Spider-Man: Homecoming Review: Spidey Senses on Full

One could argue that Spider-Man: Homecoming has been the most anticipated Marvel film since the cinematic universe’s inception in 2008. The highly beloved character has been eager to join the likes of Iron Man, Captain America and the rest of this globally dominant universe that started it all. While fans got a taste of that and last summer’s Captain America: Civil War we finally have the “homecoming” party Spider-Man fans have been clamoring for.

Spider-Man: Homecoming takes place roughly two months after the events of Civil War. Peter Parker (Tom Holland) has been trying to help the people of New York City, though he feels he can do more. His natural excitement of being a superhero as a 15-year-old boy overtakes the drastic consequences of his actions. With Tony Stark himself being his mentor, Peter still has to find what’s inside of him in order to use these powers responsibly and for the right reasons.

If I had to describe Spider-Man: Homecoming in one word, it would be entertaining. This is not an insult to the film, rather a compliment and a refreshing one at that. With the genre, even in the Marvel universe becoming quite dark, it’s quite nice to see one of these big tentpole superhero blockbusters revolve around a sophomore in high school. And you know what? He actually spoke like a 15-year-old! Shocking, I know.

Tom Holland is pitch perfect as both Peter Parker and Spider-Man. His awkwardness, arrogance and genuine desire to help others are executed superbly due to Holland’s natural portrayal of the title character. Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 2 is still my favorite Spidey movie to date, but no one can argue that Tom Holland is Peter Parker through and through. There’s a pureness to watching him make tough decisions as in, ‘Should I go to the high school dance? or ‘Stop at giant flying vulture thing’. Yes, it may be a bit more of a homage to John Hughes than one would expect, but it worked for me.

Michael Keaton was the scene ‘stealer’, almost simultaneously fixing the MCU villain problem on his own. I won’t get into specifics to his character arc, but I will say that he had the best surprises of the entire film. Sure, he’s menacing when he wants to be and chews up every scene he’s featured in, but there is a lot more than meets the eye with him, so avoid spoilers at all costs.

When I first saw the initial trailer for Homecoming, I was immensely worried that this would just be another Iron Man movie featuring Spider-Man. I’m happy to report that’s not the case. Tony Stark does play a pivotal role in Peter’s overall story, the scenes he’s in are kept at bay making it a 100% Spider-Man movie. That being said, he does feel like a bit of a safety net whenever Peter is in real danger. I also wasn’t a fan of how high-tech the Spidey suit really is. It has all the same mechanisms of an Iron Man suit and then some, I mean, how the hell are there 250 thousand different “Web-Shooters” alone? How much can they really do? You find some of that out but it almost makes Peter Parker’s story and the development of Spider-Man take a step backward.

The action sequences are fine, nothing particularly memorable said for the Washington Monument sequence which was just incredible. This also has a lot to do with the marketing, which has been a habit in Spidey films as of late by ruining the best parts of the movie in the trailer. The final climactic battle takes a different direction rather than how these films usually end, which was a nice surprise. While the action does falter, the comedy strides and is consistently hilarious throughout. The comedy came naturally and unscripted, not coming across as punch lines like similar films before it.

The action may not be the best we’ve ever see a superhero film, nor is it the most original. Truth be told, my favorite parts of the movie is when Peter Parker is on screen, or the “normal” non-tech Spider-Man we’ve all grown up with. However, Spider-Man: Homecoming is a harmlessly fun time that reminds us all that Spider-Man is a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

We get it.

Spider-Man: Homecoming comes out on July 7h, 2017.

@Nick_Casaletto