Spider-Man holds the status as the most down-to-earth superhero. His roots are quaint, his backstory is familiar (or was), and his powers aren't terribly intimidating. For the most part, that holds true in "Spider-Man: Homecoming." His roots are clearer, and his backstory is slightly changed, though he does acquire some intimidating capabilities. There are clear signs, however, that this isn't your father's friendly neighborhood Spider-Man anymore.
About 'Spider-Man: Homecoming'
"Spider-Man: Homecoming" is the first title for the new, oft-relaunched superhero franchise.
After the character's Marvel debut in "Captain America: Civil War," his standalone film swung into theaters on July 7, 2017. Directed by Jon Watts ("Cop Car"), the action-adventure movie tries to build on the success of the original with Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield's recent version.
After engaging in a war of superheroes in Berlin, Peter Parker feels he's ready to become part of the Avengers full-time. Tony Stark put the training wheels on him, though. As he grows more uncomfortable with his life as an average high school student, he grows more wary of dangerous technology flooding the streets. He has to decide if being Spider-Man is worth putting people in danger due to his inexperience as a superhero.
Meet the new Spider-Man
Obviously, the most important element of "Spider-Man: Homecoming" is Spider-Man. We got a quirky glimpse of Tom Holland in "Civil War," enough so that he seemed like he had a real chance to own the role. Holland brings a certain amount of boyish charm to the part. He has a lot of heart as well, with the caring side of the character coming through throughout the movie.
Holland can be firm when he needs to be, too. With Marvel's backing, there's a good chance Holland will become the actor most associated with Spider-Man.
That's good, because his supporting peers could use some assistance. MJ (played by Zendaya) is brooding in an interesting way, but there wasn't anything more than surface-level implications in this film about her.
Aunt May is spunky (and spoiler: alive), but doesn't get enough screen time. His best friend Ned is goofy and has potential, but the montage of moments featuring him asking questions about Spider-Man lasts five minutes too long.
Then, there's Vulture. It's always good to have Michael Keaton in a superhero movie. His motivation is clear and his twist in the story is simultaneously predictable and unexpected in a way that had fellow moviegoers freaking out. The payoff of his storyline is not entirely there, though. In the climax of the film, the decisions of Vulture and Spider-Man feel slightly disingenuous when compared with the rest of the plot.
Action and comedy rolled into one
The action in the film is in line with most Marvel action.
Some of it is very exciting, like when Spider-Man crawls up the walls of the Washington Monument. More of it, like the climactic scene, is indecipherable to the naked eye. It would've been more intriguing to have a villain that wasn't tied to some sort of explosive laser technology. It would've also been intriguing to not do the whole "voice in the suit" story already done in "Iron Man."
There's plenty of humor in "Spider-Man: Homecoming" that makes up for shortcomings. The beginning, which recaps "Civil War" in a found footage way, is hilarious. Peter's interactions with almost anyone his own age are funny, as is his interaction with Donald Glover, who briefly played a bad guy. Also, kudos to Hannibal Buress for his random role in the proceedings.
The film also does a good job of not harping on Avengers lore. Iron Man plays a fairly important part and there are some Captain America pieces, but otherwise, the movie allows Spider-Man to develop independently. If the franchise is going to work under the MCU umbrella, it has to be given some room to create a different, more personal story.
Final thoughts
"Spider-Man: Homecoming" tells a story that feels incomplete, but that may be by design more than anything -- after all, we're going to get at least one sequel, if not more. This feels like a calmer Marvel launch than usual, though, which could give fans a superhero everyone can cheer for. Now, somebody go and protect Aunt May.
Rating: B+