The debate can be made, and agreed upon by myself that there hasn't been a good Spider-Man movie since way back in 2004 with Spider-Man 2 from the original Tobey Maguire starring Spidey series. That trilogy ended in 2007 in a mess with Spider-Man 3 which makes Batman and Robin look like On The Waterfront. Then starting in 2012 Andrew Garfield (The Social Network) was cast as the new Peter Parker in what ended up being two utterly forgettable Amazing Spider Man movies, by 2014 the franchise was dead. So why the fuss over Spider-Man? He got 5 movies and 3 of them were awful. The answer is that other than Batman and Superman, Spider-Man is the most recognizable superhero and if we are just talking from the Marvel universe he is #1. Superman is an alien from another world and Batman is a billionaire detective, Spider-Man (Peter Parker) is a teenager from Queens who happens to get bit by a radioactive spider, gets superpowers yet still has to deal with life's everyday struggles. He's easily the most relatable superhero, and as long as that is the case his movies will still get made.
So now because of a monumental deal between two major movie studio that could be an article on its own Spider-Man is now able to hang out with his buddies Iron Man, Captain America and the rest of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, essentially this is the equivalent of when George Lucas sold off his creative stake in Star Wars. Nerds rejoice!
But after all the ballyhoo and hype what of the movie? Spider-Man: Homecoming is a worthy addition to the Avengers universe and can stand completely on its own as one of the best high school set movies of the decade. Spider-Man: Homecoming wastes no time going back and retelling the tale of the spider bite that made Peter Parker who he is, much like we never need to see Martha and Thomas Wayne murdered in front of little Bruce Wayne in any future Batman movies. This film finds newcomer Tom Holland (The Impossible) as our friendly neighborhood Spider-Man and while protecting New Yorkers from petty thieves and helping old ladies with directions he's trying to put together a resume that will impress his mentor Tony Stark/Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.). Enter Adiran Toomes, aka The Vulture played by Michael Keaton who comes full circle from playing the titular hero in 1989's Batman to the villain here. Can Peter Parker defeat The Vulture's evil plan as well as juggle the daily riggers of high school and get a date with his dream girl Liz for the Homecoming dance and impress Mr. Stark enough to become a fulltime Avenger?
All the intricacies of a standard Marvel movie is enough to give non fanboys a completely understandable headache. My biggest complaint with the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is that they spend too much time connecting the movies together, its like the ultimate soap opera with spandex. Spider-Man: Homecoming does fall into this trap but only slightly, it does a good job of introducing newbies to the events that lead us up to this point, most notably from last years Captain America: Civil War in a quick and funny recap towards the beginning of the film. It's only during the conclusion of the film that this type of connectivity feels rushed and contrived.
With much respect to OG Tobey Maguire, Tom Holland is the perfect Peter Parker/Spider-Man. He brings the joy, confusion and ego that one would expect would come with being one with superhero abilities. I was disappointed with Michael Keaton during the first half of the film simply because of no fault by himself the film didn't give him much to do or he is hidden behind the vultures mask. This changed abruptly with the simple opening of a door that will give audiences a gasp moment they will be talking about after the movie, from that point on he is definitely in the top tiers of Marvel movie villains. two other cast members that will cause discussion are Marisa Tomei as Aunt May and Disney teen queen Zendaya in a mystery role that this reviewer will not reveal. Aunt May is traditionally an older aunt as evidenced by Rosemary Harris and Sally Field playing her in past entries. Casting Tomei keeps the running theme of going younger all around though I think the filmmakers tried to hide her attractiveness behind some old lady glasses that are just distracting. Zendaya is great in her role but a twist that again will have audiences who know their source material talking afterwards is completely unnecessary and lazy, again by no fault of her own. Other cast highlights are Jon Favreau reprising his role from other Marvel movies as Happy Hogan and newcomer Jacob Batalon as Peter Parker's best friend and Spider-Man's guy in the chair.
There are of course the major action set pieces, the one taking place at the Washington Monument is especially thrilling. It is however the smaller things that set this Spider-Man apart, without those it would just be your standard reboot gone wrong. For a 175 million dollar budgeted film indie director Jon Watts keeps the CGI to a minimum and the overall tone small scale, Spider-Man isn't trying to save the world, he's trying to save the ones he cares about. Spider-Man: Homecoming is a great reintroduction to those who maybe liked the first Iron Man but not as invested in this cinematic universe as some of us are and who will be until it inevitably collapses in on itself like a dying star.
8.5 out of 10 glowy things
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