Simple Fun and a Little More

Rating: 8/10 (29 July 2017)

Kevin Feige has been doing a phenomenal job with the Marvel Cinematic Universe since the original "Iron Man" over nine years ago. All the movies have at the very least been serviceable and sometimes he even manages a real homerun like the Captain America series, "The Avengers", "Guardians of the Galaxy", and the aforementioned "Iron Man". The only Marvel superhero franchise that hit the same quality levels as the MCU is the original Spider-Man trilogy directed by Sam Raimi. Specifically the first two, though the third does have its strengths.
So, for years the very idea that Sony might loosen its grip on Marvel's most popular hero and allow him to enter the MCU seemed like a pipedream. In large part, the making of The Amazing Spider- Man franchise was a ploy to keep Marvel from regaining the Spider- Man rights back. Therefore, here we are. What masterpiece awaits us when the previous best superhero franchise joins forces with the current king of the superhero franchise? The answer is an entertaining teenage comedy with a superhero twist. It's not a great work of art by any means, but it was a fun experience. It does do two vital components: 1) it actually gives us a true to spirit version of Peter Parker, something missing in the Amazing series, and 2) it allows Michael Keaton to give us a mesmerizingly hammed up villain performance. Previous versions of the Vulture were boring, yet here he was probably the best part of the movie. This movie goes against the typical MCU mold of one-dimensional antagonist and gives us a compelling villain.
"Spider-Man: Homecoming" is a superhero coming of age movie, reminiscent of John Hughes films from the 80s (though not as good as the best of those--then again what is?). Spider-Man is constantly forced to choose between being a kid and being a superhero. Being a superhero has a cost all its own since his exploits are filled with growing pains. Practically every Spider-Man adventure ends in either failure or clumsy victory. This is honestly the movie that Sony seemed to try (and fail) at with "The Amazing Spider-Man".
This is the best Spider-Man movie since "Spider-Man 2"; however, when you look at the competition, that's an amazingly low bar to clear. As far as MCU movies in general, this is a middling effort. Honestly, probably not even quite as good as "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2". However, middling amongst the MCU is still fairly impressive overall. If you want to see a return to the Raimi era of Spider-Man, you'll be disappointed. But, if you're just looking for a fun movie, you'll leave contented.