuel L Jackson is along for the ride as Nick Fury, and as always he’s very compelling, although I feel his role in the movie could have been expanded further still.

Overall, I had a blast with Spider-Man: Far From Home. It’s fun, frequently hilarious and above all entertaining, once again capturing the spirit of the character whilst also adding new aspects to the Universe and acting as a satisfying sequel. It truly does… whatever a Spider can (the pun fell apart, ok?)

VERDICT: EXCELLENT

An awesome film, which I would very much recommend. Other than that, thank you all for reading, don’t forget to follow for more reviews coming up in the near future, and until next time, I bid you adieu!