REVIEW: Spider-Man: Homecoming

    ...."spins a web, any size, catches thieves just like flies, hey there, there goes the Spider-Man..."

       Yes, true believers, Spidey's back, swinging (ba-dum-bum) into theaters this weekend in Spider-Man: Homecoming.  It may be the sixth Spidey movie in fifteen years, but it's the first in which Spidey headlines an MCU film.  

        Spider-Man Homecoming is not, thank goodness, yet another retelling of Spider-Man's origin.  This movie assumes you know the basics - outside of a few vague allusions, none of the typical Spidey-origins are discussed - but it does open by tying in Peter Parker's entry to the MCU via a cute 'behind the scenes' sequence from Civil War.    Most of the Spider-Man-associated characters in the film are new to the franchise, so we get some new blood rather than another Harry Osborn retread; no goblins were harmed in the making of this picture.   In fact, this film's energy is incredible, which probably benefits at least in part from taking off in a different direction from previous entries.

      Most of you probably know that Spidey's self-appellation is "Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man", and Homecoming does a bang-up job reinforcing this idea; this Spidey is meant to be tied to NYC, Queens in particular, and is very much the classic, street-level comics character.  Wisecracking, nervous, awkward, and possessed of a surfeit of that old Parker luck, Tom Holland's Peter is likable and eager-to-please, but cocky and short-sighted.   Tobey Maguire was fine; Andrew Garfield was great, but Tom Holland is the best Spidey yet.   This is a teenager who can be of a bit of a klutz, who can be forgetful and even arrogant, but is ultimately sincere, hopeful, and who has a big heart.    There's a visual nod to Spidey's famous self-rescue from Amazing #33 (lifting the villain's collapsed, leaking lair off his back) which goes right to the heart of the character; Homecoming manages to get its protagonist close to perfect, but more on that in a minute.

      Not only is the hero of the movie amazing (ba-dum-bum?), but for once an MCU film manages to knock the villain out of the park as well.  The Vulture/Adrian Toomes, played by Bruce Wayne...Michael Keaton, is a well-written, compelling, sympathetic character who manages to be cold-blooded without being a raving loon, who has clear motivations and a personal connection to the hero.  His design is incredible - let's be frank, the classic look for Vulture is not precisely the most intimidating in comics - and I love the way the designers worked Vulture's fur collar into the costume.  However, as impressive as the Vulture's rig is, Keaton is even more threatening in the film's quieter moments.  There's a menace to the character, devoid of bluster, that just works beautifully, but he also has relatability and a certain sense of honor.  Spidey easily has the best rogues gallery in all of Marvel, and Homecoming capitalizes on that, delivering a refreshing change from the one-note cartoon characters we've been getting.    Vulture is not the only villain in the film - Shocker and Tinkerer are both along for the ride in supporting roles, and Mac Gargan (he who becomes the Scorpion) appears as well, as does Aaron Davis, the Ultimates version of the Prowler - but Vulture is far and away the dominant threat.

    As solid as the two leads are, though, the rest of the cast left something to be desired.  Not in terms of acting ability - there weren't any poor performances - but rather in the overall reconceptualization and writing of the supporting cast.  If you've ever had the misfortune of seeing one of Disney's live action TV shows geared towards kids, you'll recognize that there's a certain trite formula which tends to prevail, and I was disappointed to see Homecoming go down this path.  Marisa Tomei is woefully miscast as Aunt May, and it's more than a little distracting having people talk about how hot she is.  It's also bizarre to have Peter calling her simply "May".  It's a chummy, simplified relationship that reduces a complicated guardianship into something superficial.  Worse, however, is Peter's social circle, all reduced to tropes:  Chubby nerd best friend (because fat people are *always* hilarious, right, Disney?) spouting predictable inane one-liners, pretty but bland girl there to be the requisite love interest, sneering rich snob, and quirky iconoclast.  It's like the Breakfast Club Lite, -these characters could have been lifted from any Hannah Montana-esque production, and none of them resemble their comics counterpart.

     Speaking of said quirky iconoclast (as played by Zendaya), much has been made of the 'mystery' character she's playing, called for most of the film "Michelle".   There's nothing wrong with the performance, and the character itself is mildly interesting, but the decision to write her the way they did is just embarrassing.  Recall, if you will, the debacle of Benedict Cumberbatch's character in Star Trek: Into Darkness, and the ludicrous insistence over his true identity, which ended up being both pointless and anti-climactic.   Michelle is more of the same.

     As much fun as the movie is,  and as happy as I am that Spider-Man gets to be included in MCU projects, I found myself extremely frustrated by some of the revisions to the character because of that inclusion.  Tony Stark looms large over the film, in both civilian and Iron Man modes, as a sort of mentor to Peter, and Happy Hogan serves as Tony's proxy.   Because of this, Peter's actions revolve around a desire to impress Stark, and there's precious little motivation coming from guilt and failed responsibility.  While it's refreshing to not have another origin story, it's a huge mistake to remove Uncle Ben from the picture.  One could argue that he's likely present in Peter's internal monologue, but anyone who knows the character knows exactly how pivotal that relationship is to Peter's raison d'etre.  Making Peter an Avenger-Apprentice and having that be the driving force of the film just makes Spider-Man feel like yet another card in the deck, and robs the character of part of his essence.  It's the one major misstep the movie makes in regards to Peter's character.

 

     There are constant references to the Avengers and to the previous movies in the MCU - some are plot based (Vulture's whole plot revolves around alien/Stark technology), but many are just dropped in.   It feels like the same MCU gimmick - everything has to sell the Avengers, and so everything has to feel the same, look the same, and ultimately service the Phase.  It's an unfortunate restriction to place on the film.  For one thing, Spidey - of ANY Marvel character - is more than capable of standing on his own,  and for another, I'm starting to get a little tired of Marvel acting like there's no life outside of Tony Stark.  Peter's Stark-tech enhanced suit is a major part of the plot, but I have to say I could live without Spidey having conversations with his clothing.  It's way too far into Iron Man territory, and I really hope future appearances downplay the A.I. aspects as much as possible.  

    

     Otherwise, the soundtrack is solid (though why a group of kids born after the year 2000 would have an '80s-themed homecoming is a bit puzzling), and there's a nice callback to the classic animated Spidey theme.   The effects are generally good, though Spidey does come across as cartoony at points and I'm not entirely clear on whether or not that's a question of the CGI being less polished then it could be, or if it's a deliberate choice.  The film certainly does a great job with Spidey's movements, though - wall-crawling, swinging around, deliberately-dramatic posing, etc.  I never get tired of seeing that on the big screen.

    

    If I sound like I'm being a bit harsh, that comes more from disappointment about Spidey being forced into tired cliches and MCU advertising, and the realization that this is likely to be de rigeur for the webhead going forward.  But the movie is still a lot of fun - I don't think it's better than the first two Spider-Man films, but it's far and away better than the three most recent.  It's a different take, to be sure, but a rejuvenated one, with a strong hero (and villain!) and a great sense of energy and adventure.

FINAL RATING: 7 PAWS (OUT OF 10)