Film Review: Spider-Man: Homecoming | *THWIP!* Wig gone

SEE DIS FILM.

Okay. But seriously. See it.

Spider-Man: Homecoming is literally everything we wanted and didn't even realise that we wanted from a Spider-Man film, with a cement mixer of icing and then all the cherries on top. Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield WHO!? Spider-Man: Homecoming could be given the title of being THE canonical Spidey film and I wouldn't question nor argue against it. This film is that good. So good that I came straight home after watching it to write this mess of a review. So good that I am Wilson Fisk levels of bald right now.

First, let us clap for this entry into the Spidey series not featuring the demise of Uncle Ben. There are only so many times I can watch poor Uncle B get shot or stabbed. When the film starts, Peter is already Spider-Man. Uncle B is presumably long dead and gone, but he isn't so much as mentioned. I don't know if contractually Uncle Ben wasn't allowed to be mentioned, but he's more than dead in this film. He is obliterated from existence, and I for one am glad. Uncle Ben has been an anchor in so many iterations of Spider-Man's story, that I'm glad he's not made one here.

Homecoming does what all Spidey fans wanted from the start: it takes for complete granted that you know who Spider-Man is and that you really don't give a shit how Peter got his powers. Quite frankly, how Peter becomes Spider-Man is a well worn account and the least interesting part of his life. It's mentioned briefly, but is ended abruptly when Peter exclaims to his best friend 'Ned. The spider is dead'.

The roots of Peter Parker that the film focuses on is Peter as a teen, trying to figure things out. Spider-Man: Homecoming is essentially a high school drama whose main character just happens to be a superhero. This is what makes Spider-Man: Homecoming so charming. To wear this badge even in its title which is in literal reference to a high school homecoming which takes place. It's not some profound reference. It really is that simple. Spider-Man also avoids the potential trap of being nothing but an MCU build up. Spider-Man: Homecoming opens with the aftermath of what happened in the first Avengers movie and then Civil war, but it's done in a way where-by specific moments of those films are shown from completely different perspectives. So it's far from a shameless 'PREVIOUSLY IN THE MARVEL CINEMATIC UNIVERSE' as little context is given to keep the moments as universal and as bogged down from MCU lore as possible. Strip away all of the other Marvel studios films and Spider-Man: Homecoming stands perfectly as its own self contained story.

Whilst previous films had Peter being woven into situations against his will and cracking under the pressure to do right because of the angst of his uncle dying or one of his girlfriends being kidnapped, what fuels Peter in Homecoming is completely different. Peter chases trouble and creates situations for himself, each with consequences which range from small to catastrophic. This was a refreshing change from seeing Peter fight a friend who went off the deep end and turned into some murderer and then decided to kidnap his boo. Peter acts as any teen with a strong moral compass and a realisation of their abilities would do. But Peter learns valuable lessons and realises that his own actions have consequences, and that you can't go into every fight the same way. You cannot pull up on some armoured mutherfucka with metal wings and blade jets the same way you would a thug trying to steal some old biddies purse.

Peter is far from the perfect hero in this film, but his efforts are so endearing because with each encounter he learns more and more about what it takes to be a hero and also the importance of not forcing adulthood. The line 'With great power comes great responsibility' is never uttered, but it plays out over the course of this film. But what makes this Peter Parker so different from the iterations we've gotten in previous films is that he enjoys being a hero and is allowed to be. Peter's life, for the most part, isn't wracked with angst or guilt. Where-as in previous films Peter's contemplative moments would be spent having flashbacks of Uncle Ben being fatally mugged or his girlfriend walking out on him. Here Peter will take a selfie. Leave a voicemails for Tony Stark's assistant begging to join the Avengers. Sit on the atop the front of a train texting on his phone. Hang out on a fire escape and eat a churro. Laze in a web made hammock. Never have we seen Peter Parker / Spider-Man have this much fun on-screen and it completely changes the dynamic of the film in the best possible way, because it captures the essence of the character that Spidey fans are most familiar with. 

Tom Holland is now Peter Parker for life. Fuck all his other roles. Watch any interview with Tom Holland and you'll see that he's a very awkward young man. He brings this to the role of Peter and nails the character. He is also much closer in age to high school Peter in real life, which helps. Tobey Maguire did a good job playing Peter during his round of films, but there was no escaping that he was a 30 odd year old looking ass man playing a high school student. Tom Holland does a great job of matching Peter's fearlessness, with his vulnerability and naivety. There's a warmth that Tom brings to his role that makes you really root for him. Even when he's fucking up and doing shit that you know is going to end badly, you're like 'Aw, but bless him, he's really trying'. You empathise with Peter / Spidey every step of the way, because chances are you would do the same things in each of the situations Peter swings into. Tom carries this film in a way I didn't think he would be able to. He more than proves his leading man chops and that he won't need to be flanked by Robert Downey Jr in the sequel.



Homecoming features an ensemble cast and every one of them shines. Well, except for one. But we'll get to her. Jacob Batalon plays Peter's best friend / remote side-kick Ned, and he is a scene-stealer. Peter / Spider-Man is the character you care about, but Ned is the character you relate to the most because he is exactly what all of us would be if we found out our best friend was a superhero who had fought alongside one of the countries biggest celebrity heroes.

It must be a thing with Disney to have actresses all up on the promo train for bit part characters in films. That tall Game of thrones woman was all up at pressers like her character in The force awakens was a main, when Captain Phasma was in the film for all of 1 minute and 26 seconds. Now there's Zendaya as Michelle. Granted, Zendaya gets a bit more screen time than Gwendoline Christie got in Star Wars. But she's supporting cast at best. This said, if Jacob Batalon is the scene sealer, then Zendaya is the scene hijacker. Her character pops up at the most random and opportune times. Throwing in her 2 pence, dropping the mic and then just exiting stage left. Tom Holland and Zendaya have great off screen chemistry, which unfortunately doesn't play out in this film because of the way their scenes together are set up and play out. But hopefully it will grow into something in future films. Michelle's character could have easily been nondescript, but the film would be short of gold comedy moments without her. There's a nice 'Oh shit!' moment with her character which is bound to make fans smile and theorise how her character will play out in future films.

Don't really need to talk much about Robert Downey Jr. as Iron man. We know what we gon' get with him before we get it. He has great chemistry with Tom Holland though. I was sceptical of Tony Stark / Iron man taking over the film unnecessarily, but he is essentially the Uncle Ben of the movie, without the dying. Tony guides Peter, in helping him realise who he is, both in and out of the suit.



Michael Keaton plays Vulture, the film's big villain. Just about every comic book film has had weak bad guys. And whilst Homecoming's bad guy isn't terrible, he isn't that villainous. Michael Keaton plays the role perfectly, but you never truly hate his character, because he isn't hurting anybody. He's crooked. But left alone and with money in his bank account, he's as harmless as that lady who pops into your barber's to sell you bootleg DVDs and duty free cigarettes. 

Unfortunately, Peter's love interest Liz, played by Laura Harrier, is the weakest link in the entire cast. For a film so full of character, she is as characterless as fuck. The sheer comedic value that Tom Holland offers in his awkward bumbling and facial expressions is so priceless and scene highlight worthy, that it counters her awful acting and lack of presence - because she don't give a damn thing. But her character being a person of colour is a duly noted, as these popular high school types in films are always white girls. The same goes for Zendaya's character; an archetype which is usually given to nerdy white guys. So whilst Laura's acting is piss poor, just her inclusion is worthwhile and gives a good message to young black girls. It also gives Peter brownie points that he's into a swirl - which makes sense given that he lives in Queens. There's hella spice in Queens.

The pacing of Homecoming is spot on, because there is never a dull moment. Things drag a little during the last act, especially as you know how much of it will play out. But the constant humour adds brevity. Oh yeah. Homecoming is funny. Really funny. Every gag lands. Take out the big set piece action scenes and this could easily be a high school comedy. However, Homecoming is not safe from the final showdown issues which plagues pretty much every Marvel film. It does feature quite a nice twist and goes in a direction which you probably wouldn't expect, but feels right for the character of Peter Parker. I just wish the final part of the 'fight scene' wasn't so rushed and ended in such a silly way.

Where-as the Sam Raimi Spider-Man films took some liberties with the source material, it was its pandering to the source material and trying to throw too much at the wall that hurt those films. The amazing Spider-Man then tried to downscale things, but then fell into the same pitfalls as the Sam Raimi films. Spider-Man: Homecoming strikes a perfect balance between respecting the source material, but adjusting it to fit within the world of the MCU and this funny old world that we live in today. Peter Parker's best friend is an chubby Hawaiian. He's crushing on a mixed race girl. His awkward kinswoman is a girl of colour who is a complete tomboy. His Aunt isn't some crusty old woman, she's middle aged and has milkshake that has boys wishing they could get the key to her yard. Very necessary twists have been made to the characters here and it adds a layer of literal colour and diversity that will hopefully become more of a standard. There's no way Sony and Marvel could put out a film set in New York and then have every role be white. Bitch, no way.

The only one problem I had with the film was the score. I've watched many films that
Michael Giacchino has scored, but never had much of an opinion of his scores until now. The score in Homecoming feels flat and doesn't always fit what was happening on screen. Maybe I'm more conscious of this going straight into it from Baby Driver, which was sound-tracked to perfection and was shot and cut to the music. But the score in this film is weak. The only shining moment of it is the classic Spider-Man theme song, which plays explicitly once in the film and then appears to be oddly and partially interpolated into other scenes, in what I imagine is Peter Parker's theme. The score in general is just strange. It's almost as though the music was scored to a completely different cut of the film.

Does Homecoming live up to the hype? FUCK YES. I had high hopes for this film, but was genuinely shocked by the overall tone, the humour, and how despite the trailers showing so much, that I kinda forgot what I had and hadn't seen in the trailers as I was watching the film. Homecoming nails the character of Peter Parker / Spider-Man, and sets a strong foundation for future films. No more re-boots necessary for at least a couple of decades.

Wonder woman can consider her wig snatched. The superhero movie of the Summer award is Spider-Man's.

Below are my notes on the film highlights and what ya'll need to look out for and be aware of.

• The classic Spider-Man theme. I GASPED.
• Jacob Batalon's comedic timing. He needs to be in a TV sitcom.
• The boat scene.
• Tom Holland shirtless is a potential thirst trap.
• The Captain American cameo.
• Marisa Tomei. Aunt Bae.
• Peter and Happy really need their own web series.
• Zendaya.
• The ending credit sequence is amazing.
• Marvel are trolls (stay until the very end of the credit roll).

Maybe I'm just giddy from the excitement of finally watching this film after what feels like forever. I recall similar feelings when I saw the 2002 Spidey film on opening day. But I can't remember the last time I enjoyed a film as much as I enjoyed this. The film is just plain fun.

Verdict: Go see the damn thing.