Film Review: Spider-Man Homecoming

It’s been done time and time again; the boy whose parents abandoned him at a young age and had to move in with his auntie and uncle. He gets bitten by a spider and suddenly he has spider-like super powers. But oh no, now his uncle has died and he’s left only with his auntie to take care of him. It’s a sad story, but somehow Peter Parker became one of the most loved, hilarious and film-worthy superheroes of all time.

Previous attempts, though, perhaps haven’t worked so well. Sam Raimi directed Spider-Man, Spider-Man 2 and Spider-Man 3. Whilst they were fairly well received, there are some serious flaws with this trilogy. For starters, Tobey Maguire was cast as Spider-Man, who has always been described in comics as a school boy. Maguire certainly did not fit this description by looking and acting far older than the character should have been. The cheesiness that surrounded these films always let it down. Comedy can be done in a way where cheese doesn’t have to take over.

Then there was The Amazing Spider-Man and The Amazing Spider-Man 2. Marc Webb directed these and Andrew Garfield starred as the superhero. On the most part, this casting worked with Garfield mostly being able to pass as a high school student. The cheesiness was also nowhere to be seen; instead it was replaced with a much darker (almost Batman-like) feel. The comedic, fun, breath of fresh air Spider-Man is known for had disappeared.

In comes Captain America: Civil War. After a long battle with Sony for Disney to get the rights in order to include Spider-Man in the current Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), Tom Holland was cast. We were introduced to him during a very turbulent time for the Avengers but he and Ant-Man worked as well-needed comedic release.

Now we have yet another Spider-Man film. The difference this time around, however, is there’s no origin story. And to be frank, do we really need a third origin story of the same character in the space of 15 years? No, we don’t.

Homecoming has to be the most original Spider-Man film that’s been made. Not only have they cast an actor that genuinely looks 15, but the writers have created a completely believable teenager. He’s far from perfect, he makes a lot of mistakes, he idolises the Avengers and he’s far too excited about kicking arse and therefore loses all interest in his real life. He basically reacts the way any teenager would after being asked to join the coolest club on the planet one day, and feeling like you’ve been dumped the next.

In a way, this film proved how wrong all of the previous movies were. It got a bit of the cheese back, but the humour was genuinely funny for adults as well as kids so it was forgivable. Spider-Man himself was flawed and believable while still being silly, comical and cheeky (and let’s face it, they’re the traits that set him apart from all other superheroes). He learns valuable lessons along the way – and who would’ve guessed they’d come from Tony Stark? But most of all, the story was something that could only be done with Spider-Man.

If there’s one downfall with the film, it would come from the weak villain story. The beginning of the film shows us a brief explanation as to why Michael Keaton’s character, Adrian Toomes becomes the villain. Unfortunately, it feels rushed and Keaton’s acting just isn’t sincere. You feel no sympathy with his character, it’s a struggle to even see any honesty in what he’s saying or feeling. Quite frankly, it falls flat.

He plays an okay role for the rest of the film as Vulcan, and he’s more convincing as a bad guy than as a father genuinely worried about his family.  But, it’s a villain that will be forgotten about tomorrow. In the current MCU world of Loki and Yellowjacket, you’ve got to stand out, and unfortunately that didn’t happen.

Having said that, the post-credits scene shows that there could be more interesting villains to come from the Spider-Man franchise, so make sure you stay in your seats.

All in all, the film exceeded expectations. It’s the perfect mix of enjoyable for kids, but just as fun for adults. Tom Holland by far plays the best Spider-Man so far, and the refreshing take on his love interests and best friend makes for a whole new experience. The comedic value that this character always brought to the table has finally been translated to the big screen. This film truly makes up for the previous mediocre Spider-Man films.

Spider-man Homecoming is showing in Nottingham cinemas now.