We didn’t really need another Spider-Man movie. With three different live-action
iterations of the web-slinging hero appearing across six different films over
the span of the last 15 years, it was hard to work up enthusiasm for another.
But if we had to get a new Spidey film, I’m at least glad we’ve gotten one as good as “Spider-Man: Homecoming.”
Fresh
characterizations and an appealing cast set this new film apart. While the
“Homecoming” of the title is definitely a nod to Spidey being welcomed back
under the Marvel Studios umbrella, it’s also a reference to how the film
devotes as much time to exploring typical teenage concerns — complete with a
plotline about Peter Parker fretting over asking his crush to the school dance —
as it does to his heroic exploits. It’s a superhero film as coming-of-age teen
comedy, and the results work remarkably well.
It may not
reach the heights of Sam Raimi’s “Spider-Man 2” (still the gold standard of
Spider-Man films), nor is there anything as instantly iconic as the upside-down
kiss in Raimi’s first film (though it does get a clever reference here), but
“Homecoming” is a metric ton of fun.
Foregoing
the origin story allows director Jon Watts (and the film’s five other credited
writers) to hit the ground running. As the film begins, Peter Parker (Tom
Holland, who despite being 21, makes a completely convincing 15-year-old) is
still buzzing from the events of “Captain America: Civil War.” After getting a
taste of the big leagues, fighting alongside (and against) the Avengers, taking
on petty street-level crime as the “friendly neighborhood Spider-Man” just
doesn’t hold the same thrill.
So he waits
by the phone for the call from Tony Stark’s assistant, Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau), who’s been tasked with keeping tabs on the
overeager teen. But that call never seems to come. In the meantime he carries
on with business as usual, trying to be a typical teen at the Queens math and
sciences institution he attends, while hiding his superpowered identity from the world, including his
dear Aunt May (Marisa Tomei).
It helps
that the high school scenes are an unending delight, and the young cast that
fills them are wonderful. Scene-stealing newcomer Jacob Batalon
is a lot of fun as Peter’s best friend, Ned. Peter’s classmate Liz (Laura
Harrier) is the source of his long-simmering crush, and there’s also Michelle (Zendaya, delightful) as a sardonic fellow member of the
school’s Academic Decathlon team. Tony Revolori makes
for a nice twist on the Flash Thompson character, playing him as more smarmy douchebag than stereotypical jock bully. One of
the best parts of the film is the way it places its characters in a
realistically diverse, multicultural world without ever calling attention to
itself.
That focus
on smaller, more personal stakes extends to the film’s villain, Adrian Toomes aka the Vulture (played be a fantastic Michael
Keaton). “Birdman” jokes aside, Keaton’s character gets real motivation for his
actions: he’s not bent on world domination, just looking for a way to provide
for his family. He’s made to be a little sympathetic, getting more screen time
than most villains — in fact he’s the first character we’re introduced to as
the film opens — and that makes all the difference in the world. Vulture bucks
the trend of weak Marvel screen villains to become one of the MCU’s very best.
In some
previous entries in the MCU, the ties to the rest of the universe can feel
forced, but Watts makes them feel natural. From working in the Battle of New
York from “The Avengers” to show how the presence of super-powered individuals
has had rippling effects on this world, to the appearance by Robert Downey
Jr.’s Tony Stark as distant mentor/father figure for Peter, it succeeds in
building up the film’s reality.
Tom Holland
gives Peter an eager puppy dog enthusiasm that borders on naivetรฉ. In his
desperation to prove himself, he’s prone to rash decisions and poor judgement
(like any other teenager). Peter’s still a kid, which adds a sense of danger
that previous incarnations didn’t have. There’s a moment late in the film where
we get a reminder of how young and inexperienced Peter is, when we see him get
truly terrified for his life, and it’s heartrending. From the early cockiness
to that climactic moment, Holland plays it all impeccably.
“Spider-Man:
Homecoming” gives us the best live-action depiction we’ve gotten of Peter
Parker thus far, and I actually found myself looking forward to seeing where
the next few films take the character. My Spidey-Sense tingles at the
possibilities.
Visit rochestercitynewspaper.com on Friday for additional film coverage, including a review of “Lost in Paris.”
This article appears in Jul 5-11, 2017.
