Spider-Man: Homecoming is a fresh blend of nostalgia, fun, joy, and excitement that will please both young and old.
Long before the current decade-long winning-streak of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) movies, Spider-Man was easily the most recognized character in Marvel Comics. He’s synonymous with the brand, so his absence from the Marvel movies was noticeable.
After Sony’s two previous attempts to bring Spider-Man to the screen, they partnered with Marvel Studios to create this version. Due to the importance of the character, and the fact that the previous versions are still in everyone’s mind, they had to get this version right.
And they did. They really did.
This Spider-Man is younger. He’s smart and resourceful. He’s great in and out of the suit. He’s funny. For once, I really cared about Peter Parker. He wasn’t some sad-sack depressed loser. He’s just a kid who loves to go out and fight the bad guys.
This is the Spider-Man that I loved in the comics when I was growing up. Finally.
Director Jon Watts
Marvel Studios shows that they hire directors based on their take on the character. You can be forgiven for not knowing who Watts is. He’s only got a couple of small films to his credit, but one was 2015’s Cop Car, which was a tight interesting thriller with kids as the main characters.
There must have been something in the pitch that Jon Watts gave to Marvel Studios that made them go with him. They made the right choice.
What Watts brings to Homecoming is a sincere John Hughes vibe where the high school scenes and students are interesting, funny, and quirky-cool. He makes you feel for Peter Parker without making this film into something too heavy.
Watts is also good with his action scenes. There’s a piece near the end with a plane that is very clever visually. It’s always easy to follow Spider-Man’s funky moves, which is no easy feat.
The Writing Team
You’re going to need a flow-chart to keep up with how many writers Homecoming has. Along with Jon Watts, the two main writers are Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley, who are known mostly for comedies like Horrible Bosses, and Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2.
There is a very light tone and plenty of belly-laughs in Homecoming, and you can give the writers credit for that. But you can also credit them with something that every screenwriter in the Marvel Studios bullpen needs to take notice of… they created a relateable, nuanced, sympathetic villain, which unfortunately is a rarity in MCU films.
The screenplay for Spider-Man: Homecoming is refreshingly smaller in scope. Spider-Man is not trying to save the universe here. He just stumbles upon something important and follows it through to the conclusion. Thank you.
Tom Holland
One of the biggest casting decisions in recent Hollywood films ended up in favor of Tom Holland, a young unknown actor. They really nailed the casting with Holland.
If you’ve seen Holland dance on Lip Sync Battle, or you’ve seen the videos of him performing gymnastics, then you know that he’s legitimately an athlete. His physical abilities play so well with Spider-Man who is insanely quick and agile.
But the headline on Holland is that he’s so damn likable on screen. He’s humble and real in a way that is infectious.
Has anyone else played Spider-Man before? I’ve completely forgotten all the other pretenders.
The Cast
As Michael Keaton said in Mr. Mom… “Alright, let’s get into it!”
When I heard that the Vulture was going to be the main villain in Homecoming I was disappointed. I worried about how they were going to make that character into a compelling villain. Well, they proved me wrong.
The Vulture, in Michael Keaton’s hands, is one of the best villains we’ve seen in a superhero movie.We weren’t just given this villain and asked to accept his nefarious deeds. We are taken back in time to shortly after the events of the first Avengers movie, to see how a working man who had bet everything on a job was screwed by the government and a rapidly-changing world.
Adrian Toomes represents all the working-class people who have been forgotten by the effects of globalization, and robotics, and the need for a more technically-inclined workforce. Many people will instantly understand his plight to feed his family.
The casting of Keaton was an expert decision because he’s fully capable of playing a simple hardworking man, he can give you comedy too, but he’s also got a vein of menace just beneath the surface.
The supporting cast of Spider-Man: Homecoming is delightful.
We get copious amounts of Jon Favreau as Happy Hogan, Marisa Tomei is the sexy Aunt May, any appearance with Donald Glover is a treat, and Tony Revolori has his moments as high school antagonist Flash. Jacob Batalon is paticularly good as Peter Parker’s friend Ned.
I want to single out Zendaya who plays the wonderfully acerbic Michelle. Her role and her take on the role was a bright spot in a star cluster.
Robert Downey Jr. (maybe you’ve heard of him) is always a scene-stealer, and he’s in this film more than I expected. However, I will say that he didn’t actually upstage Tom Holland. He was excellent as Peter Parker’s hero mentor and managed to play an important role in his growth.
Ironically, despite a small role, Stark grew in this movie too.
The Other Bits
- Spider-Man is tough to portray on screen. He’s inhumanely speedy and he does things that people just can’t do in real life. Instead of overly presenting the wild swinging in this film, they stuck mostly with jumping and crawling which literally grounded the character to great effect.
- While the visual effects were good, I think some of the moments with Spider-Man and the Vulture broke down a few times. It wasn’t terribly distracting, but it also didn’t always feel real.
- New York City is a character in this film. This is one of the few movies that actually made me want to visit NYC. The diversity, the attitude, and the spirit of that city was on full display.
- The score was pedestrian in this film, although I really enjoyed the inclusion of the Ramones’ Blitzkrieg Bop, which gave the film a great punky and upbeat boost that matched the feeling of the whole tale.
- I imagine some people are going to have a problem with Tony Stark’s version of the Spider-Man suit. I thought everything that was added to the suit made for a vibrant update to the character, without really changing much about the powers he has in the comics.
Back to the Future
What Marvel Studios did with Spider-Man: Homecoming was dig deep into the past and unearth all the great things that made that character such a compelling iconic hero in the comics, then gene-spliced a modern take on the costume, a sincere take on high school friendship, the backdrop of a great city, and a light, fun tone that will erase your troubles for a couple of hours.
I went to see this with movie with a bunch of middle-aged guys and I was struck by how animated they were and the smiles on their faces as we left the theater. It mirrored the teenager’s expressions as we walked past them.
Any movie that makes so many people happy is an unqualified success.
All images are copyright Marvel Studios and Sony.
