Globe-hopping action a fun trip Holland was born to play Spidey
Spider-man: Far From Home There’s never been a better time for a superhero to come along and put smiles on people’s faces.
And that’s exactly what Spider-man: Far From Home – now premiering on Sky Movies – does in one of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s (MCU) biggest slices of pure fun.
Returning director Jon Watts maintains the bright and breezy tone of 2017’s excellent predecessor Homecoming.
The lighter mood – crammed with teenage hijinks, hilarious dialogue and Martin Starr and J.B. Smoove’s bestworst teacher chaperones ever – is a welcome relief after previous MCU entry Avengers: Endgame’s weighty resonance.
It’s not all fun and games though, with Holland’s hero tested to the limits, whether it be trying to court Zendaya’s MJ in an incredibly sweet romance, dealing with his aunt May’s (Marisa Tomei) burgeoning love-life or coping with the loss of father-figure Tony Stark.
This was a role Holland was born to play and his reluctant hero Peter Parker is everything a teenager thrust into such imposing responsibility should be.
Not counting space, the aptly titled Far From Home marks the first time we’ve seen Spidey out of his neighbourhood; Peter’s very own Euro trip – which admittedly drags a little and should really have his classmates clambering for return flights home – is more in keeping with the type of passport-stamping we’ve seen from James Bond.
Fifteen years after nearly playing Spider-man, Jake Gyllenhaal is in sparkling form as Peter’s magical mentor Mysterio.
The movie’s big bad is an ingenious creation and the mid-credits scene among the MCU’S best ever, setting up a tantalising next step in Spidey’s saga.
The Elementals laying waste to Venice and London is a treat for the eyes – but, crucially, the film never loses sight of the human peril at the heart of the action – and there’s a wonderful hallucinogenic sequence that’s like a comic book come to life.