As the dust settles on Avengers: Endgame, and the Marvel Cinematic Universe takes a breath, one final film rounds out the critical and financial juggernaut that has been Phase Three. This could have been a risky move, as Endgame was a wonderfully-executed finale and it’s always a good idea to leave the audience wanting more. Happily, however, Spider-Man: Far From Home makes a convincing case for its own existence and is a delightful adventure to boot.

Spider-Man: Far From Home takes place in the aftermath of Endgame and the world is a much-changed place. In the film’s hilarious early scenes, we see the effects of half the population vanishing and then reappearing five years later in an event now known as “the blip”. In particular, we focus on how this has changed life for the students of The Midtown School of Science and Technology, the school of Peter Parker aka Spider-Man (Tom Holland). After the breezy introduction, Peter is relieved to go on a school trip to Europe, where he wants to hang with his bestie Ned (Jacob Batalon) and finally admit his feelings to MJ (Zendaya). Of course, Peter’s life rarely runs smoothly, and his plans swiftly come unstuck in Venice when the sinking city is attacked by a Water Elemental. Spidey must leap to the rescue, also coming across Quentin Beck aka Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal), a handsome super-powered stranger who claims to be from an alternate earth. Is Quentin all he claims to be, or is there a deeper mystery to be explored?

Far From Home continues Spider-Man: Homecoming’s light and snappy tone, but manages to raise the emotional stakes in ways that feel authentic and rarely twee. It’s a testament to the quality of the acting, particularly Holland and Zendaya, that the film’s teen drama is as compelling as the superhero action. Jake Gyllenhaal is delightful here too, and director Jon Watts does excellent work realising Mysterio’s shenanigans in original, visually exciting ways. And while the villain’s motivation is never quite as compelling as Michael Keaton’s Vulture from Homecoming, arguably the MCU’s most nuanced baddie, it’s thematically consistent with a cinematic universe in a period of change.

Spider-Man: Far From Home is a breezy romp that positively drips with crowd-pleasing charm. It manages to illustrate the changes in the MCU, deliver an engaging superhero story and sketch out a credible teen drama in just a little over two hours and contains two of the best post credit sequences to date. If you’re in the mood for a light adventure with loads of chuckles and heart, Far From Home should be your next travel destination.

Of all the Marvel “Phase Three” movies, Captain Marvel seemed the most worrisome. Hitting screens with an uncharacteristic lack of fanfare, on the back of a series of middling trailers, the concern has been “will this one be a dud?” Add to that screeching incel choir gibbering madly from various dark and sticky corners of the internet, and it seemed poor old Carol Danvers had the odds stacked against her. Happily, like Ms. Danvers, Captain Marvel excels when the going gets tough.

Captain Marvel tells the triumphant tale of Carol Danvers (Brie Larson), a member of an elite Kree military unit called Starforce. Carol appears human, and even has sporadic human memories, but isn’t sure how much to trust them. She and the rest of Starforce, led by Yon-Rogg (Jude Law), are busy protecting the Kree empire from the evil Skrulls, an insidious group of shapeshifting aliens. During a rescue mission they fall afoul of an ambush led by Talos (Ben Mendelsohn), the most nefarious and Aussie Skrull alive. Without wishing to spoil anything, let’s just say the narrative takes a few twists and turns and we end up on the “shithole” planet called Earth in the grungetastic year, 1995.

Captain Marvel, more than any other MCU flick in recent memory, is chockers with plot twists, feints and surprising reveals, so we’ll tread carefully. Needless to say, the action on earth features a younger, two eyed, Nick Fury (a digitally de-aged Samuel L. Jackson), a mystery to unravel Carol’s former life, including bestie Maria Rambeau (Lashana Lynch). This is where the film really begins to shine, with Larson able to show off some of her Academy Award winning acting chops. Carol’s snarky, glib banter with Fury juxtaposes beautifully with the genuine, rueful closeness she feels with Maria, offering surprisingly moving moments of pathos. However, it is homegrown Ben Mendelsohn who absolutely owns this film, speaking in his genuine Australian accent and bringing so much to a villain role that could have played as a shallow caricature.

The direction from the two-person team of Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck (Half Nelson, Mississippi Grind) is initially a little more understated than previous entries, particularly in the film’s comparatively clumsy first act, but soon finds its footing once some of the plot reveals land. Plus the pair absolutely nail the more emotional beats, avoiding the schmaltz factor that can occasionally creep into these flicks.

Ultimately, Captain Marvel is an excellent addition to the Marvel canon, giving us a breath of hopeful fresh air before whatever occurs in Avengers: Endgame next month. The performances are stellar, the action – particularly in the third act – is spectacular, and charming banter meshes perfectly with more nuanced dramatic beats. Young Nick Fury is some of Jackson’s best work in years, Space Mendo is an actual revelation and Brie Larson proves herself a capable, admirable superhero who will hopefully curb stomp Thanos into a puddle of purple goo.

Captain Marvel is two hours of hopeful, colourful, space opera-ry comic book escapism, with a pumping ’90s soundtrack and, perhaps most importantly, an awesome ginger cat called Goose.