A Smaller Superhero

Rating: 7/10 (21 July 2017)

Spider-Man: Homecoming is further evidence that the superhero genre is completely out of gas. Simultaneously, this new Spiderman with his high school shenanigans arguably makes the best laughs and action summer movie of the year. Maintaining these two opinions is not an attempt at contrarianism, rather optimism. I hope this take on Spiderman is an omen of better films to come.
To clarify, when I say "out of gas" I am not commentating on the reboot status. Business is business. Movie rights for Spider Man have been a drama in and of itself. That's not the problem. I'm commentating on the genre: origin stories, high stakes, and humor adjacent to dour edge. The hallowed Marvel cinematic universe is tired. So even though this Spiderman is closer to a spider boy, his role in this world is beyond approach. After all, Thor is in the Marvel universe. Ant Man is in the Marvel universe. A ham sandwich is overqualified as a member of the Marvel universe. Past iterations of the coming of age hero portrayed the character as full of anger and angst. I will have to consult my resident comic book guy, but Homecoming's Peter Parker seemingly returns to the source material. A struggling teenager who combats inadequacy with cheek and a bit of sulk. A character we have all seen before, but maybe less familiar in the guise of a superhero.
Spiderman is a teenager movie first and a superhero second. The Earth threatening consequences take back seat as to whether if Peter Parker can survive high school and ask his crush to the dance. A story of a teen superhero trying to function while fighting crime only to come back home and look himself up on YouTube. Kick A$$ tried this 7 years ago, but that's ancient history. More importantly while Kick A$$ desperately tried to be dark and subversive, Homecoming is just a film content with its place in the universe. Literally. Spiderman can rely on his Avenger brothers to define what it is to be a superhero focusing on doughy best friend fanboy and the rest of the decathlon team. Ironman is shanghaied into role of father figure with the protagonist son who feels underestimated. Captain America is the Boy Scout leader with no helpful advice for those of us living in the real world. Sucked into Homecoming's vortex, in this new reference frame heavy hitting hero reemerge as square authority figures.
In Homecoming, there is not time to waste on origin stories or even Uncle Ben. Peter Parker/Spiderman (Holland) has already battled Captain America in the events of the Winter Soldier. Now Peter finds himself largely abandoned by the Avengers, with only Tony Stark encouraging him to be a friendly neighborhood Spiderman. This leaves Peter helping old ladies and battling bicycle thieves with middling results. Peter feels under-appreciated on the job but overwhelmed at school. Hopelessly infatuated with senior Liz and relentlessly bullied by preppy Flash, he is the superhero at the bottom of every totem pole. Overwhelmed, but still full of grand ambitions, equally nerdy best friend Ned is his only ally. So when the villain Vulture (Michael "Birdman" Keaton) swoops into the story it is Pete's chance at deliverance or total destruction. Is Spiderman a superhero or just boy Icarus who flew a bit too close to the sun? Vulture/Adrian Toomes/Michal Keaton is kinda perfect. Toomes is in charge of a salvage crew cleaning up the mess left behind by the Avengers. This is a break of a lifetime for his company and family, but this dream is swept away when cronies of Stark Industries lay claim to all salvaging operations. Ruined, the team criminally off scraps of alien technology and the Vulture is born. Toomes is a working class hero. And after watching three Iron Man movies, I cannot help but root for Toomes' revenge against arrogant billionaire weapons dealer Stark. Keaton is all charm, a reminder that one nice thing about big budgets is that they attract top talent. But remember, this is still a high school movie, so in an epic twist we discover Toomes has an additional identity and it is so perfect all I could do was applaud.
Holland (spidey) is a neophyte compared to veteran Keaton, but he carries the movie as the protagonist and deserves the corresponding praise. He has this cracking voice that is maddening yet perfect for the role. When a criminal calls him a girl it is not an elementary school insult, but a joke about the performance. I have never laughed more in any superhero movie. There is of course the usual quirky bunch of students, but they are so lovable here. Mr. Harrington, decathlon coach, me in hysterics. Perfect amount of superhero cameos. Homecoming had the entire theater in a laugh riot. Only the over reliance of teenage movie tropes really held Spiderman back from greatness. Of course the girl is going to go to the dance. They never don't end up going to the dance. This idealized high school myth. I know I am a curmudgeon who hated his formative years, but this is just saccharine. After one (admittedly sublime) twist the pieces have all been set and there is only one way the game can play out. The climax has high altitude action, but does not really thrill. Not flawless, or totality original, but a step forward after years of stasis, Spiderman: Homecoming convinced me that superhero movies are not a lost cause. Ball in your court Marvel.