Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019)

Based on characters from the comics by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, this film serves as a near-perfect follow-up to the hugely successful Avengers: Endgame, and continues the ever-expanding Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Following the death of Tony Stark, Peter Parker (Tom Holland) finds that he is the new hero of the moment, with everyone wanting to share a moment with his alter-ego Spider-Man. But all he wants is the chance to relax with his friends on a school trip to Europe over the summer.

But this wouldn't be much of a film if he simply got what he wanted now, would it?

S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) has been trying to call Peter for some time, but Peter has been ignoring his calls, fearing the worst: that Fury wants Spider-Man to become the next Iron-Man; all Peter wants is some time alone with MJ (Zendaya Coleman) so he can finally tell her how he feels.

Peter Parker/Spider-Man (Tom Holland).

But when the class group, chaperoned by teachers Mr. Harrington (Martin Starr) and Mr. Dell (J. B. Smoove) get to Europe, Fury effectively abducts Peter, taking him to a secret location, needing him for yet another mission.

Peter meets Quentin Beck (Jake Gyllenhaal), a god-like creature from another dimension of Earth - think of a cross between Thor and Dr. Strange - who has come to help destroy monsters known as Elementals, creatures made up of each of the four basic elements: Earth, Air, Fire and Water. These creatures destroyed Beck's Earth some time before, and now they are here, doing the same thing over again. Only one creature - the 'Fire' Elemental - still remains, and it will be striking in Venice in a matter of days.

And so, together, Spider-Man and Beck - who becomes known as Mysterio - must work together to save the world, though Peter's immediate priority is just keeping his friends out of harm's way.

Quentin Beck/Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal).

Again, if this was all that was going to happen, the film would be a lot shorter than it is. But it's all I can say at this point; the film hasn't been in theatres long, and I don't want to give too much away. I will say that I did see one of the twists coming early, but that's only because I've been reading the comics for years, so there were things within the Spider-Man universe I had a little advance notice of.

Erik Sommers's screenplay is well-written, with plenty of twists and turns to keep audiences on the edge of their seat. Seriously, the film doesn't let up even for a moment; even the post-credits scene (yes, this staple of Marvel films is back after the briefest of hiatuses, I'm looking at you, Endgame!) is devastating and shocking in and of itself. The characters are all clearly defined, of course, the majority of them are characters we have met before in earlier Marvel films, predominantly the previous Spider-Man film, subtitled 'Homecoming'.

The score, courtesy of experienced and accomplished composer Michael Giacchino, is magnificent. Ever since Black Panther won the Academy Award for Best Original Score, Marvel soundtracks have simply been getting better and better, and this is no exception. You've heard me rave about Giacchino before - I've been a massive fan of his work since 'Lost' - and the best thing about this score is that it doesn't sound like every other score you've heard before. Yes, it's largely traditional in terms of its instrumentation and arrangement, but there is still enough in there that is different and unexpected. The on-screen action - as well as the rise and fall of the tension from start to finish - is perfectly countered by the music at all times, the mark of a great film score.

Peter Parker (Tom Holland) and Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson).

Matthew J. Lloyd's cinematography is also brilliant, bringing the feel of the comics directly onto the screen. I know I've said this before about previous Marvel films, but there are numerous moments when what you're seeing on screen looks like a comic panel transferred straight to the big screen. Of course, this is due to a collaborative process between the director and the cinematographer, as well as the heads of numerous other departments, but the capturing of the image is the realm of the cinematographer, and Lloyd has done very well at achieving a very comic-book feel to this film.

The cast performances are stunning, as far as a film based on a comic book goes. Tom Holland is still to my mind the greatest on-screen Spider-Man, and he is only getting better with each film he does. The supporting cast are also great, particularly Gyllenhaal, who brings an incredible realism and inner conflict to his character.

Director Jon Watts has done a great job with this film, making what I believe to be the greatest possible follow-up to Avengers: Endgame. I hope there will still be many more films based on Marvel properties to come (and when they do, I will certainly be reviewing them!).

8 1/2 out of 10.