Title: Spider-Man: Homecoming
Director: Jon Watts
Starring: Tom Holland, Michael Keaton, Marisa Tomei, Robert Downey, Jr.
After two mediocre attempts at bringing the superhero Spider-Man to the big screen in 2012 and 2014, Sony wisely partnered with Marvel Studios to create a Spidey adventure that takes place in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). The reassuring, steady fingerprints of Marvel producer Kevin Feige are all over this latest incarnation of Spider-Man, the third in 15 years. Like the best Marvel movies, Homecoming is smart, well-paced, and funny, with warm, appealing characters that transcend ever so slightly the archetypes typical of the genre.
Instead of belaboring Peter Parker's transformation from geeky high schooler to web-slinging Spider-Man, director Jon Watts and a small army of screenwriters wisely introduce Peter to the audience after he's discovered his powers, adopted his superhuman persona, and lost his uncle to violence. We see Peter, played perfectly by Tom Holland, as eager to please his friends and family. This includes Tony Stark, AKA Iron Man, who's shown a fatherly interest in Peter and who bestows upon him his signature Spider-themed suit. Peter's attempts to live up to the expectations of Tony and his aunt May — Marisa Tomei in a quirky, effective performance — form the emotional linchpin of Homecoming.
The cast in Homecoming is uniformly great. Holland is a revelation. He captures Peter's youthful earnestness flawlessly. Physically, he looks the part. Emotionally, he shows the lack of forethought and patience representative of the teenage mind. Robert Downey, Jr, reprising his decade-long stint as Iron Man, makes a strong impression in a handful of scenes, chiding Peter for his immaturity and acts of daring while simultaneously being complicit in them. Also impressive is Michael Keaton as Adrian Toomes, the movie's villain, who bucks an ongoing trend in the MCU.
Despite the overwhelming success of the MCU, it suffers from a glaring weakness: uninteresting villains. Apart from Loki, Thor's endlessly jealous and scheming brother, there have been no stand-out antagonists. The most recent Captain America movie, Civil War, gave up entirely on crafting an interesting and enduring villain and settled on an internal conflict among its heroes. Homecoming breaks this pattern, introducing in Keaton's Toomes a compelling, menacing — even sympathetic — enemy with clear motivation.
The effectiveness of Toomes is a collaboration between Keaton, who plays his character as a pragmatic businessman who can turn murderous when his operation is threatened, and a screenplay that's refreshingly small in scale. Nothing, including Toomes, is apocalyptic in Homecoming. There's no alien invasion, no frothing villain out for revenge on humanity. It's the tale of a teenage superhero fighting arms dealers in Queens.
Thus, Homecoming has time to focus on more modest pursuits. We see Peter interact with his friends, his family, and his mentors. We watch as he overextends himself, disobeys orders, and, in general, displays a young man's belief in invulnerability. While the action scenes in Homecoming are engaging and visually interesting, they pale in comparison to the scenes with Peter sans mask. The same holds true for Toomes and his alter ego Vulture. The best scene in the movie isn't the climactic showdown of costumed characters; it’s the quiet, suspenseful scene minutes earlier where overwhelmed hero and desperate villain exchange secrets and threats.
That description of darkness is a bit misleading, however. Although Homecoming dips its webbed toes into despair on occasion, it spends much more time having fun and cracking jokes. In fact, one could easily classify this newest Spider-Man adventure as a comedy. The movie is consistently hilarious, thanks to smart, snappy writing and a handful of witty supporting actors, including Donald Glover, Hannibal Burress, and Martin Starr. The big exception is Jacob Batalon as Ned, Peter's best friend and confidant. His brand of humor is more broad and less biting, and relies too heavily on star-struck astonishment at his best buddy's gifts.
Another small flaw in the movie is the romantic sub-plot between Peter and Liz (Laura Harrier). Liz, who looks like a runway model, is far out of Peter's league. Because of that, and a lack of chemistry between Holland and Harrier, the romance fizzles. It's the weakest, least convincing part of Homecoming, although it does serve the plot well in the movie's final act.
Some broad humor and a forgettable romance don't do much to weigh down Homecoming, which stands as a worthy addition to the MCU and the best Spider-Man movie since Sam Raimi's Spider-Man 2. Holland is pitch-perfect as Peter Parker/Spider-Man, Keaton achieves a grounded and relatable villain, and the supporting cast provides plenty of humor and levity. Thanks to a tightly-written script and some judicious editing, the entire production moves smoothly and snappily from beginning to end. Unlike many other superhero movies, it refuses to be burdened by backstory and overextended by world-building. It's a project that takes to heart the label "friendly neighborhood Spider-Man."
7.5/10
