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There’s a lot of baggage that comes along with the release of director Jon
Watts’ “Spider-Man: Homecoming,” the third iteration of the character onscreen
in 15 years. There’s the drama regarding the less then enthusiastic response to
Marc Webb’s Andrew Garfield-led “The Amazing Spider-Man” two-parter and of
course the follow-up to Sony and Marvel’s partnership in bringing the newer,
fresher-faced version to screen in “Captain
America: Civil War.” Many of those worrying about the character being
rebooted again were put at ease with how seamlessly Tom Holland’s fit into the
Marvel Cinematic Universe, and just how damn charming the young actor was in the
role. That hasn’t stopped those worrying reasonably about an inconsistent tone
from the many hands making “Homecoming” (there’s six credited screenwriters on
this script), but despite it all, this the film is a delight. Much of that
success lies on Holland’s plucky and exuberant shoulders, but as was the case
with the character’s best outing so far – “Spider Man 2” made by Sam Raimi in
2004 – “Homecoming” succeeds because it remembers that Peter is human first, a
superhero second. For those of you keeping score, Homecoming is the best Spidey
film since Spider-Man 2.
This time without having to endure watching Uncle Ben die (his name is never
mentioned) or Peter being bitten by a radioactive spider – we find Peter in the
throes of excitement directly following the events of “Civil
War.” Excited at the possibility of being considered a member of The
Avengers, Peter begins ditching friends and schools and skirting responsibility
in favor of showing Tony Stark he’s ready to be a full-fledged member. While we
don’t see him through the beginning steps of discovering his powers, he is still
very much on the learning curve, with his skills having yet to be honed; often
saving the day, but usually making a mess in the process. His training is
accelerated by the arrival of The Vulture (the best villain of any Marvel film
since Loki) and the appearance of black market super weapons in the hands of
your average, day-to-day criminals.
What allows “Spider-Man: Homecoming” to transcend some of its superhero brethren
is that it’s first and foremost a teen movie. I mean that in the best possible
terms. The spirit of late director John Hughes ( Ferris Buehler's Day Off, The
Breakfast Club) wafts over this film during its scenes of Peter's social life.
There’s a duality to Peter’s incessant want to become a superhero and be an
Avenger – sure, there’s his simple admiration of the heroes he’s grown up
watching, but that desire to be a member is also a need to be taken seriously as
an adult, just like any other teen (for the most part) but without the spandex.
There’s a sadness to watching Peter miss out on some everyday activities, such
as passing up a moment to impress his crush Liz (a charmingly frank Laura
Harrier) and take his bully, Flash, played by an excellently whiny Tony Revolori
( 2014's The Grand Budapest Hotel ) down a peg. It’s a down-to-earth attitude
that allows Spider-Man to reach new heights. It also helps that, for the first
time, Spider-Man looks like an actual teen. While we’ve seen heroes in peril
countless times, it makes a difference when the hero being pummeled is a kid.
The stakes are instantly higher, which makes for more thrilling and
nail-bitingly intense fight sequences.
The cast across the board is quite good, with actors such as Harrier, Revolori,
Zendaya and especially Jacob Batalon making the most of their supporting roles
as Peter’s classmates. Marisa Tomei ( 2008's
The Wrestler ) is wonderful as the new Aunt
May, demonstrating her concern over Peter’s well-being with off-kilter charm,
and Robert Downey Jr.’s return as Tony Stark is the most playful he’s been since
the first “Avengers”
film. It’s Keaton and Holland that make the greatest impression, though, each a
superb foil to the other. Keaton continues his career resurgence as an
accidental villain whose blue-collar upbringing and sensibility are forgotten in
a world where superheroes exist, which plays excellently against Holland’s
humble upbringing. Holland delivers a star-making turn, imbuing his version of
the character with a Christopher Reeves “do good” attitude in which saving the
day or helping someone in need is never a question – it’s just something he has
to do. It helps that he’s believably athletic, with experience in ballet and
gymnastics that gives this Spider-Man a more acrobatic beat in his step than
ever before.
The script contributions and direction by Watts do their fair share of making
this the lightest and funniest MCU film in ages, giving every character a moment
to shine and using direction to tell a joke, rather than just relying on quips.
If there’s a failure, it’s that when the film should be visually enthralling,
such as in the final showdown, it falters and regresses to explosions and
camera-shaking. Watts is able to make the mind-numbing passing of time during
school more visually exciting than what becomes another typically tepid super
battle. A thoughtful, nimble argument for a more character-focused superhero
movie, Spider-Man: Homecoming demonstrates what can be gained when the fate of
the planet isn't at stake.
In a world of heroes, where myths sling magic hammers and summon lighting,
playboy millionaires build an army of robots that threaten to take down the
world, super soldiers gets frozen in ice and a green and growling “exposed
nerve” can crush those demigods with a well-thrown punch, Spiderman remains
remarkably human. This is to the credit of the Marvel universe, where humanity
has been brought to the most outlandish of characters (say, a talking,
gun-toting raccoon and his sentient plant), and to the team on “Homecoming,”
which kept humanity and heart a focus. Peter is fallible and eager to a fault,
with a lot to learn, but he is trying to be good, to save the day and to make
the lives of others better. That’s heroic. |