Spider-Man: Homecoming is directed by Jon Watts and stars Tom Holland, Michael Keaton, Jacob Batalon, Jon Favreau, Zendaya, Marisa Tomei and Robert Downey Jr. This is the first solo Spider-Man film since Marvel Studios were lent back the rights to the character from Sony, but we did of course see what I thought was a fantastic introduction to the latest iteration of Peter Parker in Captain America: Civil War. Now, several months after the events of Captain America: Civil War, Peter Parker (Tom Holland) tries to find symmetry between his life as a high school student, and his life as a crime-fighting superhero, with the assistance of Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr), while a potent threat in the form of Vulture (Michael Keaton) materialises.
Spider-Man: Homecoming is quite simply a blast from start to finish. Tom Holland manages to bring something new to the character, even though we have seen him in live action twice before, and this is helped by the decision to have Spider-Man still be getting used to his powers for pretty much the entirety of this film, and the effective comedic way in which this was shown. Even by the end, he is still not perfectly aware of all the features of his suit etc, but Peter’s vulnerability is one of the things that makes us care for him so much throughout. His suit is also easily the best we’ve seen on screen, and the different elements it has literally do give the suit a personality that added an extra layer to Spider-Man himelf.
Furthermore, the decision to use Tony Stark so sparingly and sporadically was a very wise decision. He could have easily been in almost every scene, but Jon Watts recognised that he should only be used in moments, as not to take away from what should obviously be Peter Parker’s story and journey. Also, The moments Tony was in were fantastic. the dynamic between him and Peter was a huge element to the film, with Tony as his mentor, and these scenes either had great heart as Peter seeked approval from Tony, or were just hilarious moments.
Michael Keaton is also brilliant as the Vulture and thankfully breaks the trend of the thinly characterised villains the MCU has created a bit too often. He has a compelling backstory that helps us completely identify with him and understand his motivations, while also delivering a menacing and sinister performance. This is also enhanced by the fact that he has a personal connection to one of the characters in the film, and this was a hugely exciting shock. adding to this, Keaton also comes into contact with two other criminals, that i did not expect to see appear in the film and they are famous figures in Spider-Man’s rogues gallery, but the film did not shove them in at all, just quiety eluded to them and moved on with the story, which was very satisfying.
However, while the film had some really funny moments provided by main and supporting characters, I did feel that the humour of Ned (Jacob Batalon) and Zendaya (Michelle) specifically, while funny at first, did become very repetitive after a while. And this is completely a scriptwriting/directorial criticism rather than a criticism of the actors, as they did their jobs well, I just felt that the humour provided by these characters became quite unnecessary during the second and third acts of the film, and slowed the momentum slightly.
Despite this minor flaw, Spider-Man: Homecoming is a really good watch. It has a fresh take on Spider-Man, has really funny moments, easily one of the best Marvel villains, and is a fantastic connective tissue with the rest of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, while still standing alone as a truly enjoyable experience.
8/10
CinemaStance 