In the last 15 years, audiences have seen two different Spider-Man film series come and go. So it’s understandable if some may be wary of jumping into a third one with this weekend’s release of Spider-Man: Homecoming. However, the decision to allow Spider-Man to join the Marvel Cinematic Universe has paid off with a wonderful new take on the character.
With only passing references to radioactive spider bites and Uncle Ben, the film decides to forgo the tired origin tale we’ve seen before. Instead, the story picks up a few months after Spider-Man was recruited by Iron Man to fight alongside some of the Avengers. (As seen in last years Captain America: Civil War.)
Now back in his native Queens, Peter Parker (Tom Holland) is looking for his next big mission, rather than the minor issues he helps out with around his neighborhood. He believes he can do more as Spider-Man, but is continually told by Iron Man himself, Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) that he’s not ready to take on Avenger-level challenges. His chance to try eventually comes in the form of the villainous Vulture (Michael Keaton). Parker takes on the task of figuring out what the Vulture is up to and trying to stop him.
Holland was a great choice for this new incarnation of Spider-Man. He brings together both sides of Peter Parker and the conflict between being an everyday teenager and trying to be a superhero. He also plays great opposite Downey Jr.’s pseudo-father figure Stark and Keaton’s stone-cold menacing Vulture. There are moments of Keaton and Holland together that are pure edge-of-your-seat tension that works brilliantly.
[Tom Holland] brings together both sides of Peter Parker and the conflict between being an everyday teenager and trying to be a superhero.
Keaton was also a spot-on casting decision. He plays the villain so well that you’ll almost forget that last time he was in a comic-book movie, he was the hero. Yet, for as bad as his Vulture is, Keaton is able to imbue a sympathetic quality to the character that may even have some in the audience agreeing with him at times.
The movie features a lot of great action scenes, including ones featuring the Staten Island Ferry and the Washington Monument. Even with the many previous Spider-Man films, this one still found some unique scenarios to show off the character’s powers and what he can do. The action and fight scenes also just look great. Whether it’s Spider-Man taking down some thugs, or going up against the Vulture, there’s no shortage of well-crafted action.
But the movie is not all action and fighting bad guys. There is also a good amount of time set over to another important aspect of the story, Parker’s time spent out of the costume as a normal high school student. These scenes helped to balance out the movie and helped make Parker a more well-rounded character.
Overall this was another really fun, highly enjoyable film from Marvel. If you still feel sick from previous Spider-Man films, I would highly recommend Spider-Man: Homecoming as the perfect cure.
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‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’ Review: Feature image courtesy of Columbia Pictures
