Spider-Man: Homecoming - Review

Ever since I saw the first Spider-Man film back in 2002, Spider-Man became my favourite superhero and now we have a new actor, Tom Holland taking the reigns as the new Peter Parker/Spider-Man. So, did I like this new one? Yes, I did. Did I love it? No, I didn't. Sorry to disappoint the Spidey purists but I have to be honest, I still prefer the first two Tobey Maguire films to this one. However, I enjoyed this film more than both of the Andrew Garfield Spider-Man films. Now that I got that out of the way, what did I like about this movie? Well, I like that the story felt contained and rather small. These Avengers films always seem like they have to one up the other in terms of their scale and "epicness". There is always some doomsday device that seems to always take shape in the form of a blue laser pointing up into the sky. Here, Spider-Man isn't an Avenger, he's just a kid and the Vulture, played by Michael Keaton is a lower tier villain with an fairly justifiable motivation. He isn't trying to take over the world or destroy all the Avengers, he is just trying to make some cash by doing some illegal things. Like Ant-Man, it felt nice to have a film take place in the Marvel Cinematic Universe that feels like it's own contained story that isn't trying to set up a bunch of sequels. That, mixed in with solid acting from the entire cast, fun action and a twist that I honestly had no idea was coming (it's very rare for films to do that to me anymore), Spider-Man: Homecoming was a fun time. However, it feels very different than the other Spider-Man films, which isn't necessarily a bag thing. But here is where I might lose some respect from the hardcore Spider-Man fans. The biggest reason why it feels different is that we don't see Peter Parker become Spider-Man or learn how to use his powers. Now, I know what many people are saying, "This is the third reboot in 15 years and we know what happens. We don't need another Uncle Ben death, another Spider bite, etc." Yes, I get that, however, characters need a motivation in movies. If they don't, then there really isn't a reason to want them to succeed. Peter Parker's main two reasons for being Spider-Man have always hinged on guilt and responsibility. Both prior live-action versions dealt with this differently, but they both had it. Here, Peter Parker just wants the approval of Tony Stark and the movie goes for a lost father figure arc. While it's not a bad motivation, but for me, it's not as interesting as guilt and responsibility. It's just a bit different and it really comes down to personal preference. Minor Spoiler, but Peter Parker gets his own Jarvis type voice in his suit named Karen and she helps him with all the suit upgrades and it felt like Marvel was really trying to put in as much Iron Man influence as possible. Next. The action scenes, while fun, I could tell they were completely CGI and it made me feel numb. Everything looked too crisp and clean for me to really feel 100% invested and worried for the safety of Spider-Man. Instead, I sat there thinking, "Oh, that looks nice." Compare that to the train battle in Spider-Man 2. While CGI was used, it also incorporated actual stunts and it felt more gritty and exciting. The action scenes here aren't bad, I've just seen them be more exciting in a Spider-Man film. Lastly, I'll admit that I laughed quite a few times during this movie but sometimes it felt a bit too weird and wacky for a Spider-Man movie. For example, there is a teenager watching porn joke. Like, it was funny, don't get me wrong but, is there really a place for that in Spider-Man? Who knows. This film feels more like Spider-Boy rather than man. It's just a different take and I have to respect that. After my first viewing, I walked out a little disappointed but after watching it again, I think I was just so attached to the original trilogy that I wanted Marvel to recreate the magic of those films. After watching it a second time, I can appreciate for being it's own thing. So, is Spider-Man: Homecoming a masterpiece? To me, no. That title goes to Spider-Man 2. Is it enjoyable? For sure. I'm glad I saw it and I'm sure you will be too if you do.