A couple of months after the big Avengers fight at the airport and Peter Parker is still waiting for the big call from Tony Stark (Downey Jr) about becoming an Avenger. While he's embracing his super-heroic abilities by taking on smaller crimes though, he's putting aside focus on his extra-curricular activities; excusing himself because of the 'Stark internship' he's a part of. He inadvertently lets slip to best friend and fellow nerd Ned (Jacob Batalon), who reckons that his superhero persona may help him win over the heart of the high-achieving Liz (Laura Harrier). But during a planned attempt at making himself look cool in front of his friends and bully (Tony Revolori), the web-head catches wind of an illegal arms trade made up of alien and Avengers technology. With his mentor not answering his calls and a greedy winged menace (Michael Keaton) in the midst, can the swinging sensation prove his worth and save the day?
The thing with doing yet another Spider-Man 'origin' (no spider biting but it's still his first steps into the forefront) is that the writers are running low on ideas as to where they can take the character that’s new to both the character and the wider world he now resides in, and it shows on screen. It is refreshing to see the focus on the high school environment that past films have glossed over and using it to progress the narrative rather than just as a backdrop (like the Lizard fight in the library in The Amazing Spider-Man) and it is great seeing a version where the arachnid adventurer has a right-hand man helping him out instead of just a love interest, but the film ultimately suffers from having a so-so main story that was partially ruined by the marketing – when will Sony learn? – and not quite feeling as strong nor imaginative as previous entries to previous franchises. It is certainly less crowded, with only one major villain and only a couple of storylines tied together against the overly-stuffed Amazing Spider-Man 2, and the smaller scale does make it refreshing in the same way as Ant-Man against the larger blockbuster that preceded it (Age of Ultron in Ant-Man's case, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 in this case), but overall it works as mostly re-establishing the character within the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
The most joyous thing about the character's reinvention into the more comedically-tuned MCU is that it brings about a funnier tone, while not focusing too much on foreshadowing future storylines like the previous Spider-Man franchise did. With a couple of comedic writers within the six-man screenwriting team (perhaps a few too many) it does continue to bring about the levity that prior incarnations went about with either too cornily or forcibly. It keeps up the classically quippy nature that we've grown accustomed to and leads to some hilarious moments, albeit arguably not as funny as the Guardians and Avengers movies. As for the aforementioned foreshadowing, while there are plenty of Easter eggs and character mentions that'll likely excite hardcore Spidey fans, here's It's nothing more than that. No big lead-ups towards Infinity War; no Sinister Six being built up; hell, there's not even a glimpse at Oscorp, a massive part of both of the previous versions. It's as if Sony finally learned their lesson - although that doesn't stop them from reminding the viewer that they're now making MCU-based movies, with references abound and a recurring appearance from a PSA-reading Chris Evans. It does get old fast, although a couple of them are genuinely well-done and funny.
Jon Watts may seem like an odd choice considering his limited experiences as a director, but he does do a good job, capturing the school setting excellently and clearly showing good rapport with his actors. However, the film is hardly a visual spectacle, with nothing especially eye-catching and the action sequences mostly out of intensity and direction as opposed to cinematography or visual prowess. But in a way, that helps cement the more grounded approach to this version of Spider-Man: this is a superhero at the beginning of his run, so of course, he isn't going to jump straight into the extravagant battles or adventures. With luck, the franchise will build on that, but it's too early to really guess on that front.
After a winning performance in Captain America: Civil War, Tom Holland continues to shine as the titular wall-crawler as he takes centre stage in his first solo outing. He truly captures both personas of the character that his predecessors failed to fully grasp and we're all the better for it. While the younger take may have put some people off him in Civil War, here he wins over any naysayers and makes you forget all about the troublesome past. His best friend Batalon is an outright scene-stealer though, bringing big laughs and a lot of heart into his performance and being the perfect person for Holland to bounce off from. Similarly, Holland and Harrier share some strong and palpable chemistry despite her role being ultimately underdeveloped outside of being a Type-A love interest. Fellow school chum Zendaya is a little too overhyped in her Allison Reynolds-esque role, but she makes a good enough mark in a role that's probably the only one with a future fully planned out, whilst Revolori is a far cry from his charming Zero in The Grand Budapest Hotel, with his bully character being a little one-note with his taunts. Meanwhile there's plenty of other bright and upcoming child actors sprinkled around the place which do good enough jobs, with Angourie Rice (The Nice Guys) and Abraham Attah (Beasts of No Nation) the most notable of which, while teachers include comedy alums like Martin Starr and Hannibal Buress bring about their good work in minor roles.
Outside of school, there's Michael Keaton's Vulture, who brings about a solid backstory in the first few minutes and a menacing performance throughout but does ultimately feel like yet another Marvel villain. Despite an interesting dynamic between himself, Peter and Tony, he doesn't feel as important as he should be in the overall journey, with his Vulture guise looking very dull. Logan Marshall-Green makes for an okay henchman, while Michael Chernus' Tinkerer is mostly there to hint towards the big finale and Donald Glover is mostly one big easter egg (but hooray for him finally getting his Spider-Man wish! Technically). On the opposite side of the spectrum, Robert Downey Jr is thankfully not in the movie as much as the marketing suggests but is always a welcome appearance when he does do his thing; Jon Favreau returning as Happy Hogan is back to his domineering but lacking tricks and a pleasure as ever; and Marisa Tomei is mostly there for comments about how hot she is, which somehow doesn't get old quick, but when she isn't eye candy brings about a good if limited performance.
Spider-Man: Homecoming is a difficult movie to comprehend because it has so much to do. It needs to stand up on its own two feet as a successor to not one but two other interpretations while cementing itself as part of a pre-existing universe of movies and spin-offs, and with two different studios taking charge of him you can see onscreen the struggles that the filmmakers faced. But ultimately it worked out: it's a fine fun film that takes things small and acts as a good blend between high school John Hughes-esque comedy and comic book adventuring. With the best version of the character right there on the screen though, it's hard not to love a little bit. 7/10.
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