Spider-Man: Homecoming★★★★¾
No more origins
Peter is adorable
Tom is my Spidey
Peter Parker, with the help of his mentor Tony Stark, tries to balance his life as an ordinary high school student in New York City while fighting crime as his superhero alter ego Spider-Man when a new threat emerges.
I'll fully admit to rolling my eyes when I heard that we were getting yet another Spider-Man, so close on the heels of the Andrew Garfield film (which were so close on the heels of the Tobey Maguire ones ...). But after seeing Tom Holland in the role in Captain America: Civil War, I was on board. And after seeing more of him in Spider-Man: Homecoming, I have to say: I think Tom's by far my favorite Peter.
Spider-Man: Homecoming isn't another origin story, and I'm very thankful for that. Instead, it delves more into the person behind the mask, and shows how much of a regular kid Peter Parker truly is. Sure, he occasionally gets to fight alongside (or against, as the case may be) the Avengers, but he also deals with serious teenager things like crushes, homework, and Academic Decathalon meets. Holland plays him to an absolute T—it's hard to believe that he's 21 in real life—and brings a new energy to the role that hasn't ever been there before.
The movie also benefits from the tie-in to the larger Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), and I don't think that's just me, the massive MCU fan, saying that. The movie felt more cohesive, and they toned down the cartoony elements that, although fun, made the other sets of movies feel more silly than serious. Not that Spider-Man: Homecoming is all that serious, mind you, but the humor and the occasional bit of more thoughtful, darker plot in the film meld very well. (Like the other MCU movies. Not that I like to harp on things or anything.) Plus: I love that Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau) got more screen time, and watching Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) attempt to act like a father figure was hilarious in itself.
I really dug the villain twist, too. No spoilers, but I didn't see it coming at all.
I do have a couple of nitpicks: I don't think the movie showcased enough of Peter's intelligence, choosing instead to focus on his spidey skills. (That said, does he have the "normal" spidey senses? A friend brought this up in a post-viewing discussion of the movie, and it's a good question, since they never really talked about Peter's powers. I just sort of assumed that everything, power-wise, was the standard stuff.) And then there's the whole thing with Zendaya's character—highlight for spoilers—why name her Michelle if she's playing MJ (which stands for Mary Jane, for those not in the know)? That "reveal" was all-too-reminiscent of the "Benedict Cumberbatch IS NOT PLAYING KHAN, but he's totally playing Khan" debacle of '13.
I'll be interesting to see where Sony takes the Spider-Man universe from here, now that new life has been breathed into the franchise.
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