'Spider-Man: Homecoming' Movie Review

Released: 7th July 2017 (UK)

Length: 133 Minutes

Certificate: 12A

Director: Jon Watts

Starring: Tom Holland, Michael Keaton, Robert Downey Jr., Laura Harrier, Jacob Batalon and Jon Favreau

Spider-Man, one of the most relatable and well-known superhero characters, has been synonymous with filmgoers for over a decade. Three years after Sony’s second try at the character fell flat, (and a quick appearance in last year’s Captain America: Civil War) the web-head is now making his way back to Marvel in a solo adventure that stands to the side of most superhero flicks currently being released.

Taking place sometime after the events of Civil War, Spider-Man/Peter Parker (Tom Holland) is bouncing between his responsibilities in Queens, New York. Between juggling his schoolwork, chasing after local flame Liz (Laura Harrier) and impressing Tony Stark in a bid to become a full member of the Avengers, Parker stumbles across a scheme by a villain known as the Vulture (Michael Keaton) who has formed an underground weapon dealing network using remnants of alien technology. Cutting between Peter’s exploits, the Vulture and a few sprinklings of Avengers for good measure, things proceed well. For starters, Spider-Man: Homecoming does contain many links to the Avengers and the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), but it doesn’t become overbearing. Tony Stark/Iron Man (Played once again by the always capable Robert Downey Jr.) makes an appearance here as Peter Parker’s mentor, but he never takes over the proceedings from Spider-Man. Spider-Man: Homecoming balances several plot details very well for the most part, though Spider-Man’s connection with the city, that friendly neighborhood charm is the only thing absent here. There’s some time dedicated to Spider-Man doing the petty things from rescuing cats out of trees to getting a restaurant owner out of his collapsing building, but there isn’t much of a sense that the city is rallying behind him, something that would have set him apart from his fellow heroes in the MCU.

With a more laidback tone, the characters of Spider-Man: Homecoming aim for a more relatable mood. Tom Holland really owns Spider-Man here; just like Tobey Maguire before him, he nails the duality of the hero; often you’ll feel his frustration as his duty to protect his city pulls him away from his normal life time and time again. On top of that, there’s a great arc here as he balances between his humble roots with Aunt May in Queens and the extravagant lifestyle of the Avengers. It’s also impressive that Holland manages to get a lot across using only his voice; with his face beneath the mask through much of the film. Sidekick characters can fall into the trap of being irritating but I was surprised to find that Ned Leeds, played by Jacob, makes his presence known by helping Spider-Man out at several points, taking him beyond that quippy base. As for the villain, Michael Keaton is a smart choice; he’s had experience in Tim Burton’s Batman in 1989 and more recently the 2014 Best Picture Winner Birdman. He imbues the Vulture with motives we can understand, a man tired of being ruled over by elites and the connections he shares with Peter create a fair amount of unpredictability as the film goes on; in short, he’s easily the best adversary for Spider-Man since Alfred Molina’s Dr. Otto Octavius, quite the accomplishment indeed. The most glaring performance here is Marisa Tomei as Aunt May; she just doesn’t have that much to contribute here; while it’s refreshing to see Spider-Man: Homecoming not redo Spider-Man’s origin story, their relationship feels rather basic.

Spider-Man: Homecoming is a very cheerful flick overall which ends up working both ways; on the one hand, the film has a very youthful spirit to it as it traverses the highs and lows of school life, but on the other the stakes aren’t raised too high, making for a mostly safe adventure. There’s a lot of action going on in Spider-Man: Homecoming, much of it taking place away from the towering skyscrapers of New York which is great for variety, something also afforded by the expansions to Spidey’s suit. The acrobatics are kept at arm’s length with the cinematography delivering the extravagance effortlessly. At the same time though they don’t quite manage to reach full-on intensity which other Marvel films have been building to over the years. The music by Michael Giacchino isn’t all that memorable either; because of the choice of tone, it doesn’t make much of an impact, instead of serving to populate the background of most scenes. When it comes to technical details, Spider-Man: Homecoming’s tone can be both a blessing and a curse, especially when compared to the darker direction the MCU is heading.

Spider-Man: Homecoming may not reach the heights of Sam Raimi’s smashing first two films, but it’s still a contained down-to-earth romp that solidifies Tom Holland’s Spidey as a full-time member of the MCU. I look forward to seeing this version of the character return in future phases.

Rating: 3.5/5 Stars (Good)