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Spider-Man: Homecoming
Starring: Tom Holland, Michael Keaton, Robert Downey Jr
Director: Jon Watts
Genre: Superhero
Rating: PG-15
Running Time: 133 Minutes
After much furore, what seems like the umpteenth reboot of Spider-Man is finally here. This time, he’s been absorbed into the ever-expanding Marvel Cinematic Universe, although aside from a couple of recurring characters, this is a largely self-contained adventure.
Thankfully, Homecoming is a witty, briskly-paced romp that captures everything that has made Peter Parker and his costumed alter-ego such a lovable and enduring character for over half a century.
The core dilemma Spider-Man has always grappled with is, of course, ‘with great power comes great responsibility’. But as the events of this movie show, Peter Parker’s responsibilities aren’t just related to being Spider-Man. He has a responsibility to be a good student, to let his Aunt May (Marisa Tomei) know where he is and if he’s OK, and to find the balance between his personal and superhero lives.
In Homecoming, Peter, still consumed by the excitement of his adventure with the Avengers in Captain America: Civil War, wants nothing more than to win Tony Stark’s approval and become a full-fledged Avenger. But Peter is still just a kid and he will have to realise that he can’t let Spider-Man define who he is; if he’s nothing without the suit then Peter doesn’t deserve to have it.
Whilst Tobey Maguire will always stand out as ‘the’ Spider-Man to me, if you weren’t already sold on Tom Holland after Civil War, his turn in Homecoming proves that he is the perfect successor to the role.
His exuberance, intelligence, and good-natured manner perfectly captures Peter Parker’s youthfulness, earnestness and moral centre.
Peter makes many mistakes, but he’s a good kid who knows when he has to set things right. He owns every scene he’s in, never getting blown off the screen by his co-stars, which include such formidable personalities as Robert Downey Jr. and Michael Keaton.
Speaking of Keaton, his Adrian ‘Vulture’ Toomes is a blue-collar guy with a grievance against the system. In a film series where villains are usually a weak point and pushed aside in favour of showcasing the heroes, Vulture is one of the strongest, most sympathetic villains yet.
Homecoming, being a high school movie, sets it apart from not only other entries in the MCU, but from many superhero movies in general. Peter making it to his academic appointments is as important to this story as his sleuthing into the Vulture’s activities. This speaks to Peter trying to strike the right balance between his dual responsibilities as a student and a superhero.
Is being an Avenger really more important than being the best person Peter can be for himself, to his classmates and to Aunt May? That quandary is what drives the plot, motivates Peter’s internal and external conflicts, and generates a good deal of the humour to boot.
The movie has a lot of fun with this being such a young, novice Spidey who is still mastering his powers and who is awed at all the tricks his Tony Stark-provided costume can do.
There is also a lot of humour generated by the fact that much of the story is largely confined to Queens where there aren’t a lot of very tall buildings for Spidey to web-sling between so he has to use what’s readily available to get around. This was a clever way to both create obstacles for Spidey to deal with and to show a different backdrop other than just seeing Spider-Man swing through the skyscrapers of Manhattan as he has in so many past movies.
The action set-pieces are fine, although perhaps not as memorable as the speeding train or airport battle scenes from previous films starring the character. Homecoming is ultimately stronger as a character-driven, coming-of-age comedy than as an action film, and the obvious digital rendition of Spidey doesn’t help in this regard.
Still, as with the very best of the web-slinger’s Marvel stories, Spider-Man: Homecoming is a winning combination of a fun superhero adventure tale with a heart-warming story about a regular kid dealing with some very relatable issues. Tom Holland’s Spidey can’t swing back onto screens again fast enough.
Showing at: Cineco, Seef I, Seef II, Saar, Al Jazira, Wadi Al Sail, Mukta 2
Rating: 4/5
