Mild spoilers ahead.

Our new Peter Parker (played by the young Tom Holland) has a holographic display embedded in his gauntlets, allowing him to pull up information and track bad guys without a smartphone. There's a parachute that automatically deploys if he falls from a high distance. And his suit also automatically conforms to his body's shape (which seems much more convenient than squeezing into spandex). These features alone are a huge upgrade from the last five Spider-Man films, where Parker had to rely on his wits (and eventually, mechanical web shooters).

Later on in the film, we learn that Spider-Man's outfit is more like Iron Man's suits than we originally thought. There's a built-in artificial intelligence, similar to J.A.R.V.I.S., who ends up training Parker on his new capabilities. And while Spider-Man still relies on homemade webbing (not organic shooters in his arms, like in Sam Raimi's films), the suit gives him 576 different ways to use it. There's electroshock webbing, several lethal options (which is a bit strange for the web-slinger), and web grenades for wrapping up foes remotely. Spider-Man can fly now -- sort of -- thanks to new wing gliders. And to make it truly a product of our times, the suit's spider symbol also houses a reconnaissance drone.

All of this gadgetry adds up to a far different cinematic take on the character than we've seen over the past few decades. And that's clearly for the better. One of the biggest issues with the Amazing Spider-Man films is that they felt like a bland and unnecessary rehash. Did we really need to see Peter Parker learn the same lessons; anguish over Uncle Ben; and fall for another high school crush so soon? With Homecoming, we get something completely fresh and new.

Spider-Man fans might take issue with the sheer load of gear he's equipped with. This isn't the same Peter Parker who was forced to learn hard lessons on his own, and didn't have the support of a billionaire playboy philanthropist. Indeed, it almost feels like we lose a bit of the character in the process. This Parker is still a scrappy genius who mixes his own webbing, but he gets a huge assist from Tony Stark, and he knows there are other superheroes fighting the good fight. The fact that he's not alone makes his circumstances feel a little less desperate at times.