Surprisingly New, Fresh...and Thrilling

Rating: 9/10 (12 July 2017)

Somehow, Spider-Man movies refuse to get old. "Homecoming" is the third reboot, and instead of more of the same, we get something completely new with Holland's MCU Spidey Guy.
What Works: "Homecoming" ponders and explores what it would truly be like for a young Spidey to coexist with a hundred other superheroes, and an Avengers team so well-established that all city-threatening major villain-caused disasters are nowhere to be found. A humorous montage displays a blissfully (and for Parker, despairingly) crime-free New York City, where the friendly neighborhood web-spinner has nothing to do but give old ladies directions and keep people from hijacking their own cars. Watts' third feature film succeeds in giving us a Hughes-like high school movie, and reminding us that superheroes are still humans. Where previous Spider-Man films have put emphasis on the "Spider" part, the six writers of "Homecoming" focus on the "Man" as we watch a rookie 10th grade hero still adjusting to his alter ego. Yes, whereas Garfield's and Maguire's Spider-Guys have quickly and smoothly adapted to their new powers, Holland's is incredibly clumsy, and utterly believable. The film continues the MCU tradition of clever, witty dialogue and all-around solid acting, and adds another worthy hero to the series. It pulls off being in the Marvel Cinematic Universe well without focusing on the rest of the universe, just the titular and understandable main character.
What doesn't work: The Vulture isn't exactly the best villain to start off the third reboot, and the writers aren't very generous with his amount of screen time. While there are a lot of good ideas to explore with his character, he seems to often be forgotten as the filmmakers have the time of their lives focusing on Peter's crazy life. For a better kick start to what is definitely going to be a wonderful series, I could have done with a more compelling villain. Granted, Parker has some memorable scenes with Keaton's winged megalomaniac.
In summary: The surprisingly new, fresh version of Peter Parker is abundantly welcome, and the amateur Spidey is likewise a novel experience. Swinging around with the duplicitous main character is truly thrilling, whether or not it lives up to some of the previous entries in the character's catalog.
Rating: 90.4/100