Directed by: Jon Watts
Written by: Jonathan Goldstein, John Francis Daley
Starring: Tom Holland, Michael Keaton, Robert Downey Jr.
Spider-Man Homecoming is an example of how it's important to go into any movie with little or no expectations. Not only were the Sam Raimi films on my mind, but also the lukewarm critical reaction to Homecoming. Nothing negative, but not really any praise either. It seemed a middle of the road Marvel entry. Imagine my surprise when I had a smile on my face for all of Act one, and the Act 3 reveal and build up both shocked and excited me. Shock because I didn't see Toomes' reveal as Michelle's dad coming, and excitement for how the story built to its finale from that reveal. My only real complaints are that Act 2 kind of dragged (especially leading up to the Ferry action set piece), and some scenes of genuine emotion were undercut for a joke (the most egregious being Happy with Peter in the bathroom at the end of the movie).
I like that Homecoming didn't bother with an origin story. Tony Stark finds Peter Parker during the events of Civil War and at the start of this film gives him the Special Stark Spidey Suit™. When his best friend Ned finds out that he's Spiderman, we get a brief exchange about how he was bitten by a radioactive spider, but the rest of the story is implied by small details like mixing his web solution in chemistry class. Incidentally, as a Spidey fan (he's always been my favourite superhero), I prefer when he creates the webs naturally from his body, but I appreciate that this detail explains what version of Spiderman we're dealing with in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
I'm less sure about Karen. That's the name Peter gives to the Stark suit's AI when he gets Ned to unlock the training wheels protocol. There's some fun moments with Peter not used to everything the suit can do (including its lethal and interrogational capabilities), and it gives him another personality to quip back and forth with during the action scenes. It comes in handy too, but I think it plays into the larger theme of the movie, that Stark and the Avengers are not what Spiderman is. While the suit is useful (just like how Peter's desire to help on a greater scale with The Avengers is useful), by relying on that power, things can get out of hand. Maybe it's the finale with the Vulture on that airplane that cements this idea in Peter's mind that the risk versus reward is too great, especially when his duty as an Avenger clashes with his desires as an adolescent in high school.
I've always liked The Vulture as a villain. When I was collecting comics, he was a decrepit old man dying of cancer, but his flying suit, evil gaze and remorseless attitude stayed with me. Keaton imbues the character with a cocksurety and cold calculation that feels like it shouldn't work. He's a working class guy who's all buddy buddy, until he kills you. The best part was his speech to Peter before he brings the roof down. It's similar to Killmonger from Black Panther in that The Vulture isn't wrong in his motivation, but he's wrong in his actions, or at least he's wrong because he's in direct opposition to our hero. I also appreciated that he didn't die at the end of the film. Spiderman saves him, and the first of the post-credits scenes show him in prison facing off with a character who I assume is going to be The Scorpion. I wonder if we'll get a build up to a Sinister Six movie.
Finally, I think the post-credits sequence of Homecoming is my favourite post credits sequence in any Marvel movie.
Personal Enjoyment: ★★★★
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