It is finally here! “Spider-Man: Homecoming.” If you are like me, you have been looking forward to this film ever since we saw our favorite friendly neighborhood Spider-Man in “Captain America: Civil War.”
First thing’s first, Tom Holland nails Peter Parker. I was very optimistic about this character going in, and Holland completely lived up to my expectations. He is fun, innocent and sometimes naive. This film deals with the balance of Spider-Man’s duality being a kid and a superhero that is so key to this character. Holland completely nails this high school version of Peter Parker.
I also really enjoyed the high school emphasis of the film. In the five Spider-Man movies before this one, we’ve never really seen this side of the character. Sure he was technically in high school in Marc Webb’s version of the character, but they did not explore the depth of that aspect like this film. This provides a great counter-perspective to being a hero that we do not really get in the rest of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It is really a breath of fresh air and a joy to watch.
Speaking of joy to watch, Michael Keaton as Vulture is my favorite part of the movie. He is easily the best villain Marvel has had since Tom Hiddleston’s Loki. He has a compelling origin, is complex, his sense of morality makes sense, and he is, at times, terrifying. The film makes viewers understand him and his motivation as a villain.
There is a scene between him and Peter Parker towards the beginning of the third act that is absolutely incredible, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
All that to say, this movie bugs me. (No pun intended.) It does not nail everything I want it too. I have to be careful here, as it is hard to talk about what bothers me without spoiling the movie. To me, about half the jokes didn’t land. There were some characters who didn’t resonate with me, they felt either bland or annoying at times. There were aspects of the Peter Parker the film did not explore that I really wish they had.
But what I missed most in this movie was a sense of emotion. I never really felt any distinct moment of lose or sadness, or even joyous moments. There are moments in the past Spider-Man films that made me feel things that this movie just does not have. Despite that fact, this movie does a fantastic job of setting up this character for those kinds of moments in future films, which is why I don’t think I can severely fault this movie for it now.
I am going to start switching up how I end these reviews. I’m not going to give you a score out of 10 anymore, instead, I’m going to tell you if this movie is worth you going to spend $10 on at your local movie theater.
Conclusion: go see “Spider-Man: Homecoming” on the big screen. This movie really is a blast. What negatives I give it are really more personal wants and desires than faults within the movie itself. You will fall in love with Tom Holland as Spider-Man, you will laugh the whole way through and, most importantly, you’re going to have a great time at the theater with this movie.
What did you think about “Spider-Man: Homecoming?” Is this a step in the right direction for this character, or do you wish we had just kept Andrew Garfield’s version around? Let me know on Twitter, @CSmithy16, or on Facebook. I’d love to know your thoughts.
Contact Collin Smith at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter.