Spider-Man: Homecoming - Review (Non-Spoiler/Spoiler)
Directed By: Jon Watts
Rating: PG-13
Rating: PG-13
Starring: Tom Holland, Robert Downey Jr., Marisa Tomei, Michael Keaton, Tony Revolori, Laura Harrier, Jacob Batalon, Zendaya
Blurb/Synopsis: Thrilled by his experience with the Avengers, young Peter Parker returns home to be live with his Aunt May. Under the watchful eye of mentor Tony Stark, Parker starts to embrace his newfound identity as Spider0Man. He also has to return to his normal daily routine -- distracted by thoughts of proving himself to be more than just a friendly neighborhood superhero. Peter must soon put his powers to the test when ea evil Vulture emerges to threaten everything that he holds dear.
Expectations/Background: Spider-Man: Homecoming is the beautiful unification of Sony and Marvel coming together to give fans what they want - Spider-Man in the MCU. With Capitan America: Civil War introducing Peter Parker in a brilliant way, fans have waited with nervous anticipation to see whether or not he will live up to the hype. Now, with Jon Watts taking the helm and Robert Downey Jr. and Michael Keaton in tow, this movie looked to be one of the biggest hits of the summer. However, as the days dwindled before its release, the marketing began releasing more and more clips onto the Internet, which raised questions of how much the movie had left to reveal. Personally, I kept away form these and am hoping that, although the third trailer seemed rather spoiler-y, the movie will surprise me in a refreshing way.
The Movie: This movie is such a blast. People often talk about "fun" movies, movies that you can always watch and just have a great time. This is one such movie. I was sitting the entire two hours of the film, and I just had a great time. Maybe not a very deep, emotional, or sophisticated film, but I believe that it doesn't need to be to be an amazing (no pun intended) film.
Positives: There is so much to talk about. First of all, let me talk about Tom Holland. This is the Peter Parker that we have all wanted. Tom Holland is Peter Parker. There is no doubt in my mind. He portrays the youth and the vibrancy that was lacking in Maguire and Garfield, and even delivers in a dramatic scene near the end of the movie, which I did not see coming, but I bought his performance.
The high school aspect was also fantastic. Having experienced high school, I know what it was like - and the moments where they focused on Peter Parker and not Spider-Man, this felt like high school. The students and the classes, the detentions even, they felt so real. Even the stereotypes were accurate to those of a normal high school.
Focusing on the characters, Ned (Jacob Batalon) and Liz (Laura Harrier) are both fantastic. Ned especially is the embodiment of everyone's best friend - so happy, jovial, and excited at the fact that his friend is a superhero. And Liz is a relatable love interest - unlike Mary Jane and Gwen Stacey for the past two iterations, who seemed rather out of reach and in the "next league" as Peter Parker.
More on the Vulture - but he is amazing. Well done, Michael Keaton, well done.
Now, in terms of the marketing, there have been many concerns that the trailers and the clips have spoiled the movie. I'm here to say this: be careful. I only saw the main three trailers and one clip and while I wasn't "spoiled" per se, there were a couple sequences that I knew how they would play out and how they would end. However, no matter how much marketing you think you've seen (after seeing the film, I went back to see all the clips I abstained from seeing) there will still be at least one or two surprises in the film that you will not expect.
Moving to Iron Man; this is not Iron Man 4, not by a long shot. In fact, you'd be surprised - he's in the movie for about 10 minutes. That is to say, Iron Man is in the film for about 10 minutes. Tony Stark is in the movie for about 5 minutes. In fact, I would say that Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau) is in the film longer than Iron Man is. However, his presence is felt heavily throughout the film. I saw reviews before seeing the film that said he was not in the film that long, and while I didn't want this film to be overpowered by Robert Downey Jr., I wanted him to at least be more than a cameo. And trust me, he's not in the movie much, but when he is, he owns it. This film takes a different look at Tony, a different spin on him (you'll see when you see the film), and I think it's a great next step in the evolution of the character.
The action as well is great. There are a few action set pieces that are wonderful; there are real stakes, real tension and great filming of the action.
That's another thing - this film has genuine stakes. While this isn't quite as small (pun intended) as Ant-Man, this is not as big as an Avengers film. There are real stakes that could affect important people, but the reason it feels smaller is because it's a personal story about Peter Parker. And that's not a bad thing at all.
Negatives: There really aren't many. I was looking back on things that I didn't like, and there's barely anything. Obviously, I can't give it a ten because I believe a 10/10 film is a film that is enjoyable but also sophisticated in some regards, and while this film is so entertaining, it's not very complicated. Which, again is fine, but this does dock a couple decimal points off. And there were a few scenes in the movie where I was sat back and said to myself, "This doesn't feel that realistic" or "this is rather cliche" but, and I want to emphasize this, this was only for a couple of scenes. There was the odd pacing here and there and tonal shifts, but I do think that there is almost nothing wrong with this movie. And trust me, I'm not saying this because I'm a fanboy of comic-book movies; I saw many flaws in Guardians of the Galaxy: Volume II and the minor flaws of Wonder woman. But this film, it's better than both of them.
Positives: There is so much to talk about. First of all, let me talk about Tom Holland. This is the Peter Parker that we have all wanted. Tom Holland is Peter Parker. There is no doubt in my mind. He portrays the youth and the vibrancy that was lacking in Maguire and Garfield, and even delivers in a dramatic scene near the end of the movie, which I did not see coming, but I bought his performance.
The high school aspect was also fantastic. Having experienced high school, I know what it was like - and the moments where they focused on Peter Parker and not Spider-Man, this felt like high school. The students and the classes, the detentions even, they felt so real. Even the stereotypes were accurate to those of a normal high school.
Focusing on the characters, Ned (Jacob Batalon) and Liz (Laura Harrier) are both fantastic. Ned especially is the embodiment of everyone's best friend - so happy, jovial, and excited at the fact that his friend is a superhero. And Liz is a relatable love interest - unlike Mary Jane and Gwen Stacey for the past two iterations, who seemed rather out of reach and in the "next league" as Peter Parker.
More on the Vulture - but he is amazing. Well done, Michael Keaton, well done.
Now, in terms of the marketing, there have been many concerns that the trailers and the clips have spoiled the movie. I'm here to say this: be careful. I only saw the main three trailers and one clip and while I wasn't "spoiled" per se, there were a couple sequences that I knew how they would play out and how they would end. However, no matter how much marketing you think you've seen (after seeing the film, I went back to see all the clips I abstained from seeing) there will still be at least one or two surprises in the film that you will not expect.
Moving to Iron Man; this is not Iron Man 4, not by a long shot. In fact, you'd be surprised - he's in the movie for about 10 minutes. That is to say, Iron Man is in the film for about 10 minutes. Tony Stark is in the movie for about 5 minutes. In fact, I would say that Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau) is in the film longer than Iron Man is. However, his presence is felt heavily throughout the film. I saw reviews before seeing the film that said he was not in the film that long, and while I didn't want this film to be overpowered by Robert Downey Jr., I wanted him to at least be more than a cameo. And trust me, he's not in the movie much, but when he is, he owns it. This film takes a different look at Tony, a different spin on him (you'll see when you see the film), and I think it's a great next step in the evolution of the character.
The action as well is great. There are a few action set pieces that are wonderful; there are real stakes, real tension and great filming of the action.
That's another thing - this film has genuine stakes. While this isn't quite as small (pun intended) as Ant-Man, this is not as big as an Avengers film. There are real stakes that could affect important people, but the reason it feels smaller is because it's a personal story about Peter Parker. And that's not a bad thing at all.
Negatives: There really aren't many. I was looking back on things that I didn't like, and there's barely anything. Obviously, I can't give it a ten because I believe a 10/10 film is a film that is enjoyable but also sophisticated in some regards, and while this film is so entertaining, it's not very complicated. Which, again is fine, but this does dock a couple decimal points off. And there were a few scenes in the movie where I was sat back and said to myself, "This doesn't feel that realistic" or "this is rather cliche" but, and I want to emphasize this, this was only for a couple of scenes. There was the odd pacing here and there and tonal shifts, but I do think that there is almost nothing wrong with this movie. And trust me, I'm not saying this because I'm a fanboy of comic-book movies; I saw many flaws in Guardians of the Galaxy: Volume II and the minor flaws of Wonder woman. But this film, it's better than both of them.
Character Ranking
1. Peter Parker
2. The Vulture
3. Ned
4. *Spoiler*
5. Aunt May
6. Liz
7. Iron Man
8. Liz
9. Michelle
10. Happy
11. The Other Villains
The Villain(s): Michael Keaton. Bravo. I cannot say enough good things about Michael Keaton's "villain". And that's the thing - while he is the villain, he portrays the character of Adrian Toomes as a real person - a conflicted character that has real motivations, a real code of honor, a real moral code. And I loved this villain. I'll have to see how he stacks up to Loki, but I believe that if Loki were in only one movie, Michael Keaton's Vulture would be better - we'll have to wait and see. As for the other villains (if you haven't heard who they are, I won't spoil who they are) - they're alright. They serve a purpose, and they don't make quite an impact, but they're there. And they don't add or detract from the film in the slightest, which is fine. But Michael Keaton - pure gold.
The Music/Score: Michael Giacchino is back to score this Spider-Man movie. I think that this theme song for the film is very good - it's hummable immediately after the film. However, the next day or the day after, it's hard to remember much about the score other than that it was good, but if I heard the score again, I would be able to recognize it immediately. It's not a fantastic score, but it's a good-great(?) score.
Spoilers: The twist regarding Adrian Toomes - it took a couple minutes. I'm going to be honest - I was genuinely thrown off. I knew that Liz's character was based on Liz Allen in the comics, but I had no idea that the twist was coming. It did take me a little - I sat there in the theater contemplating whether or not I liked this - I thought that it was a little cheap because it's connecting everyone again, and what were the odds? But I was willing to forgive the convenience that everyone in the story was connected, and the genuine shock value of Toomes being Liz's father was a good move. It made the movie even more personal.
The spoiler spot in the character ranking list is KAREN. I actually really enjoyed Jennifer Connelly's voiceover, and the bonding moments when he's in the bunker with her, I thought those were fantastic. Hoping to see (hear?) more of her in the coming movies seeing as he has his new suit/the Iron Spider.
Speaking of, we finally get to see the Iron Spider. The actual Iron Spider. And it looked incredible. I understand why he turned Stark down, but part of me just wanted him to try it on and fly around or shoot webs from it for just a little bit. But I know we're going to get a lot of that in Infinity WAr.
As for the post credits, the first one was very bleh, just Michael Keaton talking to the Scorpion about Parker. I did find it interesting how Toomes decided to not reveal who Parker was, which I really appreciated because it reinforced the fact that Toomes was not a "bad guy" he was just a conflicted person.
And the end credits scene -I was expecting something incredible, set up, which is exactly why I laughed so hard when I saw it. If you're reading this and you haven't seen the movie, I will not spoil what this is for you. Please go watch the movie and find out for yourself. It's incredible.
1. Peter Parker
2. The Vulture
3. Ned
4. *Spoiler*
5. Aunt May
6. Liz
7. Iron Man
8. Liz
9. Michelle
10. Happy
11. The Other Villains
The Villain(s): Michael Keaton. Bravo. I cannot say enough good things about Michael Keaton's "villain". And that's the thing - while he is the villain, he portrays the character of Adrian Toomes as a real person - a conflicted character that has real motivations, a real code of honor, a real moral code. And I loved this villain. I'll have to see how he stacks up to Loki, but I believe that if Loki were in only one movie, Michael Keaton's Vulture would be better - we'll have to wait and see. As for the other villains (if you haven't heard who they are, I won't spoil who they are) - they're alright. They serve a purpose, and they don't make quite an impact, but they're there. And they don't add or detract from the film in the slightest, which is fine. But Michael Keaton - pure gold.
The Music/Score: Michael Giacchino is back to score this Spider-Man movie. I think that this theme song for the film is very good - it's hummable immediately after the film. However, the next day or the day after, it's hard to remember much about the score other than that it was good, but if I heard the score again, I would be able to recognize it immediately. It's not a fantastic score, but it's a good-great(?) score.
**READER DISCRETION ADVISED - SPOILER ALERT - IF YOU WANT TO AVOID SPOILERS SKIP TO "VERDICT"**
Spoilers: The twist regarding Adrian Toomes - it took a couple minutes. I'm going to be honest - I was genuinely thrown off. I knew that Liz's character was based on Liz Allen in the comics, but I had no idea that the twist was coming. It did take me a little - I sat there in the theater contemplating whether or not I liked this - I thought that it was a little cheap because it's connecting everyone again, and what were the odds? But I was willing to forgive the convenience that everyone in the story was connected, and the genuine shock value of Toomes being Liz's father was a good move. It made the movie even more personal.
The spoiler spot in the character ranking list is KAREN. I actually really enjoyed Jennifer Connelly's voiceover, and the bonding moments when he's in the bunker with her, I thought those were fantastic. Hoping to see (hear?) more of her in the coming movies seeing as he has his new suit/the Iron Spider.
Speaking of, we finally get to see the Iron Spider. The actual Iron Spider. And it looked incredible. I understand why he turned Stark down, but part of me just wanted him to try it on and fly around or shoot webs from it for just a little bit. But I know we're going to get a lot of that in Infinity WAr.
As for the post credits, the first one was very bleh, just Michael Keaton talking to the Scorpion about Parker. I did find it interesting how Toomes decided to not reveal who Parker was, which I really appreciated because it reinforced the fact that Toomes was not a "bad guy" he was just a conflicted person.
And the end credits scene -I was expecting something incredible, set up, which is exactly why I laughed so hard when I saw it. If you're reading this and you haven't seen the movie, I will not spoil what this is for you. Please go watch the movie and find out for yourself. It's incredible.
SPOILER ALERT OVER
The Verdict: I'm trying to find flaws in this film, and I really can't find many. This film is near perfection. It doesn't have many deep emotional threads or subplots, but it has heart, it has a joyous tone, great action, amazing performances, and a menacing villain. Tom Holland is Spider-Man, and after seeing this movie, I cannot wait to see where he goes from here. One of the MCU's best. Letter Grade: A. Number Score: 9.6/10
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