Released: 5th July 2019 (UK)
Length: 129 Minutes
Certificate: 12A
Director: Jon Watts
Starring: Tom Holland, Zendaya, Samuel L. Jackson, Jon Favreau, Cobie Smulders, J.B Smoove, Jacob Batalon and Jake Gyllenhaal
After wrapping up its decade-long story with the stellar Avengers: Endgame, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is up for a break; it’s closing things down with Spider-Man: Far from Home, a character expected to take centre stage the future of the franchise.
Taking place shortly after Endgame, Peter Parker (Tom Holland) is looking to get away from his superhero duties with an end-of-year school trip to Europe. Despite his best efforts however, Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) and SHIELD once again yank him back into the field to tackle a set of elementals that are wreaking havoc from another dimension. Spider-Man leaps into action alongside newcomer Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal) to take on the danger while juggling his time with schoolmates. If Spider-Man: Homecoming was mainly a high school drama then Far from Home veers more towards a road trip flick, blending elements of school life with the superhero action and humour we’ve come to expect. It moves along at a great pace though it isn’t without its faults; there’s an item of insecure yet priceless technology given to Peter that seems very convenient to keeping the plot moving. On the same lines, the passing of a certain character also weighs heavily on Spider-Man’s shoulders, but it doesn’t quite reach its full emotional potential; while the MCU clearly wants to move on from the momentous events of Endgame, it could do more to weave the aftermath in with the remaining characters who are now set to take centre stage. Despite these plot holes however, Far from Home does have its own unique elements; there’s a narrative swerve in the middle act that casual viewers may not see coming that also ties in with a real-world problem we have with information and how it is spread; this ends up being the film’s strongest hook.
With a much smaller cast, there’s plenty of quality performances to find in Spider-Man’s second MCU outing. Tom Holland is still brilliant as Spider-Man, capturing the pressures of balancing the character’s double-life effortlessly while taking steps to become a greater part of the MCU. Samuel L. Jackson and Cobie Smulders are given plenty to do throughout in their SHIELD roles and finally, Far from Home also introduces Mysterio, who both looks the part while delivering a hidden depth that the film cleverly hides for its first half; Jake Gyllenhaal does a solid job here. Unfortunately, other characters don’t fare as well; the film introduces a new version of Mary-Jane played this time by Zendaya. Taking a well-established character in a different direction is a worthy endeavour but when it came down to the writing, I just wasn’t engaged with MJ’s character; her stoic, seemingly uncaring mannerisms made her a bit unlikeable and while things did pick up in the film’s final act, it’s tricky to get invested. Other characters have their moments alongside others that feel tacked on, most notably Happy Hogan’s (Again played by John Favreau) occasional fling with Peter’s Aunt May which doesn’t offer anything to the main narrative.
The effects in Spider-Man: Far from Home are driven directly by Mysterio’s entrance and in some ways it feels as if Spider-Man’s aesthetics have crossed over with Doctor Strange; Mysterio’s illusions are incredibly well-realised and the way they seamlessly shift, dissolve and alternate from one environment to another is often very creative. There’s some brilliant looking animation on show here despite the film’s reduced scale. For the music we have a set of synthesisers accompanying the more zany, sci-fi aspects of the narrative alongside a collection of cultural additions that match each of the locations presented in the film; whether it’s Venice, Italy or the bustling carnivals of Prague in the Czech Republic, it always works to keep the audience immersed in Peter’s trip. The action is fast and frantic, often panning over and around various landmarks to keep things moving. Far from Home ultimately maintains the standards set by previous MCU flicks while offering its own original contributions.
Offering a more contained and laidback close to the MCU’s third phase, Spider-Man: Far from Home is a decent continuation with plenty of entertainment value to boot; it’s not without some plot holes and wonky character writing but you’ll still have a good time watching it. It ranks around the same level as Spider-Man: Homecoming for me.
Rating: 3.5/5 Stars (Good)
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