One of my favorite scenes in a James Bond film is the moment Bond meets face to face with his nemesis. Bond and his enemy will exchange pleasantries and a tense conversation that signals the climactic moments are ahead. Bond is then tasked with outwitting his opponent’s schemes and henchmen to save the day. This tried and true formula is one of the most fun and unnerving plot devices in literature and cinema. Before the powers of good and evil fight, the opposing forces must have a reason, and within reason, comes nuance.

Spider-Man Homecoming pulls off this scene so incredibly and unexpectedly, you could’ve colored shock and awe on my face as I fell back into my seat. What had been a good movie up to this scene, immediately shifts into exhilaration and intensity, and results in a great movie.

Homecoming’s biggest achievement has become a Marvel staple as of late, and that’s the focus on the little details. Superhero films used to be given a generous amount of leeway when it came to logical dilemmas. Marvel has done their best to balance the nonsensical with the logical.

The best example of this is how Parker adjusts to having powers. There’s a steep learning curve, especially when Parker overrides Tony Stark’s custom-made Spider-Man suit and has over 50 tactical options including an instant kill feature that Parker protests. The best scene illustrating Spider-Man’s inexperience occurs early on when Spider-Man woefully swings through the suburbs tumbling through peoples’ yards while chasing some henchmen. Here’s why attention to detail, in this case, is so important.

In order to immerse the audience into the Spider-Man narrative of a 15-year old boy trying to survive his sophomore year of high school, the filmmakers do a wonderful job of bringing Peter Parker the teenager to life. In great superhero films, the person behind the mask is more important than their superhero identity. Homecoming nails this concept much in the same way Iron Man, Ant-Man, Captain America, and Black Panther do. If there’s one thing Marvel writers have a doctorate in, it’s crafting origin stories.

While Homecoming might not be an origin story that starts with the spider-bite, this reboot might as well be a pure origin story from the standpoint that we are introduced to a teenage Peter Parker in the infancy of his Spider-Man existence. The film opens with a hilarious iPhone montage of Parker filming his Marvel debut where he jacks Captain America’s shield during the Civil War confrontation.

Parker is then sentenced to be under the watchful eye of the enigmatic Tony Stark and his security associate aptly named, Happy. Parker is eager to participate in the Avengers next mission, so much so, that he forgets that he’s only 15-years old and is putting too much adult responsibility on his youthful shoulders.

Spider-Man comes across a robbery with some high tech weaponry coming from an underground arms dealer by the name of Adrian Toomes. Toomes’ asset recovery business was put under by Stark who decided he could profit off the catastrophic alien messes the Avengers make. Spider-Man is soon confronted with Toomes supervillain identity, Vulture.

Toomes’ background is far more interesting than anything Vulture has to offer and we get a wonderful Michael Keaton performance. One may say Keaton was channeling the Eastwood, “get off my lawn”, approach. Keaton does a masterful job at making his script cut through the film’s core ideals.

Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark character progresses our understanding of his character. Stark continues to remain the signature character in the Marvel series. Stark has a depth and complexity that Downey Jr. breathes into the role that is unlike anything within the genre. Stark is known mostly as an egomaniac and narcissist, but we also know him as a realist and a pragmatist. Yet in dire times, Stark is a thoughtful hero willing to make the ultimate sacrifice. Even still, Stark is ruthless and cunning.

There’s no one single thing that drives Stark. Juxtapose this with Parker, who is driven mostly by his compassion and sympathy, and you see how this pairing adds another layer to an already ambitious film.

Marvel has gotten to a point in their movie-making prowess where they’re in a Disney Pixar zone. Not to say the quality of each company’s movies compares, but there’s a similarity in their storytelling confidence that is exuding from title to title. Filmmakers paid attention to the Michael Bay-era criticisms where action set pieces and large city-leveling scenes were growing weary on audiences. Spider-Man: Homecoming’s two big set-piece moments occur at the Washington Monument and on an abandoned beach. The conflictual implications are on a smaller scale and provide a more intimate setting for the action where we are keenly aware of whose lives are at stake.

Hannibal Buress delivers in two scenes of his trademark deadpan comedy. Donald Glover has two scenes in which he appears to be acting as if he knows he’s acting. It’s a very curious performance from the talented actor coming off an even more suspect performance in Solo.

My only critique of Homecoming as to why it’s not in the elite level superhero film tier is that it’s not genre-defining or as unique as Iron Man and Ant-Man. Homecoming is arguably a top-5 Marvel film.

Holland does an exemplary job at Peter Parker, but the showcase was really on the shoulders of Keaton giving Marvel one of their best villain performances (it will be difficult to top MBJ’s Killmonger role).

The other supporting roles are the usual goofy tropes one would come to expect. Parker has an Asian best friend who gets to be the tech sidekick. The film’s love interest is more plot device than substance.

Overall Spider-Man: Homecoming is a refreshing narrative and reboot for a series that has seen its share of mixed results.