Review- Spiderman: Homecoming

Spider-Man is one of the most iconic characters under the umbrella of Marvel's colorful cast of characters, thus it was a big get for the Marvel Cinematic Universe to get him back under their umbrella. However, it was also a risk as up to this point Spider-Man has had five movies that all treaded a lot of the same ground. They had to be careful to make this Spider-Man different from Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield's Spidey. Homecoming benefits from the fact that everyone knows Spiderman's origin so there isn't a need for the first act to filled with exposition, thus it allows the film to get right to the chase. It is a brilliant step to take and it allows the film to focus more on the duality of Peter Parker and Spider-Man. The two identities are constantly at conflict for Peter and as a kid he doesn't know how to deal with that. With that in mind, Homecoming's Spider-Man is arguably the most spot on representation of the iconic character that we have seen on the big screen yet. It also helps that Tom Holland completely nails the character.

The plot follows Peter Parker (Tom Holland) shortly after the events of Civil War where he helped Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) fight Steve Rogers and his friends who opposed the Accords. However, after helping Stark, he assumes that it means he is now an Avenger which means the world to him. On the flip side, it makes him forget how to be a kid as he'd much rather be Spider-Man and using his abilities to help make the world safe. Stark takes a mentor role over Peter, but he urges him to stay low to the ground and be the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. Yet, the excitement that he had from working with the Avengers consumes Peter making him put off his normal daily routine. The idea of being an Avenger often conflicts with him being Peter Parker, he doesn't see any reason in living out his responsibilities as they fail in comparison to that of being an Avenger. Peter sees an opportunity to prove himself worthy of being an Avenger when a disgruntled Adrian Toomes (Michael Keaton) begins to weaponize alien tech from previous Avengers fights around the globe.

As good of a character as Spider-Man may be, it is a difficult proposition for this movie to take off the way that Marvel had wanted. The character suffers a bit from over saturation currently with this being his sixth film in a short period of time. With that being said Tom Holland and director Jon Watts helped create a fresh take on the character and expertly avoided retreading similar ground from previous films. Although, the film is incredibly predictable with only one surprising twist. It also continues the trend of an under developed villain within the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Michael Keaton's Toomes presents a powerful threat but along the previous Spidey villains he is no Otto Octavious. That is the films biggest drawback, but overall it is a enjoyable movie thanks to the humor and incredible performance given by Tom Holland. Watts does an admirable job behind the camera and there are quite a few impressive scenes in terms of spectacle. However, it does drag a bit in the second and third act but overall it is a good introduction for Peter Parker into a much bigger world then we are used to seeing in him.

Tom Holland's performance of the conflicted Peter Parker and Spider-Man is masterful. He expertly captures the glee that the character has from being Spider-Man. He is earnest while also being immature and in over his head. This is a much more nuanced performance then previous iterations. The decision to skip the origin story of the character helps the film then focus more on the character which Holland portrays perfectly. Michael Keaton does the best job that he can in a under developed role. He makes the character certainly threatening but in the end we don't care for him or his motivations. There isn't a connection between the audience and Toomes. The film is rounded about by a solid supporting cast, some of which are under utilized, and the film certainly nails the humor aspect that inevitably comes from the character.