Not the best Spiderman movie, but Tom Holland is a gem!

Rating: 7/10 (1 July 2017)

I remember when I first saw Tom Holland in Captain America: Civil War, I knew he had a lot of charisma for the Spiderman role. The only skepticism I had for the reboot was, can the story or feeling I once had for Spiderman come back? Spider-Man(2002) and Spider-Man 2(2004) are one of the greatest superhero movies up to date. It was an awesome introduction to the superhero universe, and it utterly made me fall in love with the characters. Just for reference, Spiderman is still my favourite superhero.
After watching the early screening for Spider-Man: Homecoming, I will still say that the Spiderman movies we knew 13 years ago are still unbeatable out of the 6 movies we have gotten. Don't get me wrong. I still had fun with this movie, but it didn't feel like a Spiderman movie. It felt like a side story of an Avengers movie. And that disappointed me. We are constantly reminded that Spiderman is a second class to the Avengers team or this is an introduction to the upcoming Avengers movie. I would have much preferred to see Spiderman as the standalone Spiderman. That was my main gripe.
Moving along, Tom Holland is not only the youngest, but also the most charismatic, and comedic character or actor from the three Spiderman we have seen on-screen. He plays a believable high school student who is struggling to find his identity. He balances well between learning the ropes of being Spiderman, while at the same time trying to be a normal high school kid. However, there is something missing in his character. His struggles are resolved too easily and quickly. Everything comes off as comedic or gets resolved by the help of a third party. There were no consequences for his actions. Moreover, the other supporting characters lack depth. We don't get a backstory on them. Michelle played by Zendaya and Liz played by Laura Harrier could have been played by anyone. The character Flash seemed like a miscast for me. He was out of place and his physique let alone his character did not match. On the other hand, Ned was an awesome character. He really worked well with Peter Parker. Furthermore, the main antagonist played by Michael Keaton is nowhere near as in-depth as Green Goblin or Doctor Oc. I will say that he is one of the better villains we have had in superhero movies these days though. There is more to his character that might surprise you, and that was what took this movie to a higher level for me. Also, Michael Keaton does a great job because sometimes he does truly scare you with just his eyes!
The story is simple, but it works well in this case. There are a lot of banters and one-liners. Some were funny, and others felt repetitive. In fact, it had all the comedy, lightheartedness, and humour that a Spiderman movie should have. Nonetheless, it lacks depth and emotions. Even though we get to experience the struggles of Peter Parker's teenage-hood as mentioned, nothing is ultimately at stake here. For all the chaos that was happening, the body count was very small.
The soundtrack is nowhere near as memorable as the Danny Elfman soundtracks. I still believe that the Danny Elfman Spiderman theme song is one of the best superhero theme songs out there next to Dark Knight and Wonder Woman. Every time the theme song is playing, you know it's Spiderman! That's how memorable it is. I wish they could reuse that.
The action scenes were kinda shaky. I did not see everything very well. They were not as visceral as the Sam Raimi movies. In fact, I re-watched some of the action sequences from Spider-Man 2, and they are still better choreographed than this one. However, keep in mind, that this is not an action packed movie. It is mostly about Spiderman figuring out his abilities. The movie is not an introduction to Peter Parker taking the mantle as Spiderman, but how Peter Parker transitions from not being "Spiderboy" anymore (slowly).
I still prefer Sam Raimi's classic take on the Spiderman costume. In here it looks a bit CGI, and too much like "Iron Man". Another reason why it reminds me of Avengers all over again.
I sound like I really hated this movie, but I don't. I enjoyed it for what it was. I was just expecting more from a Spiderman movie, so I am more critical.
7.5