Spider Man: Homecoming

For years, the public has been exposed to Spider Man in different ways. Starting in 2002, we had the Tobey Maguire films, which were good in their own right, but after the flop of the third one, Sony decided to reboot it with the Andrew Garfield films. Middling reviews and poor box office receipts left Spidey’s future in limbo. Eventually, Marvel announced a deal to feature Spider-Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, first introducing him in Captain America Civil War. With that film setting the stage for a new film, Spider Man Homecoming sets us up for a new future with our favorite web slinger.

Spider Man Homecoming takes place after the events of Captain America Civil War. Peter Parker (played by Tom Holland) has gotten a taste of what it is like to be an Avenger and his life will never be the same. Spending his days taking care of small scale crimes at the behest of Tony Stark (played by the reliably great Robert Downey Jr.), Pete dreams of more and wishes to become a full Avenger. But of course, there’s high school. As he tries to find a balance of teen angst, spanish quizzes and crime fighting, he tries to battle Vulture (played by Michael Keaton) and find out what it means to be a hero.

This film breaks away from what the public has come to expect from a Spider Man film. As opposed to the darker tones of what the previous films have done, Homecoming feels like what would happen if John Hughes directed a super hero film. It’s funny, lighthearted, and clever. Tom Holland shines as Spider Man. He captures what the comic books portrayed in ways that neither of our previous iterations had done before. He has the angst that spider man has, he has fears and anxiety and a thirst to prove that he can and will do the right thing. On top of that, he looks like he’s in high school for the first time in what seems like ever. He does the character justice and gives fans what they deserve.

The supporting cast deserves equal praise. Michael Keaton holds his own as Vulture. Does the storyline with him follow the comics? No. But they create a character that is relatable and while you don’t like his actions, you understand his decisions and what led him to them. That is something that Marvel has struggled with in the past. Another great addition is Peter Parker’s best friend Ned. Ned is funny, quirky, and provides some great comic relief.

The action sequences were beautiful and toys with scenes that the Spider Man lore has touched on, while making them playful and fresh. The problem is that with those is that this is first and foremost a high school film, so they are few and far between. But this is okay as we are given excellent dialogue, fun jokes, and an overall good time at the movies.

I give this film ⅘ stars. It was a great time and I am excited to see where they go from here.