Firstly, if for some inexplicable reason you haven’t watched Endgame, do not even watch the trailers for Far From Home until you have.
Secondly, It is REALLY hard to not spoil moments of this film and be in depth… but here goes … Spiderman: Far From Home (SMFFH) had a big problem. Its proximity to Avengers: Endgame was always going to present a difficult prospect for Marvel and Sony. No matter how excited everyone was for the Homecoming sequel, it being set for release in the gigantic shadow of Endgame, meant it was always going to feel like a bit of an afterthought. Luckily, that is far from the case, in fact, SMFFH flirts with being one of the best Marvel films yet and an absolute jaw-dropping ending gives Marvel’s Phase 3 an emphatic finish.
In the wake of all the finger snapping in Endgame, we find our titular (Tom Holland) hero out of sorts with the world. His desire to do good and understanding the weight of responsibility being thrust upon him are starting to weigh on him. Luckily his school Science club field trip to Europe may just help him get his life back on track. He can profess his love to quirky MJ (brilliantly played by Zendaya), have fun with his friends and forget all of the pressure he is under in NY. Or so he thinks.
Nick Fury (Samuel Jackson) is trying to get in touch with him and Peter keeps ignoring his calls. Feeling a bit like Chevy Chase’s National Lampoon Vacation films the first 3rd of SMFFH skips along with light-hearted fun and hi-jinks. Then, things start to get serious once we are in Venice. Attacks by “Elemental” creatures spring Peter into action until the alien “Mysterio” intervenes and helps to save the day. Working with Nick Fury to stop these creatures and keeping his holiday fun and MJ out of a rival’s clutches becomes more and more challenging as the film goes on.
Can the Elementals be stopped, will MJ fall into the arms of another, Who is Mysterio? Sadly this is pretty much where my review has to stop without saying too much. Holland’s youthful exuberance makes him still the best Spider Man we’ve ever had. Zendaya is great as the slightly nihilistic, awkward MJ and has arguably some of the best lines in the film. Her subtlety is a perfect foil for Holland and she matches him in the vulnerability stakes. Jackson does snarled Nick Fury as only he does but a film is only as good as its villain and Jake Gylenhall hams it up superbly. Much like Keaton in the film before, he is focused and will not allow anything or one to get in his way. At times he even seems goofy but it weirdly adds to the complexity of the character.
There are a ton of subtle references as to the next direction of Spider Man and the Marvel universe at large to keep all the comic book nerds happy and of course, visually it is stunning. Some of them are truly mind-bending.
By no means is Spider Man: Far From Home a perfect film, and it’s a tough call between this and the previous Homecoming, but it’s not far off. Great set pieces and a truly engaging story make this the blockbuster of the summer.
Review by Nigel Mark of Glassmates
Spider Man: Far From Home is in UK cinemas now.