Loose, Free-Spirited Fun: This is the Spidey I Know and Love

Rating: 8/10 (6 December 2017)

Considering how often Spider-Man has been filmed over the past fifteen years, the character really needs no further introduction. Marvel seems to agree, as they've completely omitted the standard origin story for the latest reboot (and merely glossed over it during his preceding appearance in Captain America: Civil War) to the benefit of everyone. Skipping the establishing shots and heading straight to the heart of the character - a high school kid, already in way over his head, who wants to fly with the Avengers - feels liberating and exciting, opening the door to all the good stuff that most other franchises would need an entire film's worth of development to earn.
It's completely tangled up in the preceding MCU films, perhaps more than any of the other properties, which not only works to validate some out-there story decisions but makes the whole family seem even more interconnected and relevant than it already was. The shockwaves of the Avengers' first brawl in downtown New York, for instance, are still being felt; in this case, they're indirectly responsible for embittering (and arming) a man who would use that scorn to become The Vulture. But despite the wide connections and thematic similarities, Homecoming is very much its own thing. The phrase "street level" tends to be overused, but I can't think of a better way to describe Spider-Man's role in things. Where Captain America worries over government corruption or Thor throws down with gods and dark elves, Peter Parker is giving directions to old ladies and doing backflips on rooftops to amuse hot dog vendors. That makes him more down-to-earth and light-hearted, which are both keys to what makes the character tick. New York lives and breathes in this film, dirty and foul-mouthed but endearing all the same, and that plucky give-no-craps attitude comes alive in its home-grown hero. Peter also looks, thinks and acts like someone who hasn't quite figured out who he is yet, balancing his urge to be a teen and do teen things with his sense of responsibility and excitement over his evolving set of powers.
Well-written, well-cast, well-acted and well-scored (seriously can't get much more spontaneously appropriate than the Ramones), Marvel's shown once again that nobody knows their characters better than they do. Tom Holland's Parker is appealing, witty, mistake-prone and worth rooting for. His supporting cast feels like a bunch of teenagers, not role-playing adults, and bring brilliant splashes of color to the film. Michael Keaton makes an excellent foil, sinister but not irredeemable. And the whole thing wraps up with one of the best parting shots in recent memory. It's not completely perfect, but in a way, that's almost fitting.