A Triumphant Return for Marvel's Favorite Hero

Rating: 8/10 (12 July 2017)

Jon Watts' Spider-Man: Homecoming reboots the series for the second time in the past five years, with Tom Holland taking over the role of Peter Parker. Unlike the Spider-Man we meet in the films of Sam Raimi and Marc Webb, however, this Spider-Man has already been in costume for a while, ditching the origin story and moving right on to the neighborhood heroics. With Holland in the lead role, Homecoming provides us with the best interpretation of the classic superhero thus far. Holland perfectly captures the spirit of the character, awkward, charming, and humorous in equal measure. While Spider-Man 2 still remains the cinematic high point of Marvel's iconic wall-crawling webslinger, Homecoming comes close to knocking it off that perch.
The film works because it's not concerned with over-the-top heroics of other MCU films where thousands of lives are at stake because of some nefarious plot. Watts' film is much more grounded and instead, Homecoming is content to masquerade as the 16th entry in this cinematic universe when it actually functions as more of a high school coming-of-age film in the vein of John Hughes' seminal '80s classics. The film serves as a breath of a fresh air in a post-The Dark Knight world, a fun lighthearted feature that provides as many laughs as it does thrills. Holland, whose work in J.A. Bayona's The Impossible convinced me that he was a great choice for the role, not only carries the film, but also pulls off the feat of being both a great Peter Parker and Spider-Man.
Meanwhile, Michael Keaton's turn as the Vulture gives Spider-Man his best villain since Doc Ock, and a third act twist allows for the character to achieve a semblance of complexity rarely seen in most of the MCU's other films. Indeed, the Vulture works as a villain because he is cut from the same cloth as Spider-Man, an ordinary man whose life changes because of an unforeseen event. While other rogues in the MCU have been concerned with destroying the world or tearing the Avengers apart, the Vulture's main concern lies with protecting his family. Keaton's characterization allows for the Vulture to retain a sense of humanity that the audience can empathize with, even if his actions are indeed criminal.
The rest of the cast remains strong all across the board. Zendaya makes the most of her role as Michelle, one of Peter's classmates, despite her limited screen time. Laura Harrier does a solid job as Liz, Parker's love interest, but the relationship between the two feels underdeveloped despite the couple of solid scenes that they share together. Meanwhile, Jacob Batalon serves as excellent comic relief in the role of Ned, Peter's best friend. The friendship between him and Peter is wholly believable, as the two of them struggle together to fit in. The characters that populate the high school all feel like genuine teenagers, including Tony Revolori's take on Flash Thompson. No longer a jock, Thompson instead serves as Parker's academic rival. While the portrayal of the character might anger long-term purists, it works for the film, even if Thompson can't quite be described as intimidating.
On the other hand, Jon Favreau reprises his role as Happy Hogan, and his performance is one of the film's many highlights. Hogan's sarcastic demeanor opposite Parker's unbridled enthusiasm makes for some hilarious exchanges between the two. As for Robert Downey, Jr., I was glad to see that he truly was relegated to a supporting role. I enjoy the character of Tony Stark, but I felt that too much focus on his character could have potentially taken away from the film. However, unlike Captain America: Civil War, which could have easily been titled Avengers 2.5 despite being the third entry in the Captain America trilogy, this is first and foremost a Spider-Man film. While Downey, Jr. still plays an important role, he mainly functions as a sort of mentor for Parker, who still struggles to find his place in the world after the events of Civil War. And lastly, Marisa Tomei delivers a solid performance as Aunt May. Portraying the youngest interpretation of the character on screen thus far, she serves in equal doses as both a motherly figure and a friend to Parker.
As for the film's action sequences, Watts allows for a great variety to them, straying away from the typical skyscraper action that has dominated prior Spider-Man films. Taking place anywhere from a bank to the Staten Island ferry and even the Washington Monument, each of these sequences proves thrilling while demonstrating that other films in the MCU need not put thousands of lives in danger to create tension. By grounding the action and the characters, Watts differentiates the film from the rest of the MCU and allows it to somewhat break free from the corporate mold by giving it a sense of purpose. The film functions as Parker's continuing struggles to grow as both a superhero and a high school student, and so Watts wisely relegates the action to the background.
However, as previously mentioned, Homecoming only somewhat breaks from the corporate mold. The prologue, while necessary for understanding the development of the Vulture, feels awkwardly disconnected from the rest of the feature because it takes place directly after the Battle of New York in The Avengers. For the most part the Avengers material in the film works, and while I recognize it as a necessity, this material can't help but feel a bit tacked on in the greater scheme of the film.
Overall, however, Homecoming delivers the wall-crawling webslinger's best outing on the silver screen since Spider-Man 2. In the hands of director Jon Watts and Tom Holland, Spider-Man once again becomes a joy to watch in this lighthearted feature that makes the most of its existence. Featuring one of the MCU's best villains in Michael Keaton's Vulture and a strong supporting cast, Homecoming continues 2017's trend of stellar superhero films.
Rating: 8/10 (Great)