The Best Spider Man Yet

Rating: 9/10 (21 March 2019)

They say the remake is never as good as the original. And usually they're right, especially when a franchise is being rebooted for the second time in fifteen years. But Spider-Man Homecoming is the exception. It's not just as good as the 2002 Spider-Man, it's the best Spider-Man yet.
Thankfully Homecoming doesn't try to cover Spider-Man's origins yet again. There's no spider bite, no burglar, no Uncle Ben; that's all in the past. Instead of retreading the same old ground, we see a semi-experienced Spider-Man transition from battling neighborhood crime to fighting supervillains while struggling to get the recognition he thinks he deserves. And instead of another Hero's Journey story, we get a superhero film crossed with a teen comedy, complete with the bullying jock, geeky best friend, unobtainable crush, and a sarcastic, antisocial loner girl who appears just long enough to deliver cynical one liners.
Homecoming also benefits from an excellent cast. I still consider Toby Maguire to be the best Spider-Man, and Andrew Garfield did very well with the role too. But Tom Holland manages to take the role in a new, and much funnier direction. His version of Peter is younger, more awkward, more immature, and definitely more error prone. When he tries to web swing through the suburbs he has more wipeouts than George of the Jungle. His attempt to grill a suspect for information is hilariously pathetic. I hesitate to call a superhero movie realistic, but this version is much closer to what would happen if you actually gave a fifteen year old super powers.
For his part, Robert Downey Jr. continues to bring the awesomeness as Tony Stark, even if he doesn't have as much screen time as the trailers would suggest. And Michael Keaton makes a very good Vulture. He's surprisingly down to earth for a supervillain, and almost sympathetic until he starts threatening people's families. The decision to revamp the character from an elderly con artist to a high tech arms dealer gives him a more modern feel and I especially liked the redesign of his flight suit, halfway between the comic book design and an Iron Man foe.
The film also benefits hugely from being connected to the rest of Marvel's cinematic universe. Besides Iron Man's presence, the best part is we get to see what it's like to live and grow up in a world full of super humans. At the very beginning we're shown the cleanup that happens after a big superhero battle. We learn that yes, high schoolers do crush on superheroes and claim to know them to look cool. And yes, even Captain America gets stuck doing cheesy PSAs and educational shorts.
Somewhat surprisingly, the old line about great power coming with great responsibility is never uttered once. But that lesson still permeates the story. Before it meant not walking away from the good fight because it got in the way of your life. This time it means learning your limits, asking for help, and not putting innocent bystanders in danger. Which Peter does again and again because he's rebellious, extremely cocky, and determined to show Iron-Man that he can do anything, with or without his help. He's got heart and commitment, but maturity and judgement are still a work in progress.
Spider-Man Homecoming delivers an excellent blend of action and comedy, a delightfully energetic and lighthearted tone, and lots of interesting, well rounded characters. My only real complaint is that at some points during the final fight it's hard to see what's happening between the smoke, darkness, and flashing lights, but overall the action scenes are as entertaining as the rest of the movie. Director John Watts has breathed new life into familiar material and taken the franchise in highly promising new directions. Here's to the inevitable sequel.