Spider-man: Homecoming

It's been quite a year for superhero films, hasn't it? 

We've had arguably four already (if you count Lego Batman) and I've given at least a 9 out of 10 to each of them -- Logan (9.5), Guardians 2 (9), and Wonder Woman (9). Measure that up against some great disappointments from last year *cough Apocalypse, most of BvS, and how-the-f**k-was-it-so-bad? Suicide Squad cough cough* and I'd say that we're making out nicely thus far. Even if the remaining two superhero films we get this year are duds (doubtful), we've still gotten some true gems in 2017. 

And you can go ahead and add Spider-man: Homecoming to that list too. 

It may be the most purely "comic-book" film ever made in this genre as it rips the spirit of Peter Parker and Spider-man right off the page and into a film. This would qualify as one of his more low-scale adventures, sure, but it's a blast nonetheless and it fits into the MCU like a glove which, after last year's scene-stealing performance in Civil War, should be no surprise.

In fact, I have my own little theory about the whole MCU after seeing this film that I'll share with you later. 

This Spider-man is quintessential Spider-man. As much as I liked the previous films from Sony -- I know, I'm one of the rare ones and yes, I very much liked ASM2 too -- there's definitely something that was missing that's now so obvious. Even from the original trilogy, despite how good the first two were (I'm one of the common sheep that dislikes the 3rd though), I feel like this film we really got to know the true essence of Spider-man and Peter Parker. He's a high school student struggling to balance homework, crushes, building LEGOs with friends, and fighting crime. Luckily we're spared our third origin story for the character (#blessed) and we pick up shortly after Civil War left off. In fact, the "fallout" from Civil War plays a starting plot point as Peter is consistently alienating himself from his teenage life because he feels as if his "Avenger" life will take command at any second. It's understandable in the context of a teenager and there's a clear push to eliminate the training wheels of stopping bike thieves and helping grandmas and graduating to alien-arms dealers. It's here where Tony Stark (Downey Jr.) plays a fatherly role to Parker in a welcomed, but not overbearing role. In fact, it's through this relationship that the film is tightly connected with everything else going on in MCU which was one of my favorite aspects of the film. As Peter goes to fight the villain (Keaton) he learns that maybe he isn't actually ready and that there are normal aspects of his life that he should pay attention to and enjoy. Surprisingly, given Marvel's track record with villains, Keaton's Vulture is one of their best. He's relatable and has a moral compass, skewed as it may be, that we understand his motives. It doesn't hurt that Keaton's a great actor too and despite Vulture not being the most menacing of all the MCU villains, he still leaves an impression because of his more elaborate backstory. 

"You have much to learn my young Padawan..."

[deep growl voice] "I'm not the one
wearing hockey pads!"

Action scenes are where Homecoming underwhelms a bit. They're not bad by any means, and a few of them are exciting, but it's clear that the film's focus is on fleshing out the outside-of-the-suit aspects of the character rather than delivering action spectacle like we saw in Civil War. That's perfectly fine, but it does mean we're left with some very low-stakes and generic action sequences. They look great as Marvel continues to have some of the best special effects work in the industry. And luckily, the merely OK action scenes are saved by the film's humor. I've seen a lot of internet trolls lately trash talking Marvel for making their movies "too funny" and not "serious" enough (strangely, these are the same trolls that absolutely loved Avengers when it first came out...). For the life of me, I can't quite understand that and I absolutely welcome and adore the tone and approach of Marvel films. And I think they've found just a little bit of success with them...Anyway, I digress. The humor of the film is on point, resulting in a very funny high school comedy both because of the natural humor that comes with high school and also the comical existence of something as simple as high school in a universe that often focuses on aliens, gods, other worlds, etc. A large part of this is due to the masterstroke casting that Tom Holland is as Peter Parker. He's the best actor to portray the character yet (Tobey Maguire fans, your nostalgia is showing). There's an innocence about him that makes his discovery of his powers, his purpose, and his "work"-life balance seem completely genuine. Holland not only physically nails the part -- he does many of his own stunts -- but he nails the humor too. He's a bit awkward, has a ever-changing voice pitch, and is just generally kind of goofy. He has some great help too from his friend Ned and their chemistry makes their scenes an absolute pleasure to watch. Zendaya, in a very small role, steals almost every scene she's in with some deep sarcasm that is so unexpected, it's hilarious. There's also some great humor with other MCU characters, including one great post-credits scene that I won't ruin by saying anymore. 

Sam Fisher...er...Vulture is the villain of this movie

Now, onto my theory before wrapping this up. I think it's obvious to most that Downey Jr.'s Iron Man is the core character to the MCU. He arguably kicked the whole thing off in 2008 and now, nearly a decade later, he's acting the father figure to a "new" iconic character, Spider-man. Also somewhat obvious is that these actors' contracts expire at some point. I literally know nothing about the plot of the next Avengers films, but I surmise that we'll lose some people. There has to be a passing of the torch from one figurehead to the next. I see Homecoming as the blueprint for what's to come and given that Homecoming 2 (working title) is the official kick-off to Phase 4 now, I sincerely think that Spider-man will be the new central figure to the MCU post Avengers 4. Take that how you will, but the writing seems to be on the wall for Disney/Marvel to put down a HUGE payday to outright buy Spider-man from Sony (likely in the billions) and give us a character that we'll watch evolve from high school into adulthood. I'm so sure of it after seeing Homecoming that I'd be surprised if I'm wrong and it'll be very interesting to see how these two companies reach an agreement once the original 4-film-contract is complete. 

Musings aside, Spider-man: Homecoming is a delight and another fantastic entry to the increasingly impressive and ever growing Marvel Cinematic Universe. At this point, that's not surprising anymore but for a film that exists in this same pantheon of films and features such low stakes as a Spanish quiz, it's a wonder it works well at all. Or maybe that's just what we needed at this point? To be reminded that these heroes are people too, and that there can still be plenty of fun had in their "normal" lives. 

CONS

• Merely okay action sequences. His Civil War scenes were a bit better and the final "fight" here is mediocre
• Low-stakes, all things considered
• Felt a little long

PROS

• Tom Holland as Spider-man/Peter Parker is a casting masterstroke as we found out in Civil War. He nails every aspect of the character and gives us a potential upcoming ringleader for the MCU
• Great supporting cast too. RDJ is around just enough as Stark, Keaton is actually one of the MCU's most fleshed out villains, Jacob Batalon's Ned is a fun sidekick, and Zendaya is a pleasant surprise
• Purely comic book. It's like the spirit of Spider-man was ripped straight from the pages of Stan Lee's creation
• Very funny and consistently entertaining. There aren't any lulls here
• Great larger connection to the MCU with some priceless "cameos"
• An intelligent split between Parker's high school life and life as Spider-man. It's a conflict unique in this universe and it makes the film feel fresh and exciting 
• Soundtrack was fun
• It may not have extreme larger implications for this universe, but it's a consistently engaging and humorous entry that you'll remember less for the action scenes and more for the characters it introduces. And there's nothing wrong with that at all

Rath's Review Score | 8.5/10