Spider-Man: Far
From Home
Far from home but never far from trouble
When we see Peter Parker at the outset of
Spider-Man: Far From Home, he’s helping his aunt
at a charity fundraiser. Aunt May gives a speech
about how difficult it’s been for people to reappear
after what they’re calling ‘the blip’ into a house no
longer their own and how difficult it’s been for all
those returning people who are now homeless.
Peter then heads off to pack for his school trip
to Europe, deliberately leaving the suit behind
because he wants – needs – a break. Of course, it’s
not long before the trip is disrupted by the arrival
of Nick Fury with news of some new big bads,
the Elementals, and a mysterious man from an
alternative Earth who’s here to help destroy them.
Spider-Man: Far From Home is packed with
action from the beginning, along with plenty of
humour and surprises along the way. There’s so
much destruction of European landmarks that it
often feels more like a disaster movie than a comic
book one. Yet it works because the filmmakers
never forget to root the spectacle in the story.
Because, along with all the fun and adventure,
there is the extra weight of responsibility and grief
post-Endgame. It’s moving to see Peter struggling
so much with picking up the mantle after Tony’s
death now that the responsibility of saving the
world rests on his shoulders (though why none
of the remaining Avengers are on hand to help
remains a mystery). Tom Holland does a superb job
of dealing with the complexity of Peter’s situation,
be it the loss of another father figure, his need for
normality or his feelings for MJ. The conflict is also
made worse by having to keep his secret identity.
That said, it’s not all doom and gloom for ourPeter. His Spidey senses are tingling after all
and he even gets time to show off his genius on
occasion, offering up some delightful throwbacks
to earlier Tony moments as we see him getting to
grips with some complex tech. We are frequently
told just how young Peter is so it’s easy to forget
that he’s also incredibly smart.
Secondary characters, who have now all been
firmly introduced, get more time to shine here,
too, with Aunt May (Tomei), Happy (Favreau)
and Peter’s schoolmates getting far more to do.
Zendaya’s MJ, in particular, is a treat. She brings a
twisted and hilarious wit to the proceedings that
cuts through any moment with delicious comedic
timing. It’s a delight to watch both her character
and the chemistry between MJ and Peter develop.
Of course, aside from bringing back some great
characters, Spider-Man: Far From Home also brings
us a brand-new one and Jake Gyllenhaal’s Mysterio
is a welcome and worthy addition to the MCU.
Like Peter himself, this latest Spider-Man
offering has grown up a fair amount while still
retaining its adorable charm and sense of fun and
adventure. It’s just that it also knows not to forget
the enormity of what came before.
Make sure you stay all the way to the end for
a couple of spectacular credit scenes which show
fans that, while Endgame may have brought many
of our heroes’ stories to an end, the magic and
mystery of the MCU is far from over.
Amanda Keats
It’s a brave
new world
for Peter
Parker.Release Out now
Director
Jon Watts
Cast Tom Holland,
Zendaya, Jake
Gyllenhaal, Samuel L.
Jackson, Jon Favreau,
Jacob Batalon, Angourie
Rice, Marisa Tomei
Distributor
Sony
Certificate 12 A072 | WWW.SCIFINOW.CO.UK
TRIVIA
AS SEEN IN AN
EARLIER TRAILER,
THE SUITCASE THAT
PETER TAKES WITH HIM
TO EUROPE HAS THE
INITIALS BFP ON IT – A
LOVING NOD TO
UNCLE BEN.