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| Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) |
First off, let's talk about what this movie does differently than other Spider-Man adaptations we got before this one. Because this movie actually does quite a lot different than those that came before it. There's no scene where he gets bitten by a spider. Uncle Ben is nowhere to be seen, the Osbournes are non-existent, and I love all of those choices. We've seen it all before. You don't have to show us Batman's parents dying again, we get that it happened, so we can move on. And we know all the traditional Spider-Man stuff still happened in this world. It's all mentioned, either directly or indirectly, and the movie feels no worse off for their not being there. I also like some of the other, more subtle changes that differentiate things from Spider-Man adaptations we've seen already. I like that Flash is now a smug rich kid; that's just a far more accurate representation of what bullies are like today. It's not about brawn anymore, it's about status. I also love that there's no 'Peter embarrasses Flash' scene, since that would be really out of place here. Lastly, in this world of Avengers and aliens, I love how commonplace Spider-Man is treated. He's not this big neighbourhood icon or a local celebrity, he's just some guy in a mask giving directions to old ladies. In terms of where we're at in the MCU currently, it's probably the most realistic interpretation of Spider-Man we could have gotten.
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| Tom Holland as Spider-Man |
Peter's journey is also really unique. Coming off the back of Civil War, having Peter fed up with his routine life while waiting for the next mission is a good idea, as well as his general tedium with being treated like a kid. He, of course, is a kid, which is something that shines in this story more than once. Tom Holland absolutely kills it in this movie, and he's really the only Peter Parker we've gotten that's nailed the dichotomy between nervous kid and wise-cracking hero. I also love his suit, and you can complain that it's too powerful, but that's the point. The whole idea of the movie is Peter figuring out who he is without the suit; it's not wonder the suit is overpowered initially only for it to be taken away later. To that effect, I was initially worried that the movie would focus too much on Tony Stark, but it really doesn't. He gets, maybe, 5 minutes of total screentime in the entire movie. Peter's drive to impress Tony is far more present in the movie than Tony actually is, and, again, it all feels completely natural. Tony really is Peter's 'Uncle Ben figure' in this universe, and having him at the forefront of Peter's mind more than he's actually in the movie is a good touch. Downey does an excellent job, as usual, and he has great chemistry with Holland. But, really, all the actors are great. Tomei, Batalon, Zendaya, Favreau, they're all excellent in their roles.
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| Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark |
Like other MCU movies, this one merges another genre with the tropes of the classic superhero movie. In this case, it's a coming-of-age, high school story. The two genres blend almost effortlessly, and each work off the other in great ways. The comedy is abundant, as you'd expect, and there's not really a joke here that doesn't work. The humour comes from a typical MCU sense of humour, but there's a little more to it than that. At times it can get really dark, at times it can be really goofy, but it's the one-off throwaways that really stand out, like the school news bulletins or the Captain America PSAs or Donald Glover's throwaways. The man had 2 scenes and he killed it. The action scenes are also excellent, and we get a lot of really great Spider-Man set pieces here. There's a lot of scenes that feel like variations of classic Spider-Man situations, and they all do their jobs great. There's the chase scene, the elevator scene, the 'saving a crashing piece of public transport'... scene, they're all great. I don't think I'm ever going to get tired of watching Spider-Man do Spider-Man things. They found a winning combination with his powers way back in the original comics and I just keep wanting to watch it over and over again. I think, of all super-heroes, Spider-Man's powers look the most fun. In fact, that's another key word here: fun. The movie has fun with itself, it knows what it is, doesn't take itself too seriously, and yet still somehow nails the emotional beats.
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| Jacob Batalon as Ned |
And, finally, the villain. Michael Keaton as the Vulture. This is one of the greatest Spider-Man villains ever put to screen. I love everything about this guy. The entire premise of this movie is showing what happens in everyday life in the world of the MCU, so having the villain initially be some white-collar guy sticking to petty crimes mostly is a unique one for sure. I've heard arguments that he's not actually a villain and just got dealt a raw hand. I don't know, once you start threatening little kids with their lives, you've kind of crossed a threshold there. And those scenes can get really intense. I almost find him more interesting when he's just Adrian Toomes. He's a threat as the Vulture, but he's legitimately threatening as Toomes. And Michael Keaton is the best thing about this movie. His intensity, his drive, his bounce from everyday guy to menacing murderer, it's all perfect. The scene in the car might be the scene that had me gripping my chair the most out of any MCU movie of them all. It was just such a surprise. I didn't see it coming, and for a movie that people went into saying the trailers spoiled too much to still surprise them is a huge feat. Honestly, guys, I really don't have any bad blood with this movie. It's honestly amazing. Is it my favourite Spider-Man movie of all time? Well, no, that distinction still goes to Into the Spider-Verse because how could it not. But there's no shame in a silver medal.
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| Michael Keaton as Adrian Toomes |
Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) thoroughly impressed me, and honestly was the movie that made me interested in going back and watching the other Spider-Man movies to begin with. Does it have little issues? Maybe here or there, but I can't think of any now, and they didn't affect the movie overall, so there's only one rating that feels appropriate. 10/10.
Next, it's Thor: Ragnarok.
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