Every MCU movie carries expectations of what came before, but Spider-Man: Far From Home has even more on its plate than most.
Not only is it the first movie after the game-changing (not to say game-ending) Avengers: Endgame, it's also the final movie of Marvel's Phase 3 with next to nothing known about what's coming next. But if that's not enough, Far From Home also had to satisfy as a fun Spider-Man adventure, and live up the expectations set by Spider-Man: Homecoming.
Lesser movies would have crumbled under the weight of those pressures, but Spider-Man: Far From Home manages to balance them all and send Phase 3 out in style.
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We'll keep this spoiler-free, but we can't help addressing the Iron Man elephant in the room. Yes, Tony Stark is dead and his heroic sacrifice in Avengers: Endgame weighs heavily on Far From Home.
Peter Parker (Tom Holland) is mourning the loss of his mentor and the world is on a constant search for the next Iron Man. Peter isn't interested in being anything other than a friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man though, so he decides to take a break by heading off on a European adventure with MJ (Zendaya), Ned (Jacob Batalon) and the rest of his class.
However, Nick Fury (Samuel L Jackson) has other ideas and wants Spidey's help with a new threat in the form of massive Elemental creatures. Teaming up with Quentin Beck (Jake Gyllenhaal), Peter must step outside of his comfort zone and learn what it takes to be a hero.
Peter's toughest challenge, though, might be expressing his true affection for MJ. It's a hard life being a teenage superhero...
As with Avengers: Endgame, it's difficult to talk too much about Far From Home without spoilers. However, we feel on safe ground talking about the cast at least.
Tom Holland is on his fifth MCU outing now and he continues to be the perfect Spider-Man for this world. He's toned down the youthful enthusiasm a bit and added some extra depth to his take as Peter deals with the death of Tony Stark and his (potentially unrequited) love for MJ. Holland's chemistry with Zendaya is adorably awkward and relatable to anyone who's ever been a teenager in love.
Following Captain Marvel, Samuel L Jackson is given another chance to explore a new side to Nick Fury. With Fury a pile of dust for five years, he's back in a world he no longer understands, not helped by the arrival of Quentin Beck – who comes from a different Earth and knows so much more than Fury.
Jackson and Jake Gyllenhaal have a fun dynamic as 'good cop, bad cop' mentors for Peter, with Gyllenhaal excellent in his MCU debut. Mysterio is a character that comics fans have long wanted to see, and his introduction into the MCU doesn't disappoint.
If there's anyone on the cast who's been let down slightly, it's Jacob Batalon as Ned. Peter's story largely revolves around his relationship with MJ, so his friendship with Ned is sidelined. Batalon does at least get a cute subplot with Betty Brant (Angourie Rice) that delves into the character's comics storylines.
And that's the really impressive thing with Far From Home. With all it had to juggle, it still finds plenty of time for Easter eggs for both Spider-Man fans and MCU devotees that don't get in the way of the story. One particular reference even justifies why this had to be the end of Phase 3 and not the start of Phase 4, tying neatly into the movie's overriding theme of legacy.
Unfortunately, one MCU element that the movie also ticks off is an overblown finale with countless explosions. Compared to the other spectacular and inventive set pieces in the movie (an early Venice sequence is a stand-out), it becomes difficult to keep track of what's happening and it's just a bit too much.
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It's not enough to derail Far From Home, though, especially when the terrific credits sequences ensure you go out on a high. 23 movies in, it's not like any Marvel fan would ever leave before the end of the credits, but trust us when we say that these are ones you cannot afford to miss.
For everything that the movie had to deal with, it really is as good as fans could have hoped for. That might sound like a slight, but we don't mean it in that sense. It would be easy for the sequel to feel like a letdown after the epic Avengers: Endgame, but Spider-Man: Far From Home is constantly funny, surprising and thrilling.
Bring on Phase 4.
Spider-Man: Far From Home is in cinemas now.
Director: Jon Watts; Starring: Tom Holland, Zendaya, Jake Gyllenhaal, Samuel L Jackson, Marisa Tomei, Jon Favreau; Running time: 129 minutes; Certificate: 12A
![Spider-Man: No Way Home [Digital Download]](https://hips.hearstapps.com/vader-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/1647961109-512Rpz1f9pL._SL500_.jpg?crop=1xw:1xh;center,top&resize=980:* "Spider-Man: No Way Home [Digital Download]")
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Movies Editor, Digital Spy Ian has more than 10 years of movies journalism experience as a writer and editor. Starting out as an intern at trade bible Screen International, he was promoted to report and analyse UK box-office results, as well as carving his own niche with horror movies, attending genre festivals around the world. After moving to Digital Spy, initially as a TV writer, he was nominated for New Digital Talent of the Year at the PPA Digital Awards. He became Movies Editor in 2019, in which role he has interviewed 100s of stars, including Chris Hemsworth, Florence Pugh, Keanu Reeves, Idris Elba and Olivia Colman, become a human encyclopedia for Marvel and appeared as an expert guest on BBC News and on-stage at MCM Comic-Con. Where he can, he continues to push his horror agenda – whether his editor likes it or not.
