Jake Gyllenhaal’s Mysterio is at the center of these showdowns, with a mixture of abilities that combine Iron Man’s flying and laser-zapping with Thor’s sartorial tendencies. But who he really is and what he really wants aren’t much of a surprise, although he initially presents himself as an ally and even a hopeful force for the future. Gyllenhaal seems to be having a blast playing dress-up in this setting, and he brings great brio to the scene in which he lays out his (surprisingly understandable) reasoning for his elaborate plan. The actual execution of it all, however, ends up being rather numbing. The real bombshells come during the closing credit sequences—so, as always, be sure to stay in your seat until the very end.

The laughs bubble up so consistently in the first half that it’s enough to make you wish “Far From Home” was a straight-up romantic comedy. Peter’s goofy notions of how stops in Venice and Paris should go down with MJ are the stuff of moony teenage-boy fantasies. A sweet, parallel romance finds Peter’s wisecracking, scene-stealing best friend, Ned (Jacob Batalon), connecting unexpectedly with the prim, Type-A Betty (Angourie Rice). And a third flirtation—between Tony Stark’s right-hand man, Happy (Jon Favreau), and Peter’s Aunt May (Marisa Tomei)—has some potential but doesn’t go far just yet, although it’s enough to make Peter’s Spidey sense tingle.  

Holland isn’t afforded the depth of character we’ve seen from him previously—most notably during his heartbreaking exit in “Avengers: Infinity War.” But once again, he’s completely charming in the role, bringing a boyish enthusiasm that’s irresistible and wholly different from the ways Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield played him in previous incarnations. His Peter even gets to show glimmers of being a flaky kid as he dodges calls from an increasingly, amusingly frustrated Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson).

Perhaps his true superpower is the fact that he seems more like a relatable, fully fleshed-out human being than any other character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Surely, we’ll have a multitude of chances to find out for sure.