Cast: Tom Holland, Zendaya, Jake Gyllenhaal, Jacob Batalon, Samuel L. Jackson, Marisa Tomei. Directed by: Jon Watts.
The last we saw the friendly neighbourhood web-slinger, he was web-slinger deep in aliens, having been snapped out of existence, and then snapped back to face off against Thanos. For those who felt a little superhero fatigue by the end of that dramatic chapter can rejoice for Spider-Man: Far From Home is both superhero film and coming-of-age comedy.
Coming not long after Avengers: Endgame, Peter Parker finds himself trying to take a little break from superhero stuff, and going on a class trip across Europe. There he encounters Nick Fury and a man called Mysterio who claims to be fighting inter-dimensional elemental monsters that threaten our world.
Far From Home is a different beast to Homecoming, despite returning director Jon Watts, there is a less of a John Hughes vibe and more of a fun coming-of-age road movie that happens, every so often, to get slammed into a big blockbuster.
Perhaps it’s down to the stylish direction, well-written screenplay and the likeable performances, that at times you wish the monsters would go away and let these teens do teenager things. There is a lot of joy to be had watching Tom Holland’s equally charming and bumbling Peter try to woo Mary Jane (played with deadpan brilliance by Zendaya), or even the budding relationship between pal Ned (Jacob Batalon) and Betty (Angourie Rice).
When the spectacle comes it’s zippy and fun to enjoy, naturally, the changing scenery offers different stakes including some fun rug pulls that we shall not ruin, but suffice to say a water-based showdown in Venice is a particular treat for the eyes while the climax feels both funny and scary in equal measure. It comes down to an enthusiasm by Watts that his cast clearly shares, looking to imbue their characters with some fun, despite the sometimes uneasy shifts the film has.
It being a road movie it feels less of a coherent passage of time film than Homecoming, and more of a collection of scenery based hijinks, each locale punctuated by a funny line by Martin Starr as one of the teachers and a big showdown with a monster.
It also feels that at times there’s a little too much indulgence in the comedy — JB Smoove’s teacher has a recurrent gag about believing in witches which feels like an improv by Smoove that kept growing because the director laughed and no one said to get rid of it.
Despite that, the film hits the touchstones of a good teenage comedy while also being a fine addition into the Marvel canon as you would expect. For those expecting a damp squib after Endgame might be surprised by how much this film owes a debt to what came before, and other films that came before. By its end you find yourself hoping a third Holland-Spider-Man movie comes sooner rather than later because his charm is endless.
