Tom Holland as Spider-Man is fantastic. The movie itself, just okay.
Ever wonder how Spider-Man gets around if there are no buildings for him to web-sling onto? Well that question is answered in his newest outing Spider-Man Homecoming. He does what anyone normal 15-year-old teenager would do, he simply runs. Remember in the old 60’s cartoon where Spidey would simply be able to sling away, even if there was nothing around him, and no one really batted an eye at this. Well they address it and they do so in spectacular fashion. From the very get-go I was pretty ho hum about all this, simply because, well, this is the third Spider-Man in 15 years. For me, Tobey Maguire made an outstanding Web Head, and I don’t ever see a Spider-Man movie topping Sam Raimi’s 2004 masterpiece that is Spider-Man 2. I was just never really invested in this new movie, don’t get me wrong, Tom Holland is a perfect fit, not only into the MCU, but to portray this iconic character. It’s just everything else that I was uneasy about, from the villain, to some character changes, and I just felt, that maybe he didn’t need a solo outing just yet. This was a fun movie, I enjoyed myself while watching it, but at the end of the day, it just didn’t stick with me like previous installments in the franchise. I just walked away and honestly couldn’t really remember any real memorable moments. I’m going against the grain on this one, but this movie was just meh for me and I’m going to tell you why.
It’s funny how Spider-Man was actually the best part about Captain America: Civil War; he stood out the most, and walking away from that movie, all I wanted was more MCU Spider-Man in my life. So when rumblings started happening about him getting his own movie, me and everyone else in the world was pretty excited. Especially after the Amazing Spider-Man franchise kind of fizzled out. I want to go on record and say Andrew Garfield, it was not your fault, and you’ll always have The Social Network. I loved Spider-Man’s dynamic with Tony Stark in Civil War, and when news broke that Iron Man himself would be playing a role in the next movie, well again I was all onboard. Next up Michael Keaton was going to be playing the villain, FANTASTIC, he’s the goddamn Batman, and I was excited to see him take on a villain role. When news broke that he was going to be playing Adrian Toomes aka The Vulture, well lets just say I was less than pleased. Spider-Man has one of the best rogues galleries in all of comics and you settle on that guy? I blame over saturation of Spider-Man movies, you couldn’t possibly have the Green Goblin again, or start the franchise off with Venom or Carnage. But really? Vulture? So all we could hear for the next six months were Birdman jokes… So for me that was the first misstep for the movie. And as it turns out, Marvel once again craps the bed in the villain department. Like I said above, Michael Keaton is awesome, and he tried his best to make a great villain, but there is just something always lacking when it comes to the MCU bad guys. I will admit, there is about a 10 min stretch in this movie, where he plays a really good bad guy, it’s after the sort of twist in the movie (which I won’t reveal), and it made for some really stressful 10 minutes. But other than that, I don’t know, something was missing, and maybe it’s just not the kind of Vulture I wanted in a Spider-Man movie. He was simply a guy in a bird mech suit. One thing I loved about Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man movies, was when he was in the suit it looked pretty real, and I feel like a lot of the stuff was semi-practical. In this, when Tom Holland was in his suit, 90 percent of the time, it looked like a video game. It honestly reminded me of one of those wacky wavy inflatable arm flailing tube men, his limbs kind of just seemed to go in all directions, and it bothered me. He just doesn’t look real when he’s in the costume and that’s not a good thing. It takes you out of the movie, and when he’s in the suit, that should be the most enjoyable part of the whole experience.
There is a ton of really good humor in this; it’s one of the funniest Marvel movies to date. I loved how Peter Parker is 15, and he’s experiencing high school drama and high school bullies and crushes. It makes you feel for the character more, where not only is he dealing with everyday problems, but also trying to be a superhero. And let me tell you, he kind of stinks at it. I did really like how they just showed Spider-Man doing hilarious stuff, like helping old ladies cross the street, and returning stolen bikes. He’s not an Avenger just yet, and he’s just being the good old friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. The first 20 minutes of this movie are simply magnificent, I was laughing a ton, and I loved how he made like a video blog about his trip in Civil War. I just think the movie had a hard time figuring out if it wanted to be a movie about a superhero in high school, or a high school movie about a superhero. I enjoyed his pal Ned (Jacob Batalon) he provided great comedic moments, and at one point even utters the words “I’m looking at porn,” which in my recollection is the first mention of porn in the MCU, so kudos to Ned. I also loved how he wanted to be Spider-Man’s “guy in a chair” aka his Alfred, but it was funny to watch them tiptoe around that, because obviously they wouldn’t say that in a Marvel movie. Liz (Laura Harrier) who plays Peter’s crush was good. They actually had some pretty good chemistry, and she has a lot going on in her life during this. Her storyline was really cool to see play out all the way through. We have MJ (Zendaya) and no that is NOT Mary Jane, but just Michelle. Is this the “new” MJ, I’m not so sure, but I know she was excellent in this. She was like really weird, cooky and pretty awkward, but provided some of the best comedic relief I can remember in the MCU. Do I think they will introduce the actual Mary Jane, yes I do, but for now I want to see where Zendaya’s character and her relationship with Peter goes. Marisa Tomei is back as Peter’s hot Aunt May. It’s actually so weird, but I can live with it, because she’s a super-star and does a really good job in this role. I will say this; they completely wasted Donald Glover, like what the actual hell? Donald Glover, wasted, I never thought I would utter those words. He’s in two scenes, and I’m pretty sure he was super baked for both of them. Or that’s just how it appeared to me. I don’t know if they scaled down his role after he landed a spot in the new Han Solo movie, but I was excited to see who he would be playing and well yeah, what a disappointment. Also give Hannibal Buress something more to do please. First he was wasted in Baywatch and now this? The man simply deserves better people. Now for the big guy Robert Downey Jr. himself. I wonder if Marvel execs just get down on their hands and knees every night and pray and thank god that he landed the role of Iron Man. Because I don’t think the MCU is a thing if he doesn’t. He steals every scene he’s ever in, and he pretty much is Tony Stark at this point. He was in the movie the perfect amount, and I can’t wait to see where his relationship with Peter goes. I have a feeling; Tony might become a Daddy soon! Those two are going to do some special things on screen together in Avengers: Infinity War, I’m telling you that right now.
I’ll give director Jon Watts some credit here, but realistically, I think anyone could have come in and directed this thing. Marvel finally got their hands on Spider-Man, I highly doubt they gave a single ounce of creative control to their director of choice, and that’s probably why they landed on Watts. The high school aspect of this movie has a real John Hughes type vibe to it, which I can get behind. I’m totally okay with a younger Peter Parker right now, he’s part of such a large universe that introducing all of his minor characters would have been a mistake. I like it when he’s a wise cracking teenager. Do I think Watts will return for the sequel, maybe? Do I feel like they should really go for it in the second installment and bring in a big name person, absolutely? There just wasn’t enough fat for me to chew on during this, stuff was happening sure, but the action wasn’t great and the third act was just a mess. Marvel’s biggest problem right now, well superhero movies in general is the big third act. The airplane sequence was such a big mess, that half the time you don’t really know what’s going on. Spider-Man and Vulture are kind of just rolling around and there are about 100 edits in a row, and it really didn’t need to be that way. Keep it simple, do things that make Spider-Man so great, he barley beats up any bad guys in this thing.
Every time a trailer was released, I just knew something was up with this movie, and after seeing the movie. They showed the whole thing in those trailers. The big second act boat scene was ruined, which could have been a really cool moment, but I sat there thinking, that I have seen this about half a dozen times already, so why should I be impressed by this? And also, they tried so hard to recreate some magic from the train sequence in Spider-Man 2, and well good luck with that. I just wanted a special moment somewhere in this movie, and for me it never really came. We’ve had 6 Spider-Man movies since 2002 now, and material is somewhat running thin. All they really need to do is stick to the basics when it comes to this superhero; it’s really not hard to get this character right. I just think Marvel had a vision for what they wanted, and need Spider-Man for the bigger picture, this movie was just an easy way for them to make some quick cash. Am I excited for him to be an Avenger, and fight Thanos? Hell yes I am, I can’t wait to see him interact with all the other heroes, and maybe even become the next Iron Man. I have a funny feeling Tony Stark is going to adopt him, and well Tony will bite it, and leave everything to Peter. Ultimately becoming Iron Spider, just a theory. I’m ranking this behind Spider-Man and Spider-Man 2. Really hoping we get to see Tom Hardy’s Venom and this incarnation of Spider-Man throw down. Lastly, did anyone else get a Her vibe, when he was talking to the A.I in his suit, or was that just me? Probably just me always is.
Check ya later,
Nate’s Movie Tour Reviews – Spider-Man Homecoming = 83/100
