Spiderman Homecoming

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Spiderman is not typically my favorite superhero.  For some reason it feels like the character has been overdone.  He, along with Batman were the first two superheroes to really start pushing us into the age of comic book movies we have now.  Tobey Maguire was a decent enough version and I really liked Andrew Garfield's iteration of the character as well.  That being said, I feel like Marvel has finally found something special with Tom Holland.  With John Francis Daley as a co-writer on this movie, I knew I was in for a treat.


This movie doesn't bother with the fluff of finding out how Peter became Peter.  We pick up after he helped the Avengers in Civil War and Tony Stark has taken him under his wing.  He's trying to be the best hero he can be but is struggling.  He's making video diaries, he's calling Happy every day just to check in to see if there's something he can do to help.  He's mooning over a girl named Liz.


Holland is a believable high school student for the most part.  He certainly looks more the part than the other actors to have played the role.  Despite the fact that he is the same height as his predecessor Tobey Maguire, he seemed smaller.  Holland also has a physicality about him that the others didn't possess.  As a trained dancer and gymnast, the fluidity of his general movement lent a much needed juxtaposition of grace and clumsiness to the character. Plus, it's kind of nice to know that for some of the acrobatics he didn't need CGI or a stunt double.


The villain in this movie is being played by Michael Keaton and he was a great pick for this role.  He starts out as a regular guy, just trying to do honest work to support his family after the events of Avengers 1.  His construction bid for clean up is usurped and he changes course in order to survive.  What you find in this villian is someone who isn't inherently evil, but takes some wrong turns along the way in order to survive.


There are some fun and unique situations that Peter/Spiderman finds himself in.  The whole scene at the Washington Monument being a notable one. 


The movie hits you over the head hard with learning to find your inner strength.  In any other movie it would be too much, but with this one, they've spent so much time portraying Peter and Spiederman as two different people that watching the character finally become one with itself through this fashion ends up feeling less forced than one might imagine.


I saw all the Maguire versions and the first of the Garfield versions of this character.  I have to say that this one is my favorite.  They didn't rehash the origin story because we already know it.  We were given a somewhat insecure hero who ends up finding his inner strength.  I don't need more than that.  Do you?


What did you think of the movie?

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