Movie Review: Spider-Man Homecoming

Courtesy: Marvel/Sony

Starring Tom Holland, Maria Tomei, Zendaya, Donald Glover and Michael Keaton with Robert Downey Jr., Jon Favreau and Gwenyth Paltrow
Directed by John Watts
Rated PG-13
My Rating: *****/5

"Spider-Man Homecoming" is this year's second entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe; and marks the character's official entry into the series thanks to an agreement with Marvel and Sony. While the series has come a long way since the first of the Sam Raimi films in 2002, the film is an ideal way to recover from the disappointment of 2014's "The Amazing Spider-Man 2" and a perfect introduction to the character after the events of "Captain America: Civil War."

The film follows Peter Parker (Holland) as he tries to balance his responsibilities as Spider-Man with his life in high school. While Holland is now 20 as of this writing, he was a teenager at the time of production; and presents the world through the eyes of Spider-Man as both an idealistic youngster and a conflicted individual that feels the weight of the world on his shoulders. Holland's performance manages to combine the best elements of both the previous actors to wear the mask, mixing the nerdy insecurities of Tobey Macguire with the hip sentiments of Andrew Garfield. The film is notably also the first one to not address his origin story, which allows viewers to enter the wall-crawler's world on their own terms and leave room for it to be explored in the planned sequel in 2019.

Spidey also clashes with not only enemies such as the Vulture (Keaton), but also the pressures of living up to the example of Tony Stark (Downey Jr.). While Stark is a mentor that doesn't want Peter to make the same mistakes he did, the Vulture is a notable standout as a villain. While Marvel's other villains have often been accused of being unremarkable, Keaton's portrayal as the Vulture contrasts superpowered threats like Loki as well as corrupt businessmen such as Obadiah Stane perfectly. As a working-class threat that bemoans that the cowboy idols of his youth have been replaced by the Avengers (mirroring many sentiments that liken superhero films to westerns of the past), he builds his own suit and weapons from the remains of previous Marvel films' final battles. While Peter uses his background for good, the Vulture uses it for evil. Keaton's performance not only echoes the gleeful madness he brought to Tim Burton's "Batman" films, but also his highly-acclaimed role in 2014's "Birdman."

While the film has no shortage of colorful action scenes and impressive special effects, director John Watts has also taken great care to make the person behind the mask every bit as important as recreating comic book thrills on the big screen. The film is heavily influenced by John Hughes teen films such as "The Breakfast Club" and "Ferris Bueller's Day Off," and can easily pass for a high school production with a budget of $175 million. The film is filled with a strong supporting cast of not only returning MCU alumni such as Jon Favreau as "Happy" Hogan and Gwenyth Paltrow as Virginia "Pepper" Potts, but newcomers such as the singer/actress Zendaya as Mary Jane Watson and Marisa Tomei as Aunt May. It also sets up future films in a way that doesn't distract from the narrative, with villains such as the Scorpion being teased for future films as well as making a solid breather before next year's "Avengers: Infinity War" (watch for a series of educational videos from Chris Evans as Captain America scattered through the film).

With the film having outperformed the Andrew Garfield films critically (92% on Rotten Tomatoes) and commercially ($278 million in the US and $633 million worldwide as of this writing, expected to climb higher still), "Spider-Man Homecoming" suggests a bright future for the long-running superhero franchise. Michael Giacchino's score includes snippets of the memetic 1967 cartoon; and the film is a deft blend of snarky lines and colorful special effects with engaging stories and sympathetic characters. While the planned sequel as well as Sony's own plans for spinoffs may be in the air at this time, it's easily the best film in the series since "Spider-Man 2" in 2004; and has a lot to offer as a friendly neighborhood Spider-Man reboot.