Spider-Man is coming home to Marvel Studios which is a weird thing to say since Spider-Man only just got there for the first time.
Yes, though, Spider-Man is in the Marvel Cinematic Universe now in this reboot… or, I guess we should call it a three-boot. Andrew Garfield is gone, all of the badness is gone. Tom Holland is in, so how does it measure up? Can Spidey finally retake his claim on having some of the best superhero movies under his belt? Er… Web?
The verdict, dear friends, is an emphatic yes for, although Spider-Man 2 is still my number one favorite web-slinger outing, Spider-Man: Homecoming is a welcome renaissance for the web head.
A few months after he joined Team Iron Man in taking on Captain America’s bunch in Civil War, Peter Parker is patiently waiting to be sent on his next mission and possibly join The Avengers but all he has are a phone full of unreturned texts. Meanwhile, a weapons manufacturer played by Michael Keaton is stealing alien and mystical artifacts to create more powerful guns for criminals and Peter decides to stop him to prove his worth.
With Spider-Man: Homecoming, we’re not burdened by continuity, by unnecessarily convoluted stories, too many characters, and unresolved plots that go nowhere… Homecoming is a simple back to basics story that strips down Spider-Man to his most pure and doesn’t waste too much time on trivialities like Peter Parker’s love life or how much he hates having all of these cool powers. Don’t misunderstand, those tropes are still there, but they’ve been muted. His love like is now a crush and his problem with his powers are much more understandable… they’re keeping him from living a normal life not because they’re terrible, but because he feels a responsibility to use them and a need for acceptance from his mentor, Tony Stark.
I often hear people complain about Marvel’s “villain problem,” though to be honest I’m not exactly sure what people are complaining about. Most of the time it’s the idea that the Marvel villains aren’t that memorable unless it’s Loki. Personally, I think most Marvel villains are just fine, I just think the characters aren’t as well known as Lex Luthor or The Joker. Micheal Keaton’s Vulture, however, is awesome. A more down to Earth guy, looking to make a buck… he’s ruthless, yeah. He’s mean, yeah… but there’s another side to him. More grounded and, yes… actually more understandable. Micheal Keaton is really one of the more underrated actors of our day and still, in my opinion, the best post-Adam West live action Batman.
That’s the thing that I appreciate the most about Homecoming is that the movie is more grounded… There’s nothing cosmic or world-ending, but rather Spider-Man: Homecoming feels more like a corner of a much bigger universe. You can completely understand why Peter wants to be out in that bigger universe. You can understand why he has this need to have Tony Stark’s acceptance. Spider-Man is a kid… he’s unsure of himself, he gets overconfident and cocky, makes bad decisions, and then ends up over his head. Call me weird, but it’s endearing to see a superhero foiled by his own personality. It makes me want to see him succeed.
Oh, I loved it, folks. It’s the best Spider-Man movie in years. It’s a Spider-Man movie that just has fun doing what it’s doing.
Jason Gaston 