The deal paid off immediately when Peter Parker was introduced into the MCU in Captain America: Civil War, with Tom Holland receiving tons of praise for his honest, energetic portrayal which delighted both moviegoers and long-time fans. It was a no-brainer that Holland could carry his own franchise, and in 2017, the third live-action film series based on Spider-Man launched with Spider-Man: Homecoming.
For its entire 135-minute runtime, this film makes it completely clear that it's an MCU movie. The film's very first shot is a child's drawing of the Avengers, followed by a prologue set immediately after the Battle of New York (sorry, "the Incident") that sets the stage for Adrain Toomes/Vulture turning to a life of crime. That's not all, though, because this film is jam packed with Easter eggs and cameos. Avengers Tower plays an integral part to the story, there's a hilarious extended cameo from Captain America, Damage Control is officially introduced into the MCU, Kenneth Choi plays the grandson of his character from Captain America: The First Avenger, there are numerous references to Ultron and the Chitauri technology, and so on. Of course, the film is also a direct sequel to Civil War, with Peter eager to join the Avengers after having a taste of action. And finally, there's the surrogate father-son bond between Peter Parker and Tony Stark.
Still, despite the numerous MCU connections, this is first and foremost a film about Spider-Man. The movie hits on all the right notes you come to expect with a Spider-Man story but without the baggage of having to explore his origin. Peter struggles to balance his personal life with the life of being a superhero, his enemies seem to be personally tied to him, and he has to learn about great power and great responsibility. Where this Spider-Man differs from the performances by Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield is that it embraces elements of his character only hinted at before. Holland's Peter Parker is a total nerd trying to survive high school. He's socially awkward, doesn't have many friends, still hasn't fully gotten the hang of being a superhero, and uses his wit to get himself out of situations more than any past live-action incarnation. Tom Holland brings Peter to life in ways that we had not seen yet; gone are the half-assed quips of Maguire or the try-hard dudebro attitude of Garfield. Holland manages to be the best of both worlds, the first actor to nail both Peter Parker and Spider-Man. It's an honest performance, helped by the fact that Holland was still a teenager when he starred in this film and not in his mid-twenties.
It also helps that Holland has such an amazing script and sharp direction to work with. Handled by six different writers, the screenplay is easily one of the most grounded and funniest we've seen in the MCU. Director Jon Watts aspired to make a high school comedy, and he succeeded. The teachers are apathetic, the hormones are overflowing, the kids are know-it-all wise-asses, etc. Even small details go a long way; like the awful production values of the school's morning news, or the incorporation of the MCU as history lessons in class. This movie wears its influences on its sleeve, even going so far as inserting a scene directly from Ferris Bueller's Day Off. It's a Spider-Man film, but it's also a coming of age film about a nerdy kid with a lot of power trying to find his place in the world in a time when nothing seems to make much sense.
Still, even though the high school portions feel genuine, the movie wouldn't work if it wasn't thrilling to watch Spider-Man in action. While it doesn't quite capture the fun of watching Spider-Man swing through the streets of New York that Sam Raimi's trilogy captured, there's still a lot of fun to be had in watching Spider-Man fight crime. There's a fantastic montage where we see a day in the life of Peter Parker as Spider-Man; he helps out his neighbors find their way around, he stops thieves, he swings around all afternoon, and he shows off. This is a Spider-Man of the people, and the movie deals with him trying to hold onto that before he "graduates" into becoming an Avenger. So while Peter believes that Tony's suit makes him special, it's actually that he'll always look out for the little guy.
Speaking of Tony, despite how heavily he was advertised, Robert Downey Jr.'s role is more of an extended cameo. If anything, Jon Favreau has more screentime reprising his role as Happy Hogan. Still, when Tony does show up, it counts. After returning Peter home following the events of Civil War, he only pops in three more times. The first two times involve him saving Peter's ass following his mistakes, while his last appearance revolves around Tony showing pride in Peter's accomplishments. Once again, Downey kills the role, but he is given a great foil in Tom Holland. The arc of Tony seeing a younger, more promising version of himself continues here, but the bond has become deeper. Now, Tony sees Peter as more of a son (he even comments on how much he sounds like Howard at one point), and he worries sick about Peter's safety. Though he wants Spider-Man to become an Avenger, he has to make absolutely sure he's up to the task and tests him repeatedly. It's a great moment of growth for Tony, continuing his redemption following the events of Age of Ultron and now Civil War. If he can do this one thing right, then maybe it'll all be worth it.
However, Tony isn't the only father figure Peter has to deal with. The film's villain, Adrian Toomes/Vulture is played by Michael Keaton and boy, Keaton does a great job. There are few scenes quite as chilling as when Adrian discovers Peter's true identity, and I distinctly remember audience members gasping when he opened that door. It was an instant mood killer, a massive gut punch to remind us that Peter can never find normal happiness as long as he's Spider-Man. But even though Adrian threatens Peter's life, it's hard to hate him entirely. This is a man whose livelihood was destroyed by the 1% like Tony Stark, and he has resorted to desperate measures to make his family happy. Unfortunately, he became addicted to a life of crime and couldn't just stop when Spider-Man caught on. Keaton turns the intimidating dial up to 10 because he's a man pushed to the edge, and shows he'll do whatever it takes to protect himself and his family. As far as MCU villains go, Vulture is one of the strongest. Oh yeah, Shocker and the Tinkerer are here too, but they're kinda throwaway villains.
The rest of the supporting cast holds up the film as well. Zendaya is hilarious as Michelle with her no damns given attitude. Jacob Batalon plays Ned, Peter's best (and only) friend in high school, and he brings a joyous energy whenever he's on screen, as well as delivering some of the best lines in the film perfectly. Marisa Tomei returns as Aunt May, playing her up as over-protective and a bit airheaded, but understandably sensitive for reasons left unnamed but heavily implied. Jon Favreau once again plays Happy as a hard-ass who cares a bit too much about Tony's well-being. The teachers are played by a variety of funny people, including Hannibal Burress and Martin Starr, in some awesome supporting roles. Finally, there are great cameos from Chris Evans as Captain America in a series of silly PSAs, Gwyneth Paltrow returns as Pepper Potts for the first time in 4 years, and Jennifer Connelly voices Karen, the AI in Peter's suit.
No question: Spider-Man: Homecoming is the best Spider-Man film since Spider-Man 2 though the competition isn't that fierce. It's packed with heart, boasts great writing and acting, builds on the arcs of Spider-Man and Iron Man, and nails its tone perfectly. This is a film I don't mind being too comedic, but it still knows when to take itself seriously. The MCU connections get a bit too on-the-nose sometimes, and the cinematography is nothing to write home about outside of a few clever shots. Still, those are minor flaws. This movie proved that there's not much better than a good Spider-Man film, and audiences will show up if it's worth giving a damn about. Sony got to have its cake and eat it too this time around, they just needed some outside help.
Still not sure if Venom is going to be any good though.
We're going back to Netflix for the big culmination of everything built up so far. Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist join forces to take on the Hand in the epic 8-part crossover event. Does it equal the sum of its parts, or does it fail to live up the years of build up?
Next time: The Defenders
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