Buh-Bye Basic Origin Story, 'Spider-Man Homecoming' Weaves a Different Web!

Tubular maaaan!

Newest Spider-Man is a Rollicking Romp!

Spider-Man Homecoming  nixes the Spidey origin shebang and swings us right into the action. The newest Peter Parker is ushered seamlessly into the Marvel Cinematic Universe from his scene-stealing cameo as the spastic webslinger in Captain America: Civil War and this time the story is all his. In the spirit of this punchy and fizzy take on a comic book fan favourite, the opening scene kicks off during the action packed free-for-all Avengers smackdown in Civil War. Gone is the shutterbug PP here. His snap happy photographer ways are instead translated to a penchant for filming videos. Because #ThatsSo2017. Bring on the iPhone footage! We get a series of HILARIOUS vlogs a very hyper Peter filmed while traveling to to Germany’s Leipzig/Halle Airport, and even the iconic tarmac feud but from Spidey’s lense with a breathless stream of his excitable commentary.

From that instant Homecoming’s mood is established as spirited. The most frothy, snappy, and yes, funny, Spider-Man yet. (Just listen to The Ramone’s Blitzkrieg Bop blaring around Queens!) Gone is the angst and darkness from the previous 5 Spidey films. But there are still plenty of booms, bangs, and explosions to go around!

Spider-Man Homecoming more light-hearted than its predecessors although don’t mistake it for a tongue-in-cheek comedy like Deadpool. Alien technology from the Avengers previous battles sets the stage and ties directly into Homecoming’s plot. The baddie here, Adrian Toomes (Michael Keaton), aka “Vulture” resents the upset balance between those with power and those without in the city, when he loses an important construction contract to clean up the city from the Avengers wreckage to one of Tony Stark’s personal task forces. 

Peter (Tom Holland) is ready for HERO TIME.

Furious about having it yanked away from him, and struggling financially, Adrian and his closest employees defy the Task Force's demands to give up all the alien power cores they’ve uncovered, instead pretending that what little he did hand over to get them off his back was all there was. Ha. As if. This blue-collar worker goes rogue and with a team of his own hand picked men backing him up, and helms an underground alien-powered-weapons operation, selling these to all manner of ne’er-do-wells of NYC.

Tom Holland is the youngest Peter Parker yet, only 18 at the time of filming Homecoming this baby-faced Brit plays our friendly neighborhood Spider-Man as a 15-year-old high school sophomore. Compared to the young twenty-somethings Tobey Maguire in Sony’s first three Spider-Man films, and hunky and excessively charismatic Andrew Garfield in the reboot, Holland’s portrayal is closer to the comic canon. 

His performance is the best of both Spideys and at the same time entirely his. Holland owns this role. He’s not acting Spider-Man. He is Spider-Man. All sunshine and smiles Peter is the poster boy for naivety but his go-get-em attitude, tendency to skirt the rules and change the game, and impressive acrobatic skills make him a force to be reckoned with.  In some ways Peter is a mirror of Tony Stark-- both are defiant, snarky, and willing to break the rules rather than bend to them. Seeing that push-and-pull relationship between Peter and Tony is a total delight and the two have undeniable chemistry in a mentor/mentee, cool uncle/eager to please nephew kind of way. 

This time, his alter-ego is even more of a knockout when taking into consideration that Holland is a talented gymnast himself and did many of his own stunts in Homecoming. What’s different this go around is we don't see quite as much of his affinity for science aside from him tinkering around with his web formula and poking, prodding and prying apart the alien tech to try to discern what makes it tick and he geeks out at debate team and band when he’s not doing that.

Yes, Ned, Cap's gym challenge fitness videos have THAT effect on you.

Spidey’s tricked out new suit has features up the wazoo, and he’s jonesing to dash back out into battle and kick some bad guy butt. But Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau) doggedly ignores his constant stream of texts, Tony Stark only occasionally buzzes in, and both urge Peter to cool his jets….which means neither of them get through to him. Which means something is going to go wrong with his hero-act. Which means something is going to go KABOOM very very very soon. Homecoming is a rousing success with how snugly it sets up Peter Parker to fit into this established superhero-populated world. There are many effective tie-ins to other Marvel flicks: split-second scenes in his history classroom where the Sokovia Accords are discussed, references to Civil War, and Cap videos made in the tradition of 80’s after school specials that are played during gym class and detentions, make for a hilarious cameo.

Newcomer director Jon Watts brings Queens to forefront of the film unlike the more metropolitan posh look of the other films. There are graffitied buildings, crowded public transportation, bustling deli shops and even a bodega cat! Even Peter’s inner city school is depicted with consciousness and accuracy, especially with the racial diversity among the students. Yes, Peter Parker may be white, but his love interest Liz Allan (Laura Harrier), best friend Ned (Jacob Batalon), and fellow friends and rivals on the decathalon team are all women (and men) of colour. As are Peter’s gym teacher, principal, neighbors and numerous extras.

The Vulture (Keaton) suits up.

Yes Spider-Man Homecoming’s plot is is still somewhat formulaic, but that doesn’t make it a drag. One of the driving conflicts in Homecoming is that Avenger’s Tower is moving. Stark couldn’t choose a worse time to rip up roots. By relocating to another part of New York, Vulture sets his sights on hijacking the plane full of Avengers weapons, blueprints, tech and other gear that Stark sends out. Talk about a all-you-can-eat buffet of thieving!

Homecoming is a Marvel movie through and through with plenty of pow-bang-thwack action smack down scenes, humor, and characters that are memorable and full of heart. Some of the absolute best moments are when Peter bros around with Ned freaking out over superheroing and building Lego Death Stars on his bedroom floor-- this dorky chubby Asian kid is even more gung-ho than Peter and wants to be Peter's "guy in the chair" like how DC’s Barry Allen/The Flash has Cisco and Supergirl has Winn. 

 Peter's awkward crush and attempts at friendship with Liz are cringey and hilarious and feel very much like what any ordinary 15-year-old boy would go through. Peter’s not ultra suave but he’s also not a total loser, I’ve praised Tom Holland’s dimensional performance above and I’m saying it again. He really strikes a balance that Garfield and Maguire weren't quite able to in their own performances.

Other characters have moments to shine too, like grungy gal Michelle (Zendaya) who echoes Aubrey Plaza with her snarky one-liners, dry observations and eye-rolls.

Aey, detention go'ers, you come here often?

Not the most original of side-characters, there’s still something so much fun and so wonderfully cheeky about her. There’s a vibe that she’s being set up as Peter’s next love interest-- that the sarcasm between them will become the bridge to outright flirtation. Especially when Michelle admits at the end of Homecoming that she prefers to be called “MJ”. Could she be a new incarnation of Mary-Jane Watson? Or is her nickname just a cheeky nod to Spidey’s iconic red-headed BAE?

Back off Batman! Slide over Superman! 

Spidey slays and saves the day with style and sass in Marvel’s latest efforts.

The box office has seen its fair share of superhero duds but Spider-Man Homecoming swerves around that and soars far and high as one of this summer’s best movies. 

It’s the total package: complex characters, an intriguing plot that’s not overly complicated, a villain that goes beyond just a rotten-to-the-core baddie, impressive special effects, and humor and heart exploding out like fireworks time and time again! 

Our friendly neighborhood Spider-Man takes to the sky with his web-slinging abilities, bungles even the simplest of interactions with the girl he’s crushing on, and geeks out about anything and everything Avengers-- he’s a dork worth rooting for and a formidable opponent and the best incarnation of Peter Parker and his alter ego yet.  

all images from imdb.