Following the biggest cinematic event in recent memory is no easy feat, but the second solo Spidey outing within the MCU, coming a little over two months after Avengers: Endgame, is required to do just that. Knowing it can't match Endgame on either narrative heft or spectacle size, the film makes two wise moves: leans heavily into the boy-likes-girl story at its heart and lowers the stakes down a few notches from the life-altering Thanos-snap (here played mostly for minor gags). It's a great decision that allows director Jon S. Baird (returning after successfully delivering Spidey's MCU Homecoming) to keep the tone light-hearted, his intentions clear as soon as Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You" blares out during the Marvel Studios opening logo. That's not to say the threat of the Elementals - gigantic rage-monsters formed from wind, water, earth, etc etc - isn't taken seriously, but much like Peter Parker himself, the movie is more interested in our hero returning to normal teenage life. Tom Holland continues his impressive form as the awkward super-powered adolescent, finding plenty of humour (and humanity) in his attempts to ditch the costume, much to the chagrin of Nick Fury, as he deals with love, life and loss. His blossoming romance with MJ (a brilliant Zendaya) is genuinely riveting and could easily be its own film, whilst his relationships with best friend Ned (Jacob Batalon), guardian Aunt May (Marisa Tomei) and similarly-grieving pal Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau) entertainingly serve their purpose despite less screen time. Not everything is a home run though. The action, although decent enough, lacks any truly memorable moments; Jake Gyllenhaal's aptly-named Mysterio fails to engage on any meaningful level; and the European setting feels strangely ill-suited to our protagonist. But these are relatively minor quibbles in an otherwise funny and rousing blockbuster that, thanks to two massively important post-credits scenes, sets up the future of the MCU in an intriguing manner. In an astoundingly high-quality franchise this can't quite push into the top tier, but Spider-Man: Far From Home is nevertheless a charming and exciting web-slinging adventure.
Review of Spider-Man: Far from Home
