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SPIDER-MAN: FAR FROM HOME

****

Dir: Jon Watts (12A, 114 mins)

After the emotional heft of Avengers: Endgame, the Marvel universe returns to something lighter. Jon Watts’ Spiderman: Homecoming was a great deal of fun, with Tom Holland nailing the role of Peter Parker after the sludgy emo-ness of Andrew Garfield’s spell as the webslinger, making it the best live-action arachnid actioner since Sam Raimi’s Spiderman 2.  This seems set to continue the entertainment with Parker, still mourning the loss of mentor Tony Stark heading to Europe on a school trip. Surrounded by friends MJ (Zendaya) and Ned (Jacob Batalon), it’s an opportunity to deal with Endgame’s aftermath, until Nick Fury comes a-calling. Apparently, supervillain Thanos’ ‘snap’ in the previous film has caused a rift in time and space, creating a multi-verse with beings called the Elementals crossing over and causing havoc. Spiderman has to team up with Jake Gyllenhaal’s Mysterio, re-tooled from a low-level baddie in the comics to do battle and save the world from the likes of Hydro-Man and Molten Man. Yes, it’s more city-destroying antics, but done with confident verve, wit and lashings of comedy amidst the jeopardy. A crowd-pleasing upbeat palate cleanser after the tears of Endgame, this proves that Marvel still knows what it’s doing as it enters its next superhero phase.

Opens July 2

words Keiron Self