Comic book Spiderman makes a comeback

Rating: 8/10 (10 July 2017)

This thoroughly entertaining new take on the long-loved Marvel hero unexpectedly succeeds without taking itself too seriously nor turning the story into a silly gag- fest.
As the title character, Tom Holland naturally needs to carry the film, and he does it with all the youthful energy and charm he can possibly through at the camera, not leaving a stone unturned to sell the role. It is a bit of a stretch to have him play a 15-year-old, but the only time it took me out of the movie was when he literally claimed he's 15 years old. Should have cut that one out.
This incarnation of Spiderman is tonally as meta as Deadpool, although not as outrageous and violent. A hugely popular duo among comic book crowd, these two feel instantly such a perfect fit on screen that there could well be a joint Deadpool/Spiderman outing in the pipeline. Well, at least as soon as Peter becomes -hmm- "legal".
There is really not much negative to say about this delightful Spiderman reboot. Those worrying to see yet another uncle Ben death scene need to rest assured he's not even mentioned in the movie. Even the traditional Marvel shortcoming, a convincing villain, works this time around, thanks to the quietly menacing but not heartless or rootless performance by Micheal Keaton, getting yet another chance to fly on the screen.
The one thing to complain about is that I was a bit unimpressed by the score. It didn't feel in tune with the movie, often rushing to underline emotions when no underlining was needed.