Spider-Man: Far From Home (Dir John Watts, 2h9m)

Spider-Man Far From Home has rather a weight on its shoulders-not only is it the first film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe since the cultural monolith Avengers Endgame rolled through, destroying box-office records in its wake, but it also closes out Phase 3, and indeed the entire twenty-three film Infinity Saga. The fact that it brings light back to the Marvel Universe, after the loss of some of its most beloved characters, and sets the stage ready for more Marvel adventures, whilst nimbly fleshing out what's likely to be one of its chief protagonists in the years to come, in the shape of Spider-Man/Peter Parker (Tom Holland) is nothing short of a triumph.

With Earth, Peter, and his classmates recovering from the reversal of omnicidal clicker, Thanos, with the event now euphemistically called "The Blip", so Peter himself slowly comes to terms with the loss of father-figure and mentor Tony Stark, as well as his feelings for MJ (Zendaya), as they, and their class, enjoy a trip across Europe. To take Spider-Man out of his familiar New York setting, for the first time (at least in stand-alone Spider-Man films) ever may, at first glance seem a mis-step, removing the friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man from his neighbourhood, but the film adapts to its neatly, as a new threat means that Peter's holiday quickly comes off the rails.

With the introduction of the Elementals, otherworldly creatures from another dimension, and Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal), a globe wearing magic-using superhero, so the MCU not only suggests a new threat to the post-Avengers but also new heroes to defend it. Mysterio is something that the MCU, however, hasn't seen before, a smart foil for one of its core characters, someone with whom, unlike other members of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Peter can talk to and share his experiences. Moreover, there is a sense of fun, despite his dark past as the last survivor of his planet, to Mysterio, a sense of camaradare between him and Peter, in sharp contrast to the often stiff and formal relationship between Peter and Nick Fury (Samuel L Jackson, who now very much feels, with the loss of Evans and Downey Jr, like the elder statesman of the franchise)



So far so typical Spider-Man-indeed, in its broad brushstrokes, this seems like an emotionally tinged retread of the first film, complete with Peter trying to find his role in the world, albeit given a much larger scope. What immediately separates it, though, is the humour-with its characters more settled than the original, and with a smaller group of characters interacting, from Peter and MJ to sidekick Ned and his flame Betty, and his rival, Flash, bouncing off each other, particularly towards the finale, which winnows down to to its key members to focus upon among the chaos. Indeed, with the group now developed, the humour comes a little quicker, and smarter than before, playing personalities off against each other whilst tapping neatly into a vein of knowingly millennial humour.

However, with Mysterio comes the film's biggest shift from Homecoming-beneath the goldfish bowl, and the cheery exterior, there is an altogether, particularly with an ill-advised decision by Peter, more dangerous man-this seems as far from Vulture as possible-no longer is  Peter one of the "little guys", given tremendous power. Gyllenhaal thus spends much of the second half of the film nimbly stepping between large hamming, and an altogether more neurotic and more details-obsessed villain than we have ever seen before, as his plan to set himself up as the true successor, the real solution to the vacuum at the heart of the Post Blip world.

Indeed, if nothing else, among the spectacle-and not since Thor Ragnarok has the world of Marvel seemed this visually rich as the cogs of Mysterio's plan begin to click round giving way to some nightmarish visuals-has a Marvel film approached the post-truth world so well-there is, undoubtedly, in these European escapades the sense of both the media and indeed the world being easy to manipulate, the world attacked by so many threats that it has now become easy to manipulate this. This, and the return of a stalwart of the Spider-Man world as an Alex Jones/Infowars esque figure only compounds that we are living in a more complex, less sure age than the Golden-Age of the first and second Phases of the MCU.

Yet the fact that this adventure is perhaps the most hopeful Marvel's output has been for a while, that Peter comes out of this a more resolved, more confident and more sure figure, and undoubtedly with him, the beginnings of a new Marvel hero team begin, that we begin to see the familiar elements of Spider-Man click into place, all of it feels less like the end of something old, and more the start of something new. If Homecoming saw Peter coming to grips with his powers,  then Far from Home sees him begin to master them, and rarely has this been more rewarding in the superhero genre

Rating: Highly Recommended