Spider-Man: Far From Home review ★★★★★

Starring Tom Holland, Jake Gyllenhaal, Zendaya, Samuel L. Jackson

Runtime: 2h9mins

If there’s one superhero with the most blockbuster attention, it’s Spider-Man.

As well as Tom Holland swinging around the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the character has featured in a much-loved animation movie (Into the Spiderverse) and a furiously engaging PS4 game. After Holland’s revival in Endgame, his Spider-Man returns in Far From Home – but have we had enough of the wall-crawling web-slinger?

Luckily, like Homecoming, Far From Home shoots higher than gigantic monsters and human annihilation, though these are both essential parts of the movie's web.

Peter (Tom Holland) and MJ's (Zendaya) sweet awkwardness spreads through Far From Home

Writers Chris McKenna and Erik Somers return to inject their teen-movie electricity to this spidey sequel, as Peter plans to woo MJ on a school trip around Europe. Zendaya continues her enjoyably contrarian personality from Homecoming, but reveals a more sensitive layer buried underneath. She's more than blunt statements and hilariously morbid facts.

McKenna and Somers jump into that colourfully teenage world, which is of the 12-rated escapist kind. Peter and MJ's sweet, adolescent awkwardness spreads through the movie, and comes under pressure as Peter faces competition from an attractive but barely drawn Brad. Peter has a chance with MJ, which means taking a break from Spider-Man and focusing on that one special, romantic moment…

But not if Avengers-gatherer Nick Fury has anything to say about it, and he needs Peter's help. He recruits the fish-bowl wearing Mysterio, played with some effort by Jake Gyllenhaal, who can shoot green mist from his hands. Mysterio, or Quentin Beck, brings attention to a new inter-dimensional enemy and Fury tries to gather the heroes who can stop it.

Jake Gyllenhaal takes on Quentin Beck, aka Mysterio

Peter just wants a holiday, but the shadow of a globally mourned Tony Stark creeps into his confidence. Mysterio becomes Peter’s alternate father figure and a savoury bromance forms, Holland and Gyllenhaal sticking together with adorable chemistry.

This comes at odds with Peter’s desire to be a kid, his feelings similar to Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man in the superior Sam Raimi sequel Spider-Man 2. Tom Holland doesn’t endure the same kind of existential despair and abandonment, but the fear of matching his mentor has its own engaging difficulty: the choice of growing up sooner or later.

Before long, the story swirls into a twist that’s not wholly unexpected. The true villain reveals themselves (we won’t reveal them here) and takes a Trumpian personality, implementing modern Orwellian threats like drones, fake news, and manipulated footage to rule the world.

It’s flimsy at first, the revelations being a bit too elaborate to swallow - abandoning the teenage angsty atmosphere and pursuing the VFX thrills of blowing up famous European locations (including Tower Bridge). But the teen-movie pleasures swiftly return, fitting comfortably and comically with the CG-heavy action.

There are some annoying jokes that regrettably repeat themselves, like a teacher believing in witches, but there’s never a dull web slung in Far From Home. It’s a cute, funny, and thrilling start to the post-Endgame phase of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.