Review – Spider-Man: Homecoming
Spider-Man: Homecoming is a testament to Kevin Feige and Marvel Studios. Over the last fifteen years, when Sam Raimi debuted his original Spider-Man (2002), we have seen five Spider-Man films, which included one trilogy, one incomplete trilogy, and two different Spider-Man’s (Spider-Men?) in Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield.
With Spider-Man: Homecoming, we get our third version of Spider-Man, with a new actor in the red and blue spandex, new villains, and a new story. But, instead of feeling Spider-Man fatigue, the movie feels like we’ve never seen a Spider-Man movie before. Marvel Studios has knocked it out of the park once again.
Spider-Man: Homecoming introduces us to Peter Parker (Tom Holland) just days before the events that took place in Captain America: Civil War (2016). Parker, in typical millennial fashion, is recording every single thing that happens on his phone, from receiving his suit, to traveling to the airport battle, to recording his airport fight entrance, to coming home with Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) and Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau). Having just been part of one of the biggest events in the world, Peter is sent back to reality to his less glamorized life as a nerdy high school student. Feeling the itch of battle from Germany, Peter wants to do more with his powers, much to the dismay of Stark, and when a villain begins to manufacture weapons using alien technology left behind from the alien ships from the Battle for New York from The Avengers (2012), Peter sees this as a perfect opportunity for him to shine, even if it does affect his life personally and socially.
Tom Holland is the perfect Spider-Man. Maguire and Garfield were excellent, but Holland was made for this role. He brings everything we love about Spider-Man to this role. He’s funny, snarky, and physically perfect. This version of Spider-Man is so new to his powers and so young that he constantly makes mistakes, like using his web-shooters incorrectly and landing horribly. We watch as Spider-Man goes from a neighborhood hero stopping bike thieves and liquor store holdups to biting off more than he can chew with these new villains taking over New York. This is an origin story in every way, but instead of showing how Spider-Man became Spider-Man, this shows us how Spider-Man became an icon.
But what makes Holland and the film truly standout is Peter Parker. The best scenes in the movie are when we see Parker interacting with his friends and dealing with high school drama, giving the movie a John Hughes feel. Parker isn’t exactly the coolest kid in school, but he is incredibly smart and has an undeniable charm to him. It is fun to watch Parker worry about saving New York with the same level of urgency that he has when taking Spanish quiz. My favorite scene in the movie is when Parker asks his crush, Liz (Laura Harrier), to the prom. It shows Parker at his most vulnerable and it is a sweet and funny scene. These are the scenes where Holland shines and elevate the story.
The rest of the ensemble is a perfect mix of young talent and legendary veterans. Michael Keaton is the best Marvel villain since Loki as Adrian Toomes, a.k.a Vulture. This is a character with strong motivations for his actions and he starts to wreck house in order to accomplish is diabolical plan. And, like most Keaton performances, his charisma oozes off the screen and adds another level to Toomes, making him more than a one-note villain like in most Marvel movies. The high school kids are equally good. Jacob Batalon is hilarious as Peter’s best friend Ned. Zendaya is a scene stealer as the sassy loner Michelle. Tony Revolori makes for a surprisingly good Flash Thompson, and Harrier is delightful as Liz.
In typical Marvel form, the action and special effects are top notch. Spider-Man has never looked smoother gliding through the skyscrapers of New York. See this on the biggest, loudest screen possible. I was able to check it out on one of the new Dolby Digital screens and it was the best way to watch it. The sound was incredible, shaking the seats when the action revved up and making everything look as crisp as movies get, making the fight scenes look stunning.
If there was one Marvel movie that was going to fail, it was this one. However, Spider-Man: Homecoming is the exact opposite of a failure, it’s rousing success. Tom Holland is the best Spider-Man to date, Michael Keaton is a menacing villain, the high school kids are a blast, the action is exciting, and the movie feels like John Hughes made a comic book movie. This is one of the best movies in the MCU and one of the best movies of 2017.
Did you see Spider-Man: Homecoming? What did you think? Comment below or hit me up on Twitter and Instagram, @kevflix, or on Facebook by searching Kevflix.