Spider-Man: Homecoming
15 years and SIX Spider-Man films? Is this one that catches lightning in a bottle and sprays it with webbing?
This time, Spidey is trying to find his identity as a Superhero and impress his father-figure Tony Stark (aka Iron Man) and deal with all the issues of being a High-School teen and fight a new baddie in the form of the Vulture, played by Michael Keaton.
That suit is just endlessly cool!
Our titular web-slinger for this evening with all these problems is played once again by young Tom Holland. This kid is a joy to watch as Spider-Man. He feels like a teenager who just wants to help and is a little out of his depth. That’s exactly what I want my Human-Spider to be.
The challenges he faces as a teenager feel real, even when they go into Hollywood cliché. This is because those moments are few and far between, the gaps are filled with genuinely good High School writing.
The action is also pretty sweet. The creativity on show is phenomenal, all elements of the Spider arsenal are on show, integrating well with the comedy.
That comedy is not distracting or crass, though one could argue it makes the tone not quite dark enough. On the other hand, at least the tone is consistent, high praise indeed these days.
To me, this is a film about living in a world with the Avengers being real. It’s a pretty meta affair when you think about it, considering an MCU Spider-Man film has been what we’ve been asking for all this time.
Speaking of meta, Michael Keaton as the Vulture? Birdman as Birdman? Love it!
This is easily the best Spider-Man film since the original Spider-Man 2 and in some respects actually does better than that film.
I do miss some of the schmaltziness of Raimi’s magic from those old films, but I left the theatre with a smile on my face.
Recommended Scenario: If you’re in for an action-comedy and you’ve seen Baby Driver too many times this week (if that’s possible).
Craig's Movie Reviews 