Spider-Man: Homecoming Review
By Rich Cline
This may be the third reboot of this franchise in 15 years, risking audience exhaustion, but there are plenty of reasons not to miss this one. Most notably, this is the first Spider-Man movie that's part of Marvel's Avengers franchise, which places it in a larger story with lots of cameo possibilities. But more importantly, young British actor Tom Holland seems to have been born to play the role, infusing the entire film with cheeky teenage energy. And it's also one of the funniest, most complex blockbusters of the year.
The film opens with overexcited home videos Peter Parker (Holland) made of his adventure with the Avengers in Civil War. Now he's plunged back to the dull reality of being a high school student living with his sparky Aunt May (Marisa Tomei). He has a crush on classmate Liz (Laura Harrier), but faces rivalry from the school's alpha male Flash (Tony Revolori). And after a night out playing superhero in his Spider-Man costume, his nerdy best pal Ned (Jacob Batalon) is a bit too thrilled to discover his secret alter-ego. Meanwhile, Peter is annoyed that Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) and his assistant Happy (Jon Favreau) are ignoring his calls, especially after he warns them that he has seen winged bad guy Toomes (Michael Keaton) dealing illegal alien weapons around New York while plotting something nefarious.
Director Jon Watts (Cop Car) cleverly maintains a nimble teen perspective throughout the film, which makes it feel more like a comedy than an action movie. And instead of snarky one-liners, the laughs come from character-based humour, most notably Holland's brilliant reactions to everything that comes along. One memorable sequence, which kicks off the final onslaught of action, is both hilarious and terrifying at the same time, perfectly balanced thanks to a knowing revelation, Watts' subtle direction and Holland's hugely engaging performance. And each breathtaking action set-piece pushes the character forward in positive ways.
It's also rare for a movie like this to feature so many sharply well-formed side characters. Keaton is particularly strong in a role that continually surprises the audience. And Tomei gets the biggest laugh of all. The cumulative effect of cleverly deepening the characters and themes is a movie that grabs hold and pulls us right in. We are fully invested in these people by the time the climactic face-off comes around, so the unusually textured way it plays out feels far more satisfying than the crash-bang battle that wraps up most franchise episodes. And even more than that, this film is consistently a lot of fun, packed with little touches that make it almost criminally entertaining. And don't leave before the very end of the credits.
Facts and Figures
Year: 2017
Genre: Action/Adventure
Production compaines: Columbia Pictures, Marvel Studios, LStar Capital, Pascal Pictures
Reviews
Contactmusic.com: 4.5 / 5
Cast & Crew
Director: Jon Watts
Producer: Kevin Feige, Amy Pascal
Screenwriter: Jonathan Goldstein, John Francis Daley, Jon Watts, Christopher Ford, Chris McKenna, Erik Sommers
Starring: Tom Holland as Peter Parker / Spider-Man, Michael Keaton as Adrian Toomes / The Vulture, Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark / Iron Man, Marisa Tomei as Aunt May Parker, Jon Favreau as Happy Hogan, Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts, Zendaya as Michelle Gonzalez, Donald Glover as Aaron Davis, Jacob Batalon as Ned Leeds, Laura Harrier as Liz Allan, Tony Revolori as Flash Thompson, Bokeem Woodbine as Herman Schultz / Shocker #2, Tyne Daly as Anne Marie Hoag, Abraham Attah as Abe, Hannibal Buress as Coach Wilson, Kenneth Choi as Principal Morita, Selenis Leyva as Ms. Warren, Angourie Rice as Betty Brandt, Martin Starr as Mr. Harrington, Garcelle Beauvais as Doris Toomes, Michael Chernus as Phineas Mason / The Tinkerer, Michael Mando as Mac Gargan, Logan Marshall-Green as Jackson “Montana” Brice / Shocker #1, Jennifer Connelly as Karen / Suit Lady, Gary Weeks as Agent Foster, Christopher Berry as Randy, Jorge Lendeborg Jr. as Jorge, Tunde Adebimpe as Mr. Cobbwell, Tiffany Espensen as Cindy, Isabella Amara as Sally, Michael Barbieri as Charles, J.J. Totah as Seymour, Hemky Madera as Mr. Delmar, Zach Cherry as Street Vendor, Kirk Thatcher as Punk on Street, Yu Lew as Car Jacker, Sondra James as Yelling Woman, Bob Adrian as Yelling Man, Gary Richardson as Day Sleeper, Stan Lee as Gary, Joe Hang as Thai Waiter, Wayne Pére as History Teacher, Chris Evans as Steve Rogers / Captain America, Alexa Laraki as Tent Kid, Liza Fagin as Tent Kid, Kerry Condon as Friday (voice), Ethan Dizon as Tiny, Miles Mussenden as Park Ranger, Martha Kelly as Tour Guide, Jona Xiao as TBD, Lorenzo James Henrie as TBD, Jonah Bowling as Unhappy Teen (uncredited), Rebeca Donovan as Drama Club Member (uncredited), Stephen Vining as Vulture Henchman (uncredited), John Penick as Mr. Hapgood, Amy Hill as Decathlon Moderator, Kevin LaRosa Jr. as Helicopter Pilot, Ren Colley as Ferry Kid, Jennifer Kim as Ferry Mom, Ari Groover as Ferry Commuter, Louis Gonzalez as Ferry Commuter, Stewart Steinberg as Ferry Commuter, Andy Powers as Ferry Commuter, Omar Capra as Yeah Spider-Man Guy, Nitin Nohria as Dean Crimson, Vince Foster as Stark Tower Technician, Brian Schaeffer as Stark Tower Employee, Chris Adams as NYC Pedestrian, Myles Anderson as High School Student, Cassidy Balkcom as Party Girl, Sydney Shea Barker as NYC Commuter, Jeremy Francis Bell as Ferry Passenger, Romar Bennett as Bank Customer, Jonnah-Blaine Bowling as Unhappy Teen, Maiya Boyd as Indian Flower Girl, Dante Brattelli as Homecoming Dance Student, Michael Breath as Drama Club Student, Lauren Brumbelow as Girl on Elevator, Wayne Burley as Prison Guard, Randy Burnett as Firefighter, Liam Capek as High School Student, London Carlisle as Decathlon Competitor, Friday Chamberlain as Skateboarder, Leonardo Collaguazo as Midtown Student, Richard R. Corapi as Ferry Passenger, Marmee Regine Cosico as NY Pedestrian, Joy Costanza as Ferry Passenger, Roy Coulter as NYPD Officer, John Druzba as Commuter, Elli as Rabbi on Subway, Adrian Favela as Decathlon Competitor, Gregory French as DODC Guard, Tahseen Ghauri as Street Vendor / Pedestrian, Davvy Glab as Photographer, Melissa Kay Glaze as New Yorker, Emelita T. Gonzalez as College Recruiter, Austin Handle as Metro Police Officer, Jonathan Randall Hunter as Construction Worker, Jada Jarvis as Midtown Student, Jerome Joyce as FDNY Firefighter, Faith Logan as Homecoming Dance Student, Destiny Lopez as Tony Stark's Technician, Sherin Maldonado as Student / Wedding Guest, Melvin Kindall Myles as Park Ranger, Donald K. Overstreet as Avenger's Staff Agent, Darshan Patel as Student, Felix Perez as Inmate, Calvin Powell as Student, Salena Qureshi as Screaming Girl #2, Hallie Ricardo as DC news Reporter, Doug Scroggins III as Stark VTOL Pilot, Chris Sepulveda as Ned Leed's Dad, Johnny Serret as High School Student, Stephen Vining as Vulture Henchman, Megan Wilkens as Party Goer, Nickolas Wolf as Mascot, Trevor Wolf as Fireman, Tiani Wright as Student
Also starring: Robert Downey Jr, Zendaya Coleman, Kevin Feige, Amy Pascal, John Francis Daley
