Posted in: Kaitlyn Booth, Marvel Studios, Movies, Review, Sony | Tagged: film, marvel, Review, sony, spider-man: homecoming

Spider-Man: Homecoming Review: The Most Fun You've Had At A Marvel Movie Since 'Guardians of the Galaxy'

Published Thu, 29 Jun 2017 11:32:51 -0500

by Kaitlyn Booth

Last updated Sat, 27 Jan 2018 13:43:46 -0600

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Spider-Man: Homecoming embraces the mentality of its lead character to put one of the best adaptations of the character on screen.

Director: Jon Watts
Summary: Following the events of Captain America: Civil War (2016), Peter Parker attempts to balance his life in high school with his career as the web-slinging superhero Spider-Man.

This Spider-Man: Homecoming Review will be SPOILER FREE

Spider-Man coming to the Marvel Cinematic Universe was a big deal and while his introduction in Captain America: Civil War was extremely well done, we had a little while to wait to see if they would stick the landing in a solo outing. The trailers have been showing a teen and coming of age movie that just so happens to feature a kid who can stop a bus with his bare hands. Spider-Man: Homecoming is a movie that revels in the mindset of its lead character and walks away one of the more joyful experiences we've had in a Marvel movie since the original Guardians of the Galaxy. The movie doesn't waste time telling us how Peter (Tom Holland) got his powers, there isn't even a flashback to that, and instead features a Peter that wants to be an Avenger more than anything in the world. He's also trying to balance being a superhero on top of being a student which leads to the type of hijinks you would expect from a teen hero and they all work flawlessly.

There hasn't been a Marvel movie like this in a long time where every character, no matter how small, is connected to Spider-Man lore in some way. It means that the movie sets up a lot of possible storylines for the future but never gets bogged down by them in worldbuilding overkill the way The Amazing Spider-Man 2 did. The details are there if you're looking for them but this might be the most approachable Marvel movie in recent memory. While entries like Captain America: Civil War or Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 were both very good, they require a certain amount of knowledge to understand what's going on. This is a movie that isn't an origin story, but is somehow more approachable than even origin story driven movies like Doctor Strange. Any background we need is more or less set up in a few scenes before the Marvel titles even roll, and it works perfectly.

The cast members are all universally good across the board. Tom Holland is perfectly cast as Peter Parker. He can deliver when he needs to be funny, but where he really shines are the moments when he's afraid because Peter is a kid who is in way over his head. Michael Keaton as Adrian Toomes aka The Vulture might be one of the best Marvel villains put to screen since Loki. He's sympathetic, but his coldly robotic take on the Vulture has transformed what could have easily been a lame villain and made him terrifying. Robert Downey Jr., whom many were worried would dominate the movie, has the perfect amount of screen time. His presence can be felt throughout the story, but the moments where he's around are brief and well done. His mentor role to Peter makes for some brief character moments that could prove important down the line. Jon Favreau as Happy Hogan has much more screentime with Peter and they bounce off of each other extremely well. All of the kid actors are great, with Tony Revolori's take on Flash Thompson being extremely watchable, and relative newcomer Jacob Batalon as Ned being a breath of fresh air. Special mention must also be given to Bokeem Woodbine as the Shocker who steals every scene he's in on sheer charisma alone.

Spider-Man: Homecoming is exactly the Spider-Man movie we've been waiting for since Sam Raimi's Spider-Man 2 back in 2004. The laughs are genuine, but when it comes time for the inventive fight scenes to take place, the movie shines. It doesn't hold back, leaves everything on the table, and will succeed for it. The only gripes are purely nit picky with a few twists and turns being a bit weirdly delivered and it lulls a bit in the middle. These are little things though and don't effect the overall production. This is one you absolutely do not want to miss.