Spider-Man Homecoming (2017)
Spider-Man Homecoming (2017)
Directed by Jon Watts
Screen Story by Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley
Screenplay by Jonathan Goldstein, John Francis Daley, Jon Watts,
Christopher Ford, Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers
Based on the characters by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko
Rated PG-13
The Spider-Man film series has definitely had the varying degrees of quality over the years. It kick-started in 2002 with Sam Raimi’s first Spider-Man film, with Tobey Maguire in the titular role, and it was pretty good if a tad uneven at times. His Spider-Man 2 released two years after the first one is considered the best Spider-Man film and I agree with that. And although Spider-Man 3 (2007) was an overcrowded mess and thus vastly inferior to the first two installments, there are still plenty of things in the film that I do enjoy. Sony Pictures then rebooted the series in 2012 with The Amazing Spider-Man with Andrew Garfield in the titular role. It wasn’t bad. I mean it wasn’t the best but I felt that if the filmmakers played their card right they could make a better movie with the sequel. NOPE! The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014) was awful. Even though I enjoyed Andrew Garfield in the role for the most part, it was clear after that movie his Spider-Man would not return. And Lo and behold, we have Spider-Man Homecoming in which we have Spidey join the Marvel Cinematic Universe (or the MCU as it is commonly abbreviated) with Sony still somehow holding on to the property…? I don’t know all the details about that. So, what did I think of the new movie? It’s not bad…I guess. It is, for me at least, a mixed bag but I can safely say it is better than the last three movies and comparatively better than the MCU entry from earlier this year Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.
The story is doesn't really take a lot of describing. After helping Tony Stark in Captain America Civil War (2016), Peter Parker/Spider-Man (Tom Holland) is trying to prove that he can be an Avenger. He sees an opportunity to do so when Riggan Thomson/Birdman…oh wait sorry…Adrian Toomes/Vulture (Michael Keaton) is using alien technology leftover from the New York battle in The Avengers (2012) to make weapons to sell in order to stay financially afloat. As always with the character, Parker tries to do this while keeping it a secret from his friends (except his best friend Ned who discovers the secret while sitting in Peter’s room) and his Aunt May (Marisa Tomei) while trying to keep a stable life.
For starters I will talk about the good. Tom Holland completely owns the role and it really is a joy to watch him play the character and make it his own. You can see that he is having fun and wants the audience to have fun. In fact, he and Ant-Man were the things I liked the most in Captain America Civil War. I was worried that the inclusion of Tony Stark in the story would steal the show away from Holland as Robert Downey Jr. pretty much steals the show in every one of the MCU movies that he has been in that isn’t a solo Iron Man movie. I am happy to see the movie built around Spidey almost entirely even though this has MCU connections (much to my dismay since I like movies about these characters best when they are kept to themselves) and that Stark’s presence was kept to a minimum. Some of the supporting cast (most notably Keaton and Tomei) are pretty good and sell their roles earnestly. Even the kid who plays his best friend Ned (Jacob Batalon) is not bad here and this is first time I’ve seen him in anything. The effects as always are very good (especially with what was done with Spidey’s suit), and some of the action (especially the one in the climax) is fun to watch.
Unfortunately, this was one of those movies where I was on a roller coaster which would alternate between exciting and somewhat dull. Most of the dull moments occurred when he was in High School and interacting with his friends and acquaintances. I know that all Peter Parkers in all the movies have him in High School to begin with and that many of the comics did that as well but the High School portions were always the least interesting parts of the stories for me. I know this a personal nitpick but as someone who got through High School keeping to himself and made no effort to have a social life there, I couldn't really relate to a lot of the High School stuff.
I wasn’t too engaged in the story either. I realize this is a story of Peter trying to find his place not only in the world but also as a superhero but I felt there wasn’t a whole lot at stake for Peter or a lot of the other characters so whatever action or drama that came about in the movie felt muted since there really wasn’t a lot of tension. I never felt any true sense of danger in Peter’s life as Spider-Man so it was hard to get involved in a lot of his adventures. Yes, this is supposed to be a bit more light hearted but this felt a tad too safe for its own good especially when compared to Sam Raimi’s first two movies which I felt did have their fair share of light hearted scenes and moments of genuine suspense. I even had trouble getting involved in a lot of Peter’s struggles. I didn’t care whether or not he would get with his crush Liz, whether he would make it on time for the academic tournament, or other related things. This may sound like I’m being unfair but I really didn’t find them as interesting as Maguire’s Peter Parker having an identity crisis in Spider-Man 2 where he struggles to decide whether to be just Peter Parker or Spider-Man. If it weren’t for Holland, the High School stuff would be completely dull.
I also felt that, once again in the MCU, there was too much comedy. The need to put in a gag or three in nearly every scene got on my nerves. Having a few funny moments here and there, especially ones delivered by Spidey, are more than welcome but I feel too much comedy in any movie that isn’t supposed to be a straight forward comedy can ruin the rest of the movie. Too much comedy will, more often than not, make me not take anything else in the film very seriously. This was the same problem I had in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Avengers: Age of Ultron and several other MCU films. Yes, there were moments in this film that gave me laughs (such as Peter being trapped in that storage facility, him trying to figure out his suit’s full capabilities after unlocking them, his occasional Spidey shtick, and Aunt May’s reaction just before the credits roll) but for crying out loud scale it back a touch. I understand that the MCU movies aren’t supposed to be too serious but less is more.
I was also a bit let down by the villain. Michael Keaton is always awesome and is always welcome in a movie that involves superheroes and such but I wasn’t quite sold on him as the Vulture. I felt that he could’ve given so much more to his performance than what he seems to have been only permitted to give. He just wasn’t that villainous as the Vulture. However, in a scene with him and Peter in a car (without spoiling too much) he showed more menace and was far more frightening that he ever was as in the Vulture costume. That part of the film had a lot of tension and a sense of real danger behind it and it was all thanks to Keaton. I was really hoping that the inclusion of Keaton would finally give the MCU a truly memorable villain due to the fact that even in the best MCU movies the villains have ranged from average to completely unmemorable. C'est la vie.
And even though the movie looks fine and is pretty competently made, it’s not a very interesting movie to look at visually. One of my biggest complaints with the MCU is that nearly every one their movies (Guardians of the Galaxy being among the few exceptions) follow more or less the same visual aesthetic and thus the movies pretty much look same no matter who is directing them. Marvel doesn’t seem to permit each movie having its own distinctive look. This is likely for the sake of keeping their continuity and to keep a consistent level of quality in order to keep the money flowing. I suppose you can’t fault them for sticking to a business plan that works. But, for me personally, having nearly every movie being filmed the same way makes for a somewhat boring sit. It does give the feeling of watching long episodes of a TV show distributed theatrically as opposed to a unique cinematic experience.
I suppose I could sum up this movie with an “eh…” It’s not a bad movie it’s just a really average one. It is not one I would buy on Blu-ray or would really watch again unless I am with friends or family. Like several of the MCU movies before this one, I finding diminishing returns on reviewing them since I am finding less to talk about with each one that comes out (at least in terms of ideas and themes that hold my interest) and I find myself having more or less the same complaints. I am starting to dread the prospect seeing another MCU installment for those reasons. But in the back of my mind I know that for every few mediocre ones that come out, we will get another Doctor Strange or Ant-Man so I will press onward, I suppose.
