When it comes to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, most characters that have been introduced have either never appeared in film or TV before or at least had a prior version that wasn't well received. Spider-Man is a different case obviously. He's had two different movie series this century alone that have had their share of both success and failure. So when it came time to bring the webhead to the MCU, there were a lot of expectations. It had to be a good Spider-Man movie and a good Marvel movie, but it still had to be above all, Spider-Man's movie. The result is that it is the movie people wanted and does much to break the mold from past Spider-Man films.
If his appearance in Civil War wasn't enough to bring you around, this film shows that Tom Holland is both the Peter Parker and Spider-Man that fans deserve and worthy enough to stand alongside the Avengers. I think a lot of what makes this version so great is the approach Marvel took with the character. While the previous film series depicted the character ranging from high school senior to college student, this is the youngest we've seen the character, being a 15 year old high school sophomore. Holland said he read a lot of Ultimate Spider-Man to prepare for the role, and I definitely see the influence. They make it very clear he's still just a kid who doesn't have a big idea of what he's doing and can get in way over his head. And also like Ultimate Spider-Man, specifically the 2005 video game, this Spidey's fighting style seems focused much more on acrobatics than strength. Besides that though, when you think about it, Spider-Man should be a character on the same level as Daredevil. But now he's had a taste of the big time superhero life and wants to prove that he belongs there. And besides that, I got the sense that Peter feels he needs to be there so that all the hardships he's faced in his life were worth it to make it to the top. It makes for a good character journey that it doesn't matter how you're a hero, but that you are one.
The film does get points that we don't get the origin again since most people know it by now, but I still wished they would have done what Incredible Hulk did and recap the origin in the opening credits. A reference to Uncle Ben at least would have been nice, and there was a perfect opportunity for one.
While I thought the suit in Amazing Spider-Man 2 couldn't be topped, the suit in Homecoming really impressed me more than I thought. Besides the level of faithfulness to the source, a lot of it had to do with the eyes, which as we've seen have lens that change based on Peter's reactions. They actually moved around more than I thought they would, doing a great job at displaying Peter's emotions through the mask without having to take it off all the time like we've seen in past films.
For those worried that Robert Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark was going to hog the spotlight and that this was going to be "Iron Man 4", guess what: he's only in like 10% of the film. He doesn't even help fight Vulture. For what portion he is in the film, I do like his interaction with Holland. But that said, he's not that good of a mentor. Any mistakes Peter makes in the film I think can be partially placed on Tony as well since he doesn't keep Peter in the loop on things. And I think if Tony's the father figure, Jon Favreu's Happy Hogan is more like a big brother, keeping the link between the mentor and mentee and being annoyed by him, only to be impressed by the end.
One of the things I really enjoyed about the Spectacular Spider-Man animated series was Peter's large supporting cast, especially in his school life. This is something that is also prominent in Homecoming, and the characters that really stood out to me were Ned Lee, Liz Allan, and Flash Thompson.
Ned, portrayed by Jacob Batalon, is Peter's best friend and discovers he's Spider-Man, wanting to be his "guy in the chair". While we've usually seen Harry Osborn as Peter's best friend, it was always a matter of time before they became enemies. But with Ned, there's no real sense of danger and it's kind of nice for Peter to have a male confidant with his activities.
Liz, portrayed by Laura Harrier, is Peter's crush and later Homecoming date. It's actually a nice change of pace that the romance isn't a vital part of the film's plot. Unlike the previous films, the relationship here doesn't go anywhere so there's not much to get invested, but I do think she and Holland had good chemistry together. Plus, it's still a better love story than Peter and Mary Jane in the original trilogy since Peter didn't pussy foot around for two movies here.
Tony Revolori plays Peter's well known bully, Flash Thompson. It's a very different version of Flash than we've seen before, more smug and mocking than a physically imposing jock. Despite this change though, he still does what you expect by picking on Peter all the time, so it is in character, which makes for an enjoyable moment later when karma comes calling. That said, Flash is supposed to be a character that despite his treatment of Peter, does have some redeeming factors. Right now, he is clearly selfish, but this basically leaves room for sequels for the character to develop more.
In my opinion, Michael Keaton as the Vulture is the best villain to appear in a Spider-Man movie yet. He doesn't have a split personality, a direct connection to Peter Parker, or portrayed as over the top. He's a character who's doing what he believes is justice and doing so to provide for his family, no matter the cost. Just before the film's climax, there's a good chunk of time where I really felt afraid of the character, and he wasn't even in his suit.
This film also displays how efficient Marvel is at handling multiple characters in a film, in this case the villains, where we also have two Shockers and the Tinkerer as part of Vulture's crew. Sony has attempted multiple villains in two previous Spider-Man movies, and both were the lowest rated of the franchise. We have multiple villains again in Homecoming, but their connection and partnership is there from the start. It's not "Oh no, it's the New Goblin!", followed by "Oh no, it's the Sandman!", followed by "Oh no, it's Venom!". At least with Amazing Spider-Man 2 though, you can say there was more of a definite link between the three villains that appeared.
I'm going to do something different now and put up a SPOILER area, because I have a lot to say in that regard so if you want to skip ahead to the end, go ahead.
SPOILERS DISCUSSION BEGINS
Remember those rumors that Zendaya was playing Mary Jane? Well, they were true...sort of. Technically her character is named Michelle Jones, but she says at the end to call her "MJ." So at the moment, it's safe to assume that this is a new version of Mary Jane. I don't necessarily have a problem with her essentially being Mary Jane, but it's definitely not what I expected when it comes to my idea of the character, whether 616 or Ultimate. Plus, I think it makes sense for her to be MJ because I get this feeling that she knows Peter is Spider-Man, and in the comics, Mary Jane knew Peter was Spider-Man from the start because she saw him sneaking out of his house in suit one night.
But whatever character she played though, she had absolutely no bearing on the film's plot. You could have cut her out and nothing would change. The owner of the deli Peter goes to felt more important than her. Anytime she's on screen, it's basically "Here I am, I'm funny, bye." I mean, I don't get it. She's obviously playing an important character, she's a big Disney star, and she's part of the headlining cast, yet I kept asking myself "Why is she here?". It's Jared Leto all over again.
Around the middle of the film, we are introduced to Mac Gargan, who in the comics becomes the Scorpion (who even has a scorpion tattoo on his neck). In the mid-credits scene, we see Gargan and Vulture in the same prison together, and Gargan says he has some guys on the outside who want to take down Spider-Man too. I believe this is setting up for Gargan to become the Scorpion for the sequel, but more than that, I believe that "Spider-Man 3" will bring together the Sinister Six. Besides Scorpion, I believe there will at least be two other villains along with him in the second film. I get the feeling that the Six will be more tech based, especially if the line-up we have so far would be Vulture, Shocker, and Scorpion. One thing for sure though is that Doctor Octopus needs to be the one to bring the group together, because you can't have a Sinister Six without Doc Ock. Right now, the only other two I can see rounding things out are Rhino and Mysterio.
On a related note, I believe this film is the first crossover between the Marvel films and Netflix series, as it appears that Vulture and Gargan were sent to the same prison Kingpin and Punisher were sent to during season two of Daredevil.
At the end of the film, Tony attempts to give Peter another updated version of his suit (and an awesome one at that). To give you an idea, it kind of looks like the suit in the upcoming PS4 game, but more shiny and the spider being black.
I'm willing to bet that not only will this suit actually be used next year for Infinity War, but that it's essentially the Iron Spider suit. I know it's not like the one in the comics, but I get the feeling that this version of Tony, while still vain to some degree, appreciates the design Peter had with his homemade suit and incorporated that into the suits he made for him. Otherwise, we would have had the proper red and gold Iron Spider in Civil War.
One thing that stood out to me was the big spider on the chest. You know what other famous Spider-Man suit has a big spider? Ahem...
I've always had a feeling that if the symbiote were to debut in the MCU, it would be in Infinity War. I think the design of the "Spider-Man 3.0" suit is another sign we're heading into that direction.
SPOILER DISCUSSION ENDS
While it is another reboot, any worries you have are understandable, but you can rest assure that this is a new Spider-Man that is worth seeing. Even though he is now part of the larger MCU picture, this nearly perfect film is still very much about Peter Parker in what is essentially the true beginning of his superhero career. I really look forward to where the character and his relationships go in the future.
RATING: 9/10
My Marvel Cinematic Universe Film Rankings:
1. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
2. Captain America: Civil War
3. Avengers: Age of Ultron
4. Captain America: The Winter Soldier
5. The Avengers
6. Guardians of the Galaxy
7. Doctor Strange
8. Spider-Man: Homecoming
9. Ant-Man
10. Iron Man 3
11. Thor
12. Captain America: The First Avenger
13. Iron Man
14. The Incredible Hulk
15. Iron Man 2
16. Thor: The Dark World
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