Review
Spider-Man: Homecoming Review
Spider-Man, Spider-Man, Can Marvel do it better than Sony can? Yes they can! With one try! They’ve impressed this Movie Guy! No doubt, here’s the best Spider-Man! At long last, […]
Spider-Man, Spider-Man,
Can Marvel do it better than Sony can?
Yes they can! With one try!
They’ve impressed this Movie Guy!
No doubt, here’s the best Spider-Man!
At long last, Marvel has their own Spider-Man movie! Well, sort of. It’s technically still a Sony movie but Marvel made it. It’s complicated. The good news here is that you can cast aside your concerns about this being the third Spider-Man iteration in 15 years, because this is the Spider-Man movie we’ve all been waiting for. Hands-down, Spider-Man: Homecoming is my favorite Marvel movie to-date! It is an absolute blast and is almost certain to be the most fun you’ll have in theaters all year.
We were first introduced to this new rendition of Spider-Man back in last year’s stellar Captain America: Civil War, and his story in Homecoming picks up shortly after where that film left off. After aiding Iron Man’s team in the Avenger’s epic airport brawl, young Peter Parker is now left eagerly awaiting his next mission. In the meantime, he has high school to attend and neighborhoods to save, which now both seem a lot less significant ever since fighting alongside the Avengers. He’s anxious to move onto bigger things and truly prove himself to Tony Stark. When Parker finds himself on the trail of The Vulture, a man using and distributing alien weaponry stolen from the aftermath of the first Avengers film, he sees it as an opportunity to show Stark once and for all that he’s ready to join the Avengers for good.
This journey of young Peter Parker is definitely an entertaining one, and it’s not the same “with great power comes great responsibility” spiel either. Rather than recycling the same story we all know already, Homecoming shakes things up. Classic characters are changed and new ones are introduced. This may upset stubborn comic book purists, but the new characters are so laugh-out-loud funny that I can’t imagine many people getting that upset over it. Seriously, I haven’t laughed this much at the movies in years. What I like most about these changes is that they reinvent some of the series’ classic but clichéd characters in fun and new ways, giving them plenty of opportunities for growth. Not only that, but these fresh takes on old characters make them feel much more relevant to modern times. The best of these character revisions is with Homecoming’s villain, The Vulture, who formerly was one of Spider-Man’s lamest enemies. Here he’s been transformed from a creepy old man in a bird costume into one of Marvel’s most intimidating and compelling villains.
Tom Holland is immensely likeable as a young Spider-Man. He brings great energy to the film with his humor and his naïve but noble attitude. He’s joined by a colorful cast of comical classmates, all of whom I really enjoyed. The funniest among them being Peter’s best friend Ned, played by Jacob Batalon. I also loved Zendaya’s character Michelle with her snarky delivery and demeanor. Robert Downey Jr. and Marisa Tomei are both welcome inclusions, as always, in the respective roles of Tony Stark and Aunt May. The real scene-stealer though is none other than Michael Keaton as The Vulture. He’s a well-developed character that we can sympathize with and simultaneously detest. I cared about his struggles, but I disagreed with his means, even if he is surprisingly admirable in his ambition and fortitude. If Homecoming can turn The Vulture into such a strong villain, I’m even more excited to see what’s in store for Spider-Man’s more iconic enemies.
Growing up, Spider-Man was far and away my favorite superhero. One of the only ones I even liked, for that matter. I still have a ton of love for the original Sam Raimi directed Spider-Man, but Homecoming clearly tops it. I was hooked from the moment this Spider-Man first swung into action, all the way to the end, and even through the movie’s awesome credits. Spider-Man: Homecoming movie is a dream come true for this web-head. It’s crafted with so much love and passion for the character, and is full of Easter eggs for super fans like myself to gush over. The action, the visuals, and the story of a Spider-Man film have never been better. Don’t brush this one off as another needless reboot. Swing into your local neighborhood theater and give this one a watch!
5 Minute Movie Guy
7.14.17
5 MINUTE MOVIE GUY 
Great job with the review! I personally enjoyed the film as well. But Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man will always be my favorite. But this was a really solid film. I’ll also eventually review this film along with the previous Spidey films when the time comes.
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Thanks! Which Raimi Spider-Man do you like best? Most people prefer Spider-Man 2, but personally I never cared for it much. It’s the original one that I love. And Spider-Man 3… well, it gets embarrassingly bad. Which is a shame considering parts of it are actually good, and if I remember correctly, it was off to a good start for a while.
I look forward to your review! I still need to check out the Amazing Spider-Man movies myself. Really loved this one, though. More than most people, it seems. But that’s fine by me.
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No problem! The more I think about it, t think Spider-Man 3 would be my favorite. Yes the movie has flaws but I still enjoy it for what it is. Of course there are things in the movie I would definitely change, but there are stuff in this movie that I really liked. Don’t get me wrong, I love the first two movies too. But just seeing the black suit of Spider-Man and Venom was great in my opinion. I don’t understand too much of the hate it gets but to each their own haha. When I review the movie eventually, I’ll explain more in depth why I like it and my flaws for the movie.
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Sounds great. I look forward to reading it. I think what really ruined the movie for me and for most people was the whole “emo Spider-Man”. It was really silly. I found it more cringe-worthy than amusing, personally. As for Venom, I think Topher Grace was the wrong choice for the character (though I was always okay with it because he would have been a good alternative casting for Spider-Man, and his character on That 70’s Show loved Spider-Man so much). I was so excited to see Venom, but they really shoe-horned him in there for only like the final 10 minutes. Then you’ve got the conclusion with Harry Osbourne, and it’s just doing too much. Sandman alone, I thought was good. The Green Goblin story arc with Harry was good too, but I think it was all just too much for one movie. But that’s just my take. I’m glad you liked it!
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I actually don’t mind Peter’s “emo look” haha. When I first saw the movie, emo didn’t even come to my mind. I just thought of him as troublemaker who’s trying to act “cool” and it worked well since the symbiote is responsible for that. That’s just how I look at it haha. But I definitely agree that there were too much in one movie. They are great stories/villains but maybe Raimi’s should’ve just focused on one villain/story per movie at that time.
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Yeah, the first two movies just have one villain and both of those worked just fine. I get having Harry as a villain in Spider-Man 3 to go full-circle with it, and since no one wants just a repeat villain, it makes sense to have another main villain. But three is too much. I feel like Raimi was pressured to include Venom to complete his trilogy, because he’s such a popular character. While I liked Sandman, I think the movie could have been a lot better had they ditched Sandman altogether and just went with Venom. But the whole “cool” troublemaker Peter Parker doesn’t mesh well with the tone of Venom as a character in the first place, so to me it feels like an odd fit. In the comics, I always remember Spider-Man becoming cooler with the symbiote. Spider-Man 3 goes a different route. Thanks for the comment. I appreciate the discussion!
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Yeah, maybe Spider-Man 3 should’ve just focused on Harry as the villain and have the symbiote/Venom story for the fourth movie. I wish we could’ve seen him in action in the black suit more. But I still enjoy the movie nonetheless. I don’t mind The “cool” Peter Parker or how he looks haha
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This was a good read! I enjoyed this film a lot, but I’d give it a 4/5 personally. I thought the stakes could have been higher. There was never a major threat, which I guess is refreshing at the same time. But all in all, it’s a good watch.
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Thanks, Liam! Well, for a 14-15 year old, I’m sure the threat of The Vulture felt pretty huge. Especially considering his usual superhero tasks are stopping bicycle thieves and helping little old ladies. Personally that’s one of the things I like about Spider-Man. He’s not out there saving the world from destruction every day. He’s just a kid trying to save his city from bad guys.
In this case, he’s basically trying to prevent what could very quickly and easily become a major threat down the road. Even if it never feels that serious, it is to him. I see it as a very personal challenge and first real test. More than anything, it’s a test of courage and morality, I think. I definitely see where you’re coming from, though. Spider-man’s involvement in trying to stop The Vulture ends up making things a lot more dangerous for his city, but sometimes I guess that’s the price that must be paid when trying to do the greater good. Thanks for the comment, pal!
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