Written by: Kevin Berge
Finally a worthy use of Spider-Man's powers: easy-made hammocks. (Image Courtesy of: comicbookmovie.com)
Quick Take: Spider-Man Homecoming revitalizes Marvel's most famous character with a new lead and a high school setting that echoes John Hughes with a fresh take on a superhero debut. With a funny script and strong lead performances from Tom Holland and Michael Keaton, this is the best Spider-Man movie in years though fails to dive too deep into its stories or characters.
***This will be a spoiler-free review of Spider-Man Homecoming, focusing on the recently released Marvel movie. There will be no plot details or character information beyond the basic set-up of the film.***
Before we were introduced to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, no Marvel character was better known than Spider-Man with Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy (well, at least the first two) among the best superhero films ever made. It was surprising to find the Marvel icon separate from Marvel's massive cinematic venture.
The webslinger was not missing in action since Raimi's trilogy ended, but he was not making an impression. Around the time The Avengers hit the big screen together, The Amazing Spider-Man premiered, trying to begin anew the story of Peter Parker with less success than its predecessor. While not a terrible film, it was bland enough that it couldn't save its dreadful sequel from killing a potential Sony franchise.
Marvel swooped in to save the day, and now we have the third incarnation of Spider-Man on the big screen. With five film behind it, it is hard not to make several major comparisons, but I will try to keep them to a minimum because, at its core, this is a strong Spider-Man film all its own as well as a fresh twist on the MCU formula.
Instead of focusing on Peter Parker's (Tom Holland) origin for the third time, this movie skips Uncle Ben and the radioactive spider bite entirely and focuses on 15-year-old Peter's attempts to become a true hero after helping Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) in Captain America: Civil War.
He quickly find out he's not quite ready for the rising threat of villains in Brooklyn, New York particularly Adrian Toomes/Vulture (Michael Keaton) and his criminal superweapon trafficking partners. While he faces these new threats, he must try to get through his sophomore year of high school with his best friend Ned (Jacob Batalon) and try to speak to his crush Liz (Laura Harrier).
From the start, this feels like a different Spider-Man than his predecessors as you would expect after the first impression from Civil War. Holland wisecracks every chance he can get, and he plays the young brash newcomer in a time where so many of the MCU heroes are hardened epic gods.
Before we were introduced to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, no Marvel character was better known than Spider-Man with Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy (well, at least the first two) among the best superhero films ever made. It was surprising to find the Marvel icon separate from Marvel's massive cinematic venture.
The webslinger was not missing in action since Raimi's trilogy ended, but he was not making an impression. Around the time The Avengers hit the big screen together, The Amazing Spider-Man premiered, trying to begin anew the story of Peter Parker with less success than its predecessor. While not a terrible film, it was bland enough that it couldn't save its dreadful sequel from killing a potential Sony franchise.
Marvel swooped in to save the day, and now we have the third incarnation of Spider-Man on the big screen. With five film behind it, it is hard not to make several major comparisons, but I will try to keep them to a minimum because, at its core, this is a strong Spider-Man film all its own as well as a fresh twist on the MCU formula.
Instead of focusing on Peter Parker's (Tom Holland) origin for the third time, this movie skips Uncle Ben and the radioactive spider bite entirely and focuses on 15-year-old Peter's attempts to become a true hero after helping Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) in Captain America: Civil War.
He quickly find out he's not quite ready for the rising threat of villains in Brooklyn, New York particularly Adrian Toomes/Vulture (Michael Keaton) and his criminal superweapon trafficking partners. While he faces these new threats, he must try to get through his sophomore year of high school with his best friend Ned (Jacob Batalon) and try to speak to his crush Liz (Laura Harrier).
From the start, this feels like a different Spider-Man than his predecessors as you would expect after the first impression from Civil War. Holland wisecracks every chance he can get, and he plays the young brash newcomer in a time where so many of the MCU heroes are hardened epic gods.
Well, it's certainly an improvement on the Green Goblin costumes. (Image Courtesy of: screenrant.com)
While all three Spider-Man incarnations were headlined by strong lead performances, Holland (The Impossible) could end up taking the crown of the best Peter Parker to date. His good humor is coupled with the ability to sell honest deep emotion. He benefits though from a script that truly feels like it loves the character of Spider-Man for who he is, flaws and all.
Michael Keaton (Birdman) could have easily been wasted in this movie as many other actors have been in the MCU as villains, but his backstory coupled with a menacing performance gives real weight to this character and makes him one of the best supervillains in years. The interplay between him and Holland is the emotional hook of the film and is always fantastic.
Downey Jr. (Chaplin) will always be a fantastic Iron Man though is only around as a great supporting mentor in this film. In fact, most of the cast feel fairly minor in this film despite solid performances from Jacob Batalon (North Woods), Marisa Tomei (The Wrestler) as Aunt May, and Tony Revolori (Grand Budapest Hotel) as Flash. Zendaya (Shake It Up!) is the showstealer as the loner Michelle in a role plucked from a John Hughes film.
Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige was quoted as stating this was meant to be like a John Hughes film, and it is felt throughout director Jon Watts' (Cop Car) work here. This is a full rework of the Spider-Man lore that maneuvers familiar characters into new roles to make for unconventional high school relationships galore.
The primary writers of this movie, Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley, have written a movie that balances its characters well and has a ton of humor to spare. The story moves quickly throughout its 2 hour 13 minute run time and has Easter eggs galore for those paying close attention.
While this movie escapes the problems of many of its MCU contemporaries, it still has issues with balancing focus and creating true memorable moments. The action is fairly slack throughout even in the climactic battle with only one moment of realization that sells this as a true evolution for Peter as a character.
With so much story to tell and so many characters to introduce, only Peter and Vulture play a deciding role in proceedings. It is a shame that more could not be done to make some of the supporting characters matter. As a whole, the story too often seems to focus on one track, making any subplots wastes of time given they lack payoff.
Still, Homecoming has a great villain, quality humor, and a story that is lighthearted but affecting with two fantastic leads which makes for another quality outing to add to Spider-Man's legacy in film.
Michael Keaton (Birdman) could have easily been wasted in this movie as many other actors have been in the MCU as villains, but his backstory coupled with a menacing performance gives real weight to this character and makes him one of the best supervillains in years. The interplay between him and Holland is the emotional hook of the film and is always fantastic.
Downey Jr. (Chaplin) will always be a fantastic Iron Man though is only around as a great supporting mentor in this film. In fact, most of the cast feel fairly minor in this film despite solid performances from Jacob Batalon (North Woods), Marisa Tomei (The Wrestler) as Aunt May, and Tony Revolori (Grand Budapest Hotel) as Flash. Zendaya (Shake It Up!) is the showstealer as the loner Michelle in a role plucked from a John Hughes film.
Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige was quoted as stating this was meant to be like a John Hughes film, and it is felt throughout director Jon Watts' (Cop Car) work here. This is a full rework of the Spider-Man lore that maneuvers familiar characters into new roles to make for unconventional high school relationships galore.
The primary writers of this movie, Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley, have written a movie that balances its characters well and has a ton of humor to spare. The story moves quickly throughout its 2 hour 13 minute run time and has Easter eggs galore for those paying close attention.
While this movie escapes the problems of many of its MCU contemporaries, it still has issues with balancing focus and creating true memorable moments. The action is fairly slack throughout even in the climactic battle with only one moment of realization that sells this as a true evolution for Peter as a character.
With so much story to tell and so many characters to introduce, only Peter and Vulture play a deciding role in proceedings. It is a shame that more could not be done to make some of the supporting characters matter. As a whole, the story too often seems to focus on one track, making any subplots wastes of time given they lack payoff.
Still, Homecoming has a great villain, quality humor, and a story that is lighthearted but affecting with two fantastic leads which makes for another quality outing to add to Spider-Man's legacy in film.