Spider-Man: Homecoming review

Spider-Man: Homecoming opened in theaters on July 7th. The story begins following the Battle for New York from The Avengers (2012), Adrian Toomes (played by Michael Keaton) is running a salvage company contracted to clean up the city. Their operation is shut down by the newly formed US Department of Damage Control. Outraged over the loss of business, he turns to developing and selling advanced weapons from the Chitauri technology he had in his possession. Fast forward 8 years, Peter Parker (played by Tom Holland) is still reeling from his involvement in the airport fight from Captain America: Civil War (2016) as he resumes his sophomore year at the Midtown School of Science and Technology. While he anticipates being called up to be a full-fledged Avengers any day, he begins to forgo his academic commitments to practice his fighting skills. He soon stumbles across Toomes and his weapons. He takes it upon himself to stop him and possibly prove himself worthy of being an Avenger.

There are three main aspects of the film that I enjoyed. First, Tom Holland as Peter Parker/Spider-man. Holland is the youngest actor to play Peter. At the time of filming, he was 19 which is a lot closer to the character’s age of 15. By comparison, Tobey Maguire in Spider-Man (2002) was 25 and Andrew Garfield in The Amazing Spider-Man (2012) was 26. Holland was able to capture Peter’s teenage angst without being overwhelming and annoying. His teenage desperation to be a part of the big boys fit real and genuine. Holland was also very good at the sarcastic and quippy side of Peter. He just fit. I enjoyed his performance from start to finish and look forward to other Spider-Man films. Second, Michael Keaton played an excellent villain as Adrian Toomes aka The Vulture. Toomes is a man who feels wronged and cheated by the rich and powerful and he sets out to take back what was supposed to be his. Keaton had facial expression which just poured out evilness and it sent chills down my spine. He was an excellent fit. Third, I enjoyed that the movie wasn’t another origin story. Peter is already established as Spider-Man. We didn’t need another movie to shows us how Peter becomes Spider-Man. It’s been done. Twice. We need to see Spider-Man in action. With Homecoming, we do.

There was very little that I did not like about the movie. First, I didn’t care for Marisa Tomei as Aunt May. My favorite Aunt May is Sally Field’s portrayal in The Amazing Spiderman films. However, Marisa Tomei’s portrayal was fine. She was supportive of Peter. She tried to talk to him when it was obvious he was troubled by something. Overall, she wasn’t in the film for very long. So I can’t really say I hated her in the movie. Second, the timeline. The movie takes place 8 years after the events in The Avengers, so it’s 2020? But the events in Civil War were in 2016? The events of this movie should take place in 2017, being so soon after Civil War. So, if the timeline they chose is true, Peter is 15 in Homecoming, therefore he was 11 during the airport fit in Civil War?!?!? I don’t think so. Someone screwed up royally when they decided it was 8 years later.

The movie has been well-received by critics and fans alike, receiving a 93% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. Robert Roeper of the Chicago Sun Times wrote “The best thing about Spider-Man: Homecoming is Spidey is still more an kid than a man. Even with his budging superpowers, he still has the impatience, the awkwardness, the passion, the uncertainty, and sometimes the dangerous ambition of a teenager still trying to figure out this world.” However, not all shared his enthusiasm. One fan on the Internet Movie Database (www.imdb.com) wrote this movie was “spit in the face of Spiderman fans” and killed his inner child. Please!!! I can’t roll my eyes any harder. As he listed everything he thought was wrong with the movie, I realized he wanted another origin story. Why? We already had two of them! Everyone knows the origin of Spider-Man! There is so many more stories to tell of Spider-Man than just his origin. He also seems to think Tony Stark gave Peter the webbing. Nowhere in the film does it imply that. Yes, Tony gives him the suit. However, the webbing was already established in Civil War. This fan also states “I don’t mind changing the characters into other races, but doing it just for the sake of doing it was lame.” Obviously he does mind and I don’t think they did it for the sake of doing it. New York City is a highly diverse place and the movie reflects this with the student at the school in a way the other Spiderman movies did not.

In conclusion, I enjoyed Spider-Man: Homecoming. And it infuriates me that fans were constantly comparing the movie to the original Spiderman movies as if they were movie gold (they weren’t). While I preferred another actress as Aunt May, the characters in this film fit this movie very well. The acting was on point. The laughs were great. The action sequences would intense. Overall, a Spiderman movie I’ve been waiting for and I’ll admit I was getting tired of Spiderman movies. I only saw this one because it was part of the MCU. It didn’t disappoint. It is a great addition to the MCU and I look forward to seeing more. If you are a fan of the MCU, you will enjoy Spider-Man: Homecoming.