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With Spider-Man: Far From Home debuting in theatres worldwide on Tuesday, July 2, one question looms over the Homecoming sequel: is it any good? Read below to see what some critics think of Spider-Man’s new adventure.

Once again, Jon Watts (Cop Car, Spider-Man: Homecoming) sits in the director chair. Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige (Avengers: Endgame, Captain Marvel) and film producer Amy Pascal (Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse, Venom) serve as producers, while Ant-Man and the Wasp writers Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers penned the script. Tom Holland (Avengers: Infinity War, Pilgrimage) stars as Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man/Peter Park alongside newly-added Jake Gyllenhaal (Southpaw, Velvet Buzzsaw) as Mysterio/Quentin Beck.

The 23rd film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and a direct sequel to 2017’s Homecoming, Far From Home sees Parker and friends off on a school trip to Europe while baddies from another dimension show up to do some serious harm. With Tony Stark (played by Robert Downey Jr.) gone and Mysterio handling the brunt of the elemental threats, Parker is asked whether he’ll step up to save Europe.

Reviews for Far From Home have begun appearing online. We’ve collected excerpts from these to help you decide whether the film is worth your time and money. Swing over to GameSpot sister site Metacritic for more critical reactions.

Spider-Man: Far From Home

• Directed By: Jon Watts
• Written By: Erik Sommers, Chris McKenna
• Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Marisa Tomei om Holland, Samuel L. Jackson, Zendaya Coleman
• Release Date: July 2 (United States)
• Runtime: 129 minutes

GameSpot

“The parts that work, work very, very well. But the parts that don’t tend to feel like stubbed toes or irritating splinters–not life-threatening by any means, but distracting at best and annoying at worst; like someone pulled the curtain back on the MCU’s systemic shortcomings a little too far. Still, if you can ignore that–and it’ll be easier for some than it is for others, depending on your relationship to the MCU at large–you’re in for a pretty good ride.” — Meg Downey [Full review]

CNET

“Spider-Man: Far From Home manages to act as a sequel to both Homecoming and Endgame, giving us a superior follow-up to the former and a wonderful epilogue to the latter — reminding us that MCU goes on in a joyous ride. Let’s hope Phase 4 gives us plenty more Peter Parker.” — Sean Keane [Full review]

Comic Book

“It doesn’t seem like we’re swinging to any crazy conclusions in calling Spider-Man: Far From Home the best Spider-Man movie ever. Top to bottom, it is a complete moviegoing experience. It is thrilling, it is fun, it is unpredictable, and it is full of heart. Spider-Man: Far From Home is by far a home run.” — Brandon Davis [Full review]

Entertainment Tonight

“Far From Home sticks the landing, and that might be the most important thing it needed to do after an utter behemoth like Endgame. The fallout from that movie feels effortlessly worked into the fabric of the universe by the time the end credits roll here, opening Marvel’s saga up to a new beginning. And then the post-credits scenes change everything.” — John Boone [Full review]

IndieWire

“But the Spider-Man we find at the end of the movie is no different than the one we met at the start; he’s more confident now, and ready to accept a truth of his own design, but you can’t help but feel like he could have learned all of the same things without leaving Queens or wasting our time.” — David Ehrlich [Full review]

Slant Magazine

“Yet the film is ultimately on more solid ground when positioning Peter as the new emotional fulcrum on which the MCU can turn, with Tony’s sarcasm and megalomania replaced by Peter’s humility and guilelessness. It all suggests that the next phase of the MCU may be less cynical and emotionally resonant than the prior one.” — Jake Cole [Full review]

Variety

“By the end, this Spider-Man really does find his tingle, yet coming after ‘Into the Spider-Verse,’ with its swirling psychedelic imagery and identity games and trap doors of perception, ‘Spider-Man: Far From Home’ touches all the bases of a conventional Marvel movie. It doesn’t take you out of this world. But it’s good enough to summon the kick—or maybe just the illusion—of consequence.” — Owen Gleiberman [Full review]

The Verge

“But it’s Far From Home in a nutshell: an acknowledgement of small emotions amid big moments, a reminder of the ever-building continuity that’s made these stories so memorable and so satisfying for fans, and a moment taken for grief between action beats. It’s a beautiful little pause in a beautifully big film. But moments like these are what make Far From Home feel so heartfelt and relevant. It’s a breathless and admirably well-assembled movie that proves the Marvel formula still isn’t tired, but it’s also a capper on more than a decade of building powerful feelings around powerful heroes.” — Tasha Robinson [Full review]

During publisher Focus Home Interactive’s latest gameplay walkthrough of The Surge 2, developer Deck13 Interactive revealed the upcoming Souls-like game is borrowing another feature that’s prominently included in From Software’s Soulsborne games. Like in Dark Souls and Bloodborne, you’ll be able to leave behind messages in The Surge 2 for other players to discover in their game if they’re playing online.

“Here you can see our new online feature, one of our several new online features,” Deck13 head of game design Adam Hetenyi said in the video, which can be watched below. “Players can craft these graffiti messages and place them in the world using a spray can attached to their drone. You can leave messages for other players: friendly things like, ‘There’s loot over here,’ or ‘Oh no, a dangerous sniper.'”

Though the rest of the video did detail several other changes between The Surge 2 and its predecessor, such as more intelligent AI behavior and a directional parry mechanic, Hetenyi did not discuss any of the other new online features alluded to in his comment. For now, all we know for sure is that these other features are not related to co-op play. Back in June 2018, during an interview with Twinfinite, Deck13 creative director Jan Klose said, “We really do love multiplayer gaming, and right now we have planned lots of online features there. There’s no synchronous co-op or multiplayer gameplay planned right now, but so far we’re starting with some online features where you can influence other gamer’s experience in a way.”

The Surge 2 is currently scheduled to release on September 24 for Xbox One, PS4, and PC. Though similar to its predecessor, Deck13 has announced The Surge 2 will be more tactical when it comes to limb-targeting during combat. The fairly linear mission structure of the first game has also been ditched for a more open-ended one that allows players to fight or overcome obstacles in more than one way.

2017’s The Surge is a Souls-like game that differentiates itself from Dark Souls with its dismemberment mechanic, which allows you to target and cut off specific body parts of enemies to steal the armor, tech, or weapons attached to them. In GameSpot’s The Surge review, Daniel Starkey wrote, “[The Surge] is far from perfect, but none of its problems are deal breakers. They’re minor bumps that come from an otherwise inventive, exciting new entry in a packed sub-genre. It bucks the trend towards creative bankruptcy, adopting some fresh ideas and layering those together with aesthetics, tone, and play to create an inspired adventure.”

Harry Potter: Wizards Unite is off to a fast start, and soon you’ll be able to meet up with other wizards and witches in real life as part of an official event. Niantic and WB Games have announced a real-world event or Wizards Unite to take place in Indianapolis starting on August 31.

During the event, participating SOS operatives can explore the White River State Park to find magical activity spilling over into the Muggle world. You’ll be able to encounter fantastic beasts, find artifacts, and cast spells out in the wide open space of the park. As the first major event, Niantic hints that it will start to unravel the mystery of the Calamity that has smashed magic into Muggle spaces.

Tickets will be available for purchase, but Niantic appears to be expecting a crowd and will be setting up a lottery system for tickets. You can check the official event site for more details and watch for your chance to enter the lottery. The event will take place August 31 through September 1.

Niantic has hosted similar events for Pokemon Go on a fairly regular basis. Those events have typically also had some element or prize that goes out to those who couldn’t attend as well.

“Real-world events are part of Niantic’s DNA, bringing players from all walks of life together in the name of adventure, exploration and creating lasting friendships,” said Niantic live events VP Bill Kilday, in the announcement. “The incredible White River State Park is surrounded by the rich culture and history of Indianapolis and will be the perfect location for our inaugural Harry Potter: Wizards Unite event.”

The event is still a couple of months away, but in the meantime you can get your wizarding skills up to scratch by playing the free-to-play game now. Check out our challenges guide and how to get more spell energy, plus where to get ingredients for your potions.

The epic storytelling of the Final Fantasy series of games will soon transition into television. Sony Pictures Television and Hivemind Productions have revealed they are partnering with Square Enix to develop a live-action adaptation of Final Fantasy XIV.

The TV series will be set in Eorzea, the same setting as the 14th main installment of the video game series. The show will feature many elements that players are long familiar with, including Chocobos and the live-action debut of Cid.

Final Fantasy XIV is an MMORPG, following all the standard aspects from the franchise, such as godlike beings, impending doom, magic, airships, and protagonists trying to save the world from being blown up. Following a rough launch in 2010, FFXIV was re-released in 2013 and has since established itself among the subscription-based MMOs on the market. The news of a TV show comes just ahead of the launch of the game’s next expansion, Shadowbringers.

“Final Fantasy XIV and Eorzea are the perfect gateway into Final Fantasy for longtime fans and newcomers alike,” said Sony Pictures Television Co-President Chris Parnell. “This show is about embracing and embodying all of the elements that have made the mythos such an endlessly captivating phenomenon, and it’s an immense honor to be bringing all of Eorzea’s iconic characters, settings, and concepts – including fan-favorites like Cid and, of course, the chocobos–to life for a television audience.”

Ben Lustig and Jake Thornton will write for the series and serve as executive producers alongside Jason F. Brown, Sean Daniel, and Dinesh Shamdasani of Hivemind. This isn’t the only piece of TV content being produced by Hivemind at the moment. Aside from Amazon’s The Expanse, the production company is also working on an adaptation of The Witcher for Netflix, which will reportedly release on the streaming service this fall. The series will star Freya Allan (Into the Badlands) as Ciri, Anya Chalotra (Wanderlust) as Yennefer, and Henry Cavill as Geralt of Rivia. The first season is currently in production in Hungary.

Final Fantasy was previously adapted for the animated movie Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within. Released in 2001, it was widely panned and performed poorly at the box office. In 2017, there was also the live-action TV mini-series Final Fantasy XIV: Dad of Light, following a father and son connecting through the MMORPG.

The first trailer for Charlie’s Angels is here. The latest movie version of the iconic female crime-fighters stars Kristen Stewart, Naomi Scott, and Ella Balinska, and hits theaters in November.

The trailer introduces the new Angels–Stewart plays highly-trained agent Sabina Wilson, Balinska is former MI6 operative Jane Kano, while Scott is scientist and computer whiz Elena Houghlin. The trio are brought into Charlie Townsend’s crime-fighting agency, which is now a global spy network, by Bosley, played by director Elizabeth Banks. Patrick Stewart and Dimjou Hounsou also appear–as other spy bosses using the Bosley alias–and it looks like a great mix of action, intrigue, and wise-cracking comedy. Check it out above.

Charlie’s Angels is Banks’ second directing credit after 2015’s Pitch Perfect 2. The movie isn’t actually a remake of either the original ’70s TV show or the two movies from the 2000s, but a continuation of the same story. It releases on November 15.

In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, Banks spoke about how she approached this latest version of Charlie’s Angels. “It was important to me to make a movie about women working together and supporting each other, and not make a movie about their romantic entanglements or their mother they don’t call enough,” she said. “When I’m at work, I don’t talk about those things. I get on with my job. It felt important to do that for the Angels, to treat them with the respect their skill set demands.”

For more, check out GameSpot’s guide to the biggest upcoming movies of 2019.