Without a doubt, the most anticipated film of this year was ‘Avengers: Endgame’, the sequel to MCU’s ‘Infinity War’ which killed off most of Marvel’s superheroes and heroines in a shocking twist. ‘Endgame’ saw the survivors try to figure out a way to reverse the past and bring back their allies for a final showdown with titan demigod Thanos. Not only did Anthony and Joe Russo succeed in wowing Marvel fans and critics alike across the globe, did I mention that they also took the long held title of highest-grossing film of all time from James Cameron’s ‘Avatar’ when it was re-released in cinemas with unseen bonus features? Yes, you heard right. Being the almost immediate successor to ‘Endgame’, it’s fair to say ‘Spider-Man: Far From Home’ had a tough act to follow. Thankfully, ‘FRH’ is a refreshingly exuberant and breezy sequel packed with plenty of web-slinging action which doesn’t disappoint.
The film directly follows on from the events of ‘Endgame’, which saw everyone affected by ‘the Blip’ reinstalled and carrying on life as normal. Everyone except Peter Parker (Tom Holland), who’s tackling greater pressures in a changed world without the support of his mentor and idol, Tony Stark, who died in the battle to avenge the fallen. Jetting off with his school pals on a trip to Europe, the stakes are raised when Spidey is called in to assist Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal) in stopping the Elementals destroying Earth when all he wants to do is hang up his suit for the summer and enjoy the sightseeing. Peter’s struggle with his grief is sensitively handled and ties into the coming-of-age theme previously established in ‘Homecoming’, also directed by Jon Watts. ‘FRH’ reminds us that Peter, despite his unaverage abilities, is on a continuous journey of self-discovery to figure out who he is, and how much he really wants to carry on web-slinging to the rescue. ‘FRH’ explores the inscribed adolescent experience of being the outsider observing everyone else doing what teenagers are supposed to do and wanting to be part of it. Peter reluctantly sacrifices the chance to spend time with his crush, Michelle Jones (Zendaya), when duty calls to slip away and save the world.
British talent Tom Holland puts in an energetic and acrobatic performance in his fifth outing as the masked superhero. The most recent incarnation owes its success to Holland’s portrayal, who has proven once again that he’s the best Spider-Man yet. His wide-eyed boyishness is what sets him apart from Toby Maguire and Andrew Garfield as he can pass for the age of the character he’s playing. Despite the enormous change he has faced, Peter hasn’t been hardened or become cynical by the toll of grief and maintains a good-natured earnestness in his superhero duties. Zendaya is at last given her due screen time for her character, and budding relationship with Peter, to blossom into more than just shy exchanges and avoidance of eye contact. She does some impressive work here as the snarky bookworm with an acerbic sense of humour who keeps Peter constantly guessing. I was satisfied that MJ’s role is more central to the narrative as I felt that she was grossly underused in ‘Homecoming’. Jake Gyllenhaal is decent enough as the enigmatic Mysterio, but sadly the talented actor isn’t given much to work with in comparison to Michael Keaton’s nuanced Vulture in the previous film. I was slightly disappointed that the winged arms dealer didn’t resurface in ‘FRH’ as reports heavily teased.
Though heavy on the destruction, the action scenes are stylishly executed and impressively choreographed. The action up sticks to London, Venice and Prague, which is a welcome change to Same York getting trashed up in every other action movie out there. The quirky, harmless humour works well and manages to not lose its way throughout. Credit goes to Jacob Batalon’s comedic chops as Peter’s nerdy best friend Ned who provides many of the laughs. The representation is very good in the gifted cast of young actors of varying ethnic backgrounds. Although ‘Black Panther’ was the game changer for its boldness in creating something that felt fresh and new, the most recent Spider-Man films should also be commended for making solid steps in the right direction. ‘FRH’ benefits from a spirited leading performance and a progressive storyline that takes the masked hero to new heights of character development. Given the emotional gut punches and high-octane thrills of ‘Endgame’, this is a very worthy follow-up in the MCU franchise.
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