Breezy fun with spectacular set pieces.

Rating: 8/10 (7 July 2017)

With this iteration of the web-slinger arriving hot on the heels of the Andrew Garfield Amazing Spider-Man movies, it needed to justify its existence by bringing something fresh to the table. It does. As soon as Peter Parker (Tom Holland) is introduced through a series of his own video blogs, taking us behind the scenes during a key battle in Captain America: Civil War, it's clear this will be the funniest and most playful cinematic version of Spidey yet. Chockfull of irreverent humour, borderline adult gags and Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr) injects, but also enough angst befitting a 15-year-old protagonist, director Jon Watts keeps the tone lightweight but edgy. Soon-to-be-megastar Holland is crucial to this tone, nailing the balance between ignorant enthusiasm, geeky charm and—coming with the adolescent territory—world-on-his-shoulders seriousness. When this Spider-Man makes mistakes you can't help but like him even more. And when his lapses in judgment lead to epic action set pieces, who can complain? The most memorable is a vertigo-inducing thriller set in, around and atop the Washington Monument; with both this and the gigantic ferry sequence showcasing Watts' talent for crafting big budget awe – expect to see him around a lot more in Hollywood. Of course this new Spidey requires its own take on all the usual elements, so we get a much younger and hipper Aunt May (Marisa Tomei), a more awkward and complicated romance (with Laura Harrier's Liza Allan), and a Stark-built suit with an amusing female-voiced interface. For the most part the new and/or improved ingredients work well (Jacob Batalon and Zendaya also make for a sweetly goofy best friend and a hilariously snarky loner respectively), however, Homecoming is not perfect. Michael Keaton's villainous Vulture isn't as threatening as he could've been, Tony Revolori's Flash Thompson is boring and clichéd, and there are sporadic bouts of distractingly shimmery CGI, particularly with shots that are entirely computer generated. By and large though this latest addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe is a breezy delight with spectacular set pieces and winning humour. If there was any doubt before it has now been expelled: Spidey is in safe hands at Marvel.