BY JIM VEJVODA Spider-Man: Homecoming, the web-slingers first solo movie under the

Marvel Studios umbrella (but produced in conjunction with distributor Sony

Pictures), is a sweet, witty, briskly-paced romp that captures everything that has
made Peter Parker and his costumed alter ego such a lovable and enduring character
for over half a century.

The core dilemma Spider-Man has always grappled with is, of course, with great
power comes great responsibility. But as the events of Spider-Man: Homecoming
show, Peter Parkers responsibilities aren't just related to being Spider-Man. He
has a responsibility to be a good student, to let his Aunt May (Marisa Tomei) know
where he is and if hes okay, and to find the balance between his personal and
superhero lives. In Homecoming, Peter, still consumed by the excitement of his
adventure with the Avengers in Captain America: Civil War, wants nothing more than
to win Tony Starks approval and become a full-fledged Avenger. But Peter is still
just a kid and he will have to realize that he cant let Spider-Man define who he
is; as Tony admonishes him at one point, if hes nothing without the suit then
Peter doesnt deserve to have it. Peter Parker ultimately has to matter more than
the invented persona of Spider-Man.

If you werent already sold on him after Civil War, his turn in Homecoming proves
that Tom Holland is the definitive big screen Spider-Man. His exuberance,
intelligence, and good-natured manner perfectly captures Peter Parkers
youthfulness, earnestness and moral center. Peter screws up a lot, but hes a good
kid who knows when he has to set things right and Holland sells all of that. He
owns every scene hes in, never getting blown off the screen by his co-stars, which
include such formidable personalities as Robert Downey Jr. and Michael Keaton.

Spider-Man: Homecoming - Tom Holland Shows Off the Web Shooters

00:37
Neither Downeys Iron Man nor Keatons villain, Adrian Vulture Toomes, are in the
movie as much as might be suspected. (Tonys flunky-pal Happy Hogan, once again
ably played by Jon Favreau, gets a fair share of screen time serving as Tonys
conduit to Peter.) Stark is there to be Peters mentor, gadget-maker, and to
provide some tough love when needed, but Homecoming is not a full-on Marvel Team-Up
movie. This is definitely Spideys show.

Likewise, Keatons Vulture is a supporting character. The Vulture can be, in his
own way, as relatable as Peter. Hes a blue collar Joe, one who worries about
making sure he puts food on the table, and sees someone like Tony Stark as an aloof
power monger who doesnt care about screwing the working man. Hes quite a timely
villain in that way, but hes also never really as fully fleshed out as he could
have been. Toomes transition from Everyman to murderous criminal happens largely
off-screen, with some of his more vicious behavior later on feeling a bit jarring
at times. Still, Keatons Vulture does manage to elude the Marvel movie villain
streak of hampering a fine actor with a weak role, and Keatons interpretation of
the character suggests his Adrian Toomes is not devoid of redeeming qualities.

Homecoming does right by its supporting cast of Peters classmates, with Jacob
Batalon the clear standout as Peters best friend Ned, whose discovery of Peters
secret identity fuels many of the movies best ongoing gags. While Zendaya only has
a small role here as Michelle, she delivers it with a quirkiness and cutting wit
thats memorable. Laura Harrier nicely plays against expectations as Peters
classmate and crush Liz, making her accessible instead of merely being the cool
girl oblivious to Peters existence.

Spider-Man: Homecoming - "You're the Spider-Man" Clip

01:37
Spider-Man: Homecoming being a high school movie in the vein of a John Hughes film
sets it apart from not only other entries in the MCU, but from many superhero
movies in general (Homecoming would make a great double bill with that other teen
superhero in high school movie, Kick-Ass). Peter making it to his academic
decathlon matches is as important to this story as his sleuthing into the Vultures
activities. This speaks to Peter, like his movie, trying to strike the right
balance between his dual responsibilities as a student and a superhero. Is being an
Avenger really more important than being the best person Peter can be for himself,
to his classmates and to Aunt May? That quandary is what drives the plot, motivates
Peters internal and external conflicts, and generates a good deal of the humor to
boot.

Like Ant-Man, there is no grand plot line here about having to save the world nor
is there any labored attempt at expanding the MCU. This is as street level a Marvel
story as the Netflix series are, albeit without the darkness and violence of those
shows, with the movie showcasing why the character is known as the friendly
neighborhood Spider-Man. It's a welcome relief from seeing a superhero trying to
stop yet another giant energy portal in the sky or some such well-worn gimmick.

Costume Breakdown
02:01
The movie has a lot of fun with this being such a young, novice Spidey who is still
mastering his powers and who is awed at all the tricks his Tony Stark-provided
costume can do. There is also a lot of humor generated by the fact that much of the
story is largely confined to Queens where there arent a lot of very tall buildings
for Spidey to web-sling between so he has to use whats readily available to get
around. This was a clever way to both create obstacles for Spidey to deal with and
to show a different backdrop other than just seeing Spider-Man swing through the
skyscrapers of Manhattan as he has in so many past movies. (It should also be noted
that, as with Civil War and the Sam Raimi trilogy, an obvious digital Spidey is
used in most of the action scenes, unlike those in the Amazing Spider-Man films
which opted for a more tactile approach.)

Spider-Man: Homecoming is ultimately stronger as a character-driven, coming-of-age

comedy than it is as an action film. While its action set-pieces are fine with
the Washington Monument, ferry rescue, and endangered airplane sequences the
highlights none of them can match let alone top Spideys MCU debut in Civil Wars
airport battle, which is amusingly revisited here from Peters perspective. That
lack of truly memorable new action sequences may disappoint some superhero movie
fans who crave adrenaline and eye candy, but ultimately Spider-Man: Homecoming
wisely knows its greatest responsibility is to its characters and not necessarily
the great powers they possess.

The Verdict
As with the very best of the web-slingers Marvel stories, Spider-Man: Homecoming
is a winning combination of a fun superhero adventure tale with a heartwarming
story about a regular kid dealing with some very relatable issues (well, relatable
in the non-superhero sense anyway). Tom Hollands Spidey cant swing back onto
screens again fast enough.