Homecoming is a dramatically different Spider-Man movie than we’ve seen at this point. It’s far less serious than the Sam Raimi and Marc Webb series of films, and yet this newest feature fearing everyone neighborhood friendly hero feels more in tune than ever with his usual comic portrayals. And yet this new film from writer-director Jon Watts doesn’t slavishly conform to the comics either, indicated early on when we see how deeply linked Peter Parker is with the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
It’s a hodgepodge of elements that isn’t fixated on “getting things exactly right” in the manner the earlier Spider-Man movies were, trying to perfectly define his oft-told origin story. His beloved late Uncle Ben is referenced maybe once, and not even directly.
Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man gave us an awkward, painfully shy Parker, while Andrew Garfield’s felt like a prototypically sullen but still hunky teen. Even though I enjoyed elements of both of their performances, they always came off as too old to pass as an unassuming high school boy. Tom Holland is perhaps the youngest looking Peter to date, and also the most boyish in terms of personality. This is Spider-Man as a massive fanboy of the Avengers, and he’s eager to prove himself to Tony Stark/Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr, flippant as ever) that he’s capable of handling higher stakes crime. After all, didn’t he show during the events of Civil War that he can take it?
Not according to Tony, who clearly does about Peter despite him trying not to show too much affection, so he’s blocked off the advanced features of his new Stark-produced costume because he feels that Peter needs more training. This adds to Peter’s frustration as he pursues a gang of weapons dealers, led by Adrian Toomes (a hammy, but still compelling Michael Keaton), who’s gotten his hands- or talons as his Vulture battlesuit lends him- on Chitauri technology that he plans to sell to New York’s criminal underworld.
Some of the MCU’s previous villains have been on the weaker side, but thanks to a great Keaton performance and some clever creative choices, I think Toomes is easily one of the stronger bad guys we’ve seen in this series. This Vulture doesn’t completely reinvent the wheel in terms of superhero villains- it’s not Heath Ledger as Joker-level “oh my god this is incredible”, but he’s got some depth and he serves as a good foil to Pete’s optimism.
In spite of Peter’s big heart and eagerness, he makes a number of rookie mistakes chasing the bad guys down, and I feel this helps to define him as more of a relatable figure than we’ve seen from previous Spider-Man movies. It also makes for some of the funnier scenes, like when Spider-Man has to angrily sprint through the suburbs due to a lack of available big rooftops. He’s equally as clumsy when it comes to his social life, mostly confiding in his best friend Ned (Jacob Batalon) as he tries to stir up enough courage to ask his decathlon teammate Liz (Laura Harrier) out to the upcoming Homecoming dance.
Parker’s high school feels refreshingly diverse and believable, with young actors who at least resemble teenagers and are varied in terms of their quirks and interests. Zendaya gets some hilarious lines as Pete’s classmate Michelle Jones, and this incarnation of Flash Thompson (Tony Revolori) is a brainy, academic rival to Peter who flaunts his wealth, as opposed to simply being a big dumb jock yet again. Marisa Tomei is a very likable Aunt May, and people felt she wasn’t old enough to play the character, but given how young Peter is, it feels fairly realistic to me.
Spider-Man: Homecoming is definitely on the lighter end of the MCU in terms of tone, but I still found it unique and engaging. There are a number of points when it feels like the film is overdoing the references to other films, but the writing is so strong and the cast’s personalities are so well-realized that it wasn’t enough to hurt my enjoyment. Peter’s struggles and frustrations both inside and outside his costume are very believable- it’s half teen comedy, half superhero romp, and Watts is able to craft compelling work in both areas. There’s wacky moments to be sure, but when things need to get serious it doesn’t feel like mood whiplash. The action scenes are well crafted and don’t feel too much like visual overload, and thanks to how appealing Tom Holland is in the title role, Spider-Man himself is both impressive as well as sympathetic.
More than anything, I really appreciate how succinct the story actually is, and how it assumes the audience already understands the basic ideas of Spider-Man. The stakes in Homecoming do have implications and hints for the series as a whole going forward, but they’re still on a smaller scale, which allows the filmmakers to be more risky and play with different elements of the Spider-mythos. Easily recommended, both for fans of Spider-Man or anyone who’s looking for a fun summer movie.