Starring Tom Holland, Jake Gyllenhaal, Zendaya, Jacob Batalon, Angourie Rice, Martin Starr, Jon Favreau, Marisa Tomei and JB Smoove

Directed by Jon Watts

Sony, out now

Spider-Man is back! And going on holiday! Whether anyone wants him to or not!

The second main outing for everyone’s favourite Spider-Puppy does not disappoint in any way, putting Peter’s total decency and lack of comfort with his heroic mantle front and centre. Along of course with his love for MJ. Holland is fiercely good as the web slinger precisely because of the fact he’s constantly pulled in two directions at once. The romance with MJ is endearingly complex and sweet and Zendaya clearly relishes being given more to do here, as do Jacob Batalon and Angourie Rice as Ned and Betty. With them, Peter is a resolutely normal, if eccentric, teenager.

But his role as Spider-Man is where the movie excels, especially because of how unsure Peter feels about his superheroic career. There are elements of Iron Man 3‘s exploration of PTSD here, as Peter continues to struggle with his other job even as he comes across yet another memorial to Tony Stark. Peter questions everything here, even though Tony does not and that all leads to both the movie’s best action sequence and best scene. It also leads to Quentin Beck, baked into the core of the movie and, in a brilliantly audacious move, the MCU itself. Gyllenhaal’s role is charming, driven, a little broken and allows him to do all the things he does best. He is clearly having an absolute ball too, and the third act especially gives him a ton of stuff to do.

You’re looking for spoilers, right? No, Sorry, Not here. At least not for plot beats.

But there is my favourite scene to discuss. Peter has a conversation with Happy at the end of act two which is maybe my favourite thing in the last five Marvel movies that isn’t Professor Hulk. It is absolutely emotionally raw, almost impossibly sweet and gives Holland and Favreau alike a chance to show just how good they are at playing emotional honesty. Peter’s journey, his impostor syndrome, both men’s grief for their lost friend, all of it comes down to this moment. It will break your heart. And immediately make you laugh. It’s genuinely, truly wonderful and the movie is worth seeing for that alone.

And also the action scenes. And what Spider-Man’s ‘alias’ in Europe is. And the origin of the name Mysterio. And Ned, Betty, Flash and MJ who all get vast amounts more to do. And Fury and Hill. And the way it deals with Endgame.

Sounds breathless? It is. This is an enthusiastic puppy of a movie about an enthusiastic puppy of a hero. Far From Home tells a complete story, moves Peter’s own along, establishes a fascinating new status quo for the MCU and has the two end credits scenes that will make you desperate for what’s next.

Verdict: It’s a perfect bow on the top of Phase III, a perfect dismount for Marvel’s first decade and endlessly, relentlessly fun. Go see it. 10/10

Alasdair Stuart