Spider-Man: Homecoming

photo courtesy of screenrant.com

SPOILER FREE REVIEW

     Spider-Man: Homecoming brings Spider-Man to the big screen for the sixth time in just over 15 years, but it also marks the fan favorite character’s true debut into Marvel Studios’ Marvel Cinematic Universe (the 16^th entry in that franchise). Expectations for the movie are high. When it was announced that Sony (who owns Spider-Man film rights) had reached a deal with Marvel Studios to integrate a rebooted version of the character into the MCU, it just about broke the internet.

     This iteration skips the familiar Spider-Man origin story and starts with a high-school age Peter Parker (Tom Holland) under the tutelage of Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr) himself. After recovering from the events of Captain America: Civil War, Peter tries to rise to the challenge of being a superhero while making good on his day-to-day obligations to friends and family. When he crosses paths with the Vulture (Michael Keaton), Spider-Man finds as enemy who can push him to his limits, threatening not only to best him in combat but also to unravel the strands of his personal life. It’s a challenge that calls into question whether Peter can really handle being a hero at all.

photo courtesy of dailydot.com

     Homecoming feels markedly different from other Spider-Man films we’ve seen before, and that’s both good and bad. On one hand, it’s a fresh take on a franchise that was on its last limbs with The Amazing Spider-Man 2, and that comes largely from the fact that the script removes Spider-Man from his usual habitat. Instead of staying centered in New York, the story puts Spidey in Washington D.C, Maryland, and suburbia for extended periods of time.

     On the other hand, it sacrifices some of the epic scale and scope that audiences (rightly) associate with a Spider-Man movie. There are no stirring CGI sequences of Spider-Man swinging through New York, and there’s certainly no triumphant Danny Elfman theme. This is smaller, closer to home, humbler.

photo courtesy of comicbookmovie.com

     While it may not be as grand as previous Spider-Man movies, Homecoming does create a truly enjoyable atmosphere. It’s a world that’s relatively light and unburdened compared to some of the more intense Marvel movies of late, built on humor and genuinely interesting character dynamics and relationships. It’s not profound, but it’s also not trying to be; it makes a concentrated effort to evoke a friendly Ferris Bueller/Breakfast Club vibe.

     The movie is at its best when it plays up that high-school angle (as opposed to the superhero/action angle). The interactions between Spider-Man and his classmates (such as Jacob Batalon’s Ned, Zendaya’s Michelle, and Tony Revolori’s Flash Thompson) are the most interesting and imaginative aspects of the entire film. There’s a certain charmingly awkward quality that has real emotional relevance—so much so that when the consequences of the Spider-Man side of things come to bear, the stakes feel significant.

photo courtesy of slashfilm.com

     Homecoming also presents a fresh and thoughtful look at the titular hero, allowing a character-centric focus to drive much of the story. This time, Parker is a hero in training; much like a teenage superhero would, he makes mistakes, struggles with the attention, and strives to prove himself (especially to Iron Man, who serves as something of a father figure). It’s a slightly different—and more stimulating—arc for Spidey.

     Tom Holland performs excellently in the main role, proving he can carry the full weight of a superhero franchise. In his hands, Peter is likeable and as relatable as a handsome, super-power-wielding high-schooler can be. Robert Downey Jr. steals his scenes, as usual.

photo courtesy of collider.com

     If it were in doubt, Michael Keaton gives another dynamic performance as Adrian Toomes/The Vulture. While the movie doesn’t exactly dive into any real profundities, it does spend enough time with the character to make him more interesting than the run-of-the-mill, disposable villain that sometimes populates this type of superhero movie. It’s a credit to Marvel Studios that they manage to take a relatively unassuming, B-level comic book villain and make him as genuinely menacing as he is.

     In terms of story, the script smartly keeps things small and streamlined. It doesn’t do anything entirely original in terms of story structure or blockbuster tropes, but it at least keeps things at a level befitting its hero rather than cramming in the chaotic, expansive action typical to Avengers films. There are two major twists in the movie, one of which is stunning and well-executed, and another that’s so predictable and poorly executed as to be rather disappointing. In general, the script relies more on comedy (which, by the way, is very strong) and character relationships than narrative.

photo courtesy of polygon.com

     A few of the typical superhero blockbuster pitfalls make appearances. There’s poor dialogue here and there, including some commonplace exposition dumps, and the CGI is hit or miss. But most of that is to be expected.

     FINAL VERDICT: Though it doesn’t break any new ground, Spider-Man: Homecoming is a successful and hilarious reimagining of Marvel’s best character.

SPOILERY DELICIOUSNESS

photo courtesy of collider.com

     There are a few plot points in spoiler territory that merit a mention. It shouldn’t be overlooked that for once, a Marvel movie didn’t kill off its villain. The Vulture surviving the film is both important to Spider-Man’s character development and fruitful for the future of the franchise (as teased in the post-credits sequence). Michael Keaton’s performance is compelling enough that it will be worth seeing again sometime down the road.

     The movie makes the deliberate choice to avoid rehashing the “origin story,” skipping the genetically-enhanced spider and the death of Uncle Ben. But unlike the spider, Uncle Ben doesn’t even get a mention. While it makes sense to take the story in a new direction, it seems odd to ignore Ben altogether. It’s hard to acknowledge any version of Spider-Man that doesn’t include such a foundational motivation as definitive. As reboots become more and more frequent, studios have created a new and disappointing trend of moving more aberrant iterations of their characters to the forefront (Jared Leto’s off-beat Joker is another example).

photo courtesy of denofgeek.com

     The most regrettable choice that the filmmakers made is to make “MJ”s identity a last-second reveal, ostensibly to preserve some suspense about the fate of Homecoming’s love interest, Liz (Laura Harrier). The namedrop in MJ’s final scene styles itself as a delightful surprise in the vein of The Dark Knight Rises’s ending, which reveals that Joseph Gordon Levitt’s character had been Robin all along. But unlike the revelation in The Dark Knight Rises, Michelle’s true identity is anything but surprising. Homecoming tips its hand early on, so the reveal feels more like a tone-deaf move by the filmmakers than anything else. For a studio that usually excels with surprises, it’s a disappointment.