The Definitive Spider-Man: Homecoming Review

If someone told me 5 years ago Spider-Man would be back in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, I would have laughed in your face. Not only for Sony having a death grip on the movie rights, but also because the only good movies in the franchise were part 1 and 2. After that, Sony’s dark magic killed my interest in Spider-Man films. I don’t care what anyone says, Spider-Man 3 and the 2 films staring Andrew Garfield were terrible. I was never a huge fan of the character to begin with, so those 3 films only exacerbated my feelings.

Fast forward to 2017, Marvel has worked its magic again. Not only did I really enjoy Spider-Man: Homecoming, this movie is without a doubt the best Spider-Man film of them all, despite Sony’s involvement. Yeah, I said it…FIGHT ME!

After the events of Captain America: Civil War, Peter Parker wants nothing more than to impress Tony Stark so he can become an Avenger. I’ve heard people complain that Spider-Man is too young; I guess these people don’t know jack about the character. Spider-Man is a nerd, with youthful morality. Tom Holland’s performance is spot on if you know anything about the character. The people who are saying it doesn’t feel a like Spider-Man movie are idiots. This is as close to classic 1962 as you’re going to get. If you didn’t like his take on the character in Civil War, then you wont like this film.

If people are worried this film is another Iron Man movie, you can relax. Spider-Man: Homecoming is absolutely a web-slinger story. Tony Stark plays the mentor well, but not to the point where you think he takes over the movie. If anything Stark helps to further establish Parker’s character. Peter’s struggle for his acceptance highlights some of the character’s iconic personality traits. Homecoming uses Parker’s inexperienced admirably and Stark being a flawed father like figure is the icing on the cake.

Michael Keaton plays the antagonist (Adrian Toomes/Vulture) superbly. Which is nice to see considering the MCU puts out villains who are sometimes one dimensional. Some of the best villains are the ones who are conflicted. Adrian Toomes has a sense of honor which is rivaled only by his love for his family. From a certain point of view you’ll understand where he’s coming from; especially when it comes to Tony Stark.

I was never bored with any of the story arcs as each of them had an interesting or humorous payoff. I went in thinking Peter’s high school life would fail to keep me tuned in, but Michelle “MJ” Jones (played by Zendaya) had me laughing more than anyone. Her dry humor and retorts will make you chuckle. Some people are up in arms because they THINK she’s playing Mary Jane Watson. You people can relax, she’s playing a different character. The MJ name was put in there to give a nod to Spider-Man’s history. I enjoyed the Easter eggs as well. My favorite was the Miles Morales tease. It would be nice to see this character later on in the series. For those who don’t know, Donald Glover’s character plays his uncle. It was a nice nod to the comic book freaks such as myself.

Some of the special effects seemed a little off and I felt the movie was paying homage to previous Spidey films a little too much. Plus the lack of truly ground breaking action scenes may disappoint if you’ve seen Spidey in Civil War. The MCU typically (sometimes to a fault) likes to slowly build so I’m guessing the action will pick up in the sequel. Homecoming focuses more on the characters rather than the abilities they have. But since I’m nit picking, I might as well say I’m disappointed there wasn’t a mention of The Defenders; even though Homecoming takes place in New York. Vincent D’Onofrio was willing to reprise his role Kingpin role for a quick cameo as well. Unfortunately, that never came to pass. Marvel Studios is under constant pressure (albeit by the true comic book fans) to tie their films and TV shows together; maybe one day people like me will get their wish.

But, even with my gripes, Spider-Man: Homecoming is just plain fun. Which surprised me since it’s more of a coming-of-age high school comedy than it is an action film. Trust me, you’ll have a good time and look forward to the sequel.

BTW, there are two end credit scenes, so please have “patience”.