Tom Holland takes on the legend and brings it home in this utterly joyful return to form for the Spidey franchise. If you’re struggling to let your heart trust again and give the story of Peter Parker a third-time go, here’s five reasons why you should.
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Run-time: 2 hr 13
- Coming of a Marvelous age
This is a dual coming-of-age story. After the events of Captain America: Civil War, young Peter has had a taste of the world of Avengers and is reluctantly adapting to balancing life back home along with the concept of being something of a growing american icon. Essentially, it is a a story about becoming a fully-fleshed Superhero set in the landscape and conventions of the classic high-school movies of old (think: John Hughes and Amy Heckerling meet Steve Ditko). It’s a kind of Ferris Bueller; only he’s ditching school to swing from the afternoon cityscape and ward off petty criminals. On either side of this duality Homecoming soars and succeeds. Peter’s struggle to fit in at school as a lego-playing, stuttering mess is just as endearing as his attempts to join the ranks of Tony Stark’s elite, and the results of the decathlon his quiz team enters are nearly just as pulse-raising as the web slinging and villain-squashing. Marvel synchronises the innocence and profound mundanity of high-school movie with the wider, fanatical, MCU lore beautifully – proving that these movies can work in any setting. If a Homecoming dance can be adapted to suit the superhero lexicon with fun and freshness and creativity, than this a true golden age for the comic movie.
2. Tom Holland as Peter Parker
Tom Holland is going to be, for a lot of little girls and boys, their Spider-man. He is also going to be, for many older men and women, their favourite Spider-man. He is just that good. It’s no secret that Holland was absolutely thrilled to get the role, and his joy and humility (in a world where actors too often phone-in during franchise roles) is so visceral it could knock you off your seat. When casting Peter Parker – an earnest teen eager to do well with the responsibility that has been thrust upon him – who better to cast than…an earnest young actor eager to do well with the responsibility that has been thrust upon him! He is also an extremely good performer – no surprise to anyone who caught him in The Impossible – who pulls no punches during the (plentiful) emotional scenes. This Peter is so loveable, and so true to the comics. I think everyone can agree, after the last faltering Sony attempt, this is the Spidey that is going to stick.
3. Michael keaton as Vulture / the confrontation
It’s a bird(man)! It’s a plane! It’s…batman?
No it’s just Keaton bringing some heavily magnetising screen-presence as the leader of a post-avengers battle clean up squad turned stolen alien-tech arms dealers. Keaton is on his usual great form as an antagonist with a genuinely feasible motivation, a jaded Chitauri wielding gangster who is infuriated by Spiderman’s immaturity as much as he is by his relentless attempts to prevent him from thieving more Avengers equipment. This would be good by itself, if it weren’t lifted to iconic heights by one of the most breath stealing face-to-face dialogues between a hero and a villain of recent memory. The last time I can remember seeing the pivotal good v. bad conflict delivered in such a way – a simple, intense conversation – was in the bathroom of Leon: the professional or the interrogation room between Nolan’s Joker and Dark Knight. Keaton, in this one specific scene, brings the terrifying spirit of those Oldman and Ledger performances to the forefront of my mind – you’ll know it when you see it.
4. The Ensemble
This Spider-man may not be the member of the Avengers he aspires to be but he is part of a pretty wonderful group. Capturing the zeitgeist of modern, idiosyncratic New York, this thankfully diverse and talented cast of high-school friends and locals all hit the perfect notes. Funny, individual, and warm, Holland’s young co-stars (including the always lovely to watch Zendaya as sardonic Michelle, Laura Harrier as gentle love-interest Liz, Jacob Batalon as best friend and comedic relief Ned, a weirdo Abraham Attah, and Tony Revolori as the bully) all have great chemistry with each other and with Holland. They (along with some genius cameos that won’t be spoiled here) only add to the film’s likability.
5. Back to basics (doing whatever a Spider-man does)
It could upset purists, but the film is honestly all the better (and quicker and lighter and funnier) for avoiding to tread old tracks with an origin story. Although it keeps itself fresh by not heading back to the beginning, it also doesn’t fast-foward Peter to a hero of boring capability. It’s so entertaining to watch a hero who is just not that good at their job in the beginning. The film smartly keeps itself bereft of the typical ‘3 minute training montage and I’m ready to go’ trope, so we can appreciate Peter’s eventual success a thousand times more for having seen him screw it up so many times. It’s a gradual journey of learning and developing, falling (from a web – onto his face) getting back up again and grafting to get where you need to be. It’s the homecoming of a hero that takes you on it’s ride. I think a comic book movie of this kind, that expertly handles itself in such a down-to-earth way, packs a sharper bite than most.
5 reasons to see ... 