Spider-Man: Homecoming
Your Marvel Cinematic Spider-Man.
+: brilliant cast, great dialogue
-: cast underused, action maybe a little weak
Tom Holland is the best Spider-Man. My opinion, sure, but one I can reason fairly. Tobey Maguire was good, sure, but just too damn weepy (he had good cause, too — it was never enough for his Parker to merely drop his books; someone needed to stand on them, shove him, he got yelled at by teachers and superiors — the Raimi films would be unbelievably depressing with the wrong score attached). And Andrew Garfield, a capable actor, got the worst possible material; not even the gristle of storytelling, but the parts of the animal you wouldn’t even serve as gristle, like the tumours that caused it to be put down: random, sociopathic behaviour, boardroom executives’ idea of teenage cool, and quips that came off as douchebaggery.
Holland, on the other hand, gets to balance both aspects of the Spider-Man equation the way his predecessors never did. He (and the writing, in fairness) also captures a key aspect of Spider-Man: not any sort of formula of “underdog” and “hero”, but the crucial factor of adolescence, and what it feels like to be a teenager. Bullies aren’t really the jocks of 1980s Hollywood lore; they’re usually more like this Flash Thompson, a snotty jackass who won’t leave you alone and who you can’t do anything about. And similarly, a high school crush doesn’t exist on some higher plane of existence, which you ascend to by dating them — instead they’re like this Liz Allan, beautiful, sure, but otherwise quite ordinary (see how she practically skips out of shot once she’s got a Homecoming date — this was a huge deal for her as it was for Peter, we just barely see it).
This is also the Spider-Man film that feels most like a New York City film, even if half of it was filmed in Atlanta (Parker ends up travelling to every borough other than The Bronx, although even Marvel aren’t bold enough to attempt to make Staten Island cinematic). Where the Raimi films fixated on the Manhattan of tourist lore, and placed the Parkers in an indeterminate suburb, and the Webb films seemed oddly nonspecific barring one sequence in Time Square, Homecoming is rooted in the outer boroughs. Sure, it’s New York, but it’s not referencing the same, obvious landmarks.
If there’s one flaw in Homecoming, it’s that, like Doctor Strange, it underuses its resources. This time, the issue is less plot or worldbuilding, but cast, where the producers gather together a murderers’ row of talent in order to give them… very little (some complained about a certain actress getting fifth billing in this film, but in all seriousness she gets at least as many lines as Hannibal Burress). Ned Leeds gets plenty of time in this film, and Michelle “MJ” Jones effectively gets an origin story of sorts, but it’ll take at least two sequels to get these people to be more than glorified extras.
Another — kinda minor — issue is the film being something of a turf war. It opens with a gargantuan Sony logo, followed by a scene set at the end of the Battle of New York, followed by a Marvel Studios logo. It’s a little reminder of how two studios aren’t quite in partnership on this one.
Of all the Phase Three films prior to Infinity War, Spider-Man: Homecoming is probably the most morally unambiguous, despite posing as being otherwise. For all the Vulture’s talk about how the rich, like Tony Stark, get to do as they wish, Toomes isn’t ultimately concerned about the consequences of his actions. A glance at his house and lifestyle, too, shows that he’s not really one of The Poor, either; he compares himself to Stark because it’s the only way he could be seen as an underdog.
Nonetheless, it’s true that Stark isn’t quite blameless here. Weapons are getting out into the black market, because Damage Control haven’t planned out security or anticipated the idea that their own resources would be used against them (or worse, they’re cutting corners for cost-saving reasons). Hell, Spider-Man himself ends up inside one of their vaults by accident, although it’s hardly inconceivable that someone could do likewise deliberately. Damage Control ends up being a clear case of both market and state failure, especially when both sectors are intertwined (it’s almost like the film is saying that two different entities with differing aims shouldn’t mix).
Like the poster above, Spider-Man: Homecoming was an impossible proposition when it was first announced. Another reboot? Except, as it turns out, Spider-Man fits into the MCU seamlessly; if anything, he’s a more natural fit in a wider universe of superheroes than he is in isolation. By this point, there was just the small matter of the other Civil War rookie…
High Points: in general, character scenes over action. Zendaya playing basically-Daria is particularly fun.
Low Points: Peter lifting rubble off himself is kinda unearned as a dramatic moment — comics reference and all.
Curios: the film is vague, but Peter Parker appears to live in or around Astoria. His Spider-Man patrols appear to take him as far east as Jackson Heights.
Flagrant Product Placement: Audi, Doritos, Clearasil, Dell
Connections to Elsewhere: back to The Avengers and Captain America: Civil War, along with references to Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Avengers: Age of Ultron. Forwards to Avengers: Infinity War.
Stan Lee Cameo: yells out the window to Spider-Man, early on. Little bit meh. (5/10)
End Credits: one setting up the sequel, which is generally vague for general audiences, and a bit flat as a result (5/10). Second, Captain America trolls audiences, and even Chris Evans can barely keep a straight face. (9/10)
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Next: Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
