Spider-Man: Homecoming Movie Review

Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)

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Written by: Jonathan Goldstein & John Francis Daley and Jon Watts & Christopher Ford and Chris McKenna & Erik Sommers (screenplay by), Jonathan Goldstein & John Francis Daley (screen story by), Stan Lee & Steve Ditko (based on the Marvel comic book by)Joe Simon and Jack Kirby (Captain America created by)
Directed by: Jon Watts
Starring: Tom Holland, Michael Keaton, Robert Downey Jr., Marisa Tomei, Jon Favreau, Gwyneth Paltrow, Zendaya, Doanld Glover, Tony Revolori, Bokeem Woodbine, Hannibal Buress, Martin Starr
Rated: PG-13
Watch the trailer

Plot
Peter Parker balances his life as an ordinary high school student in Queens with his superhero alter-ego Spider-Man, and finds himself on the trail of a new menace prowling the skies of New York City.

Verdict
It's another Spider-Man reboot, but at least it's self aware, skipping the spider bite and providing a new angle with Spider-Man trying to impress Uncle Iron Man. A lot of this is Parker being told he's not ready.
Holland is great in the role, providing the energy and doubt a teen has. Keaton doesn't get to do much with a villain that could have a lot of depth but doesn't. Not a bad movie at all, but not one that's going to stand out either.
It depends.

Review
I'm not sure any Spider-Man movie can top Spider-Man: Into the Spider-verse (read my review). That movie was visually stunning while working with a great script. I've predicted no Spider-Man movie can touch it, and so far that holds true.

Homecoming is a solid Spider-Man effort that does not delve into the origin of Spider-Man once again. That's something some of these super hero movies should note.
I like Holland as Spider-Man, but this franchise is a tough one. The first entry in 2002 set the stage for the deluge of super hero movies. With the sheer volume, it's difficult to stand out. While the movie is about average, Holland does a great job.

To start, the movie catches us up with Spider-Man in Captain America: Civil War (read my review) where Iron Man and Captain America were at odds and Iron Man found Spider-Man.

Now Parker is back to high school. With all this energy, the desire to be productive, he's stuck. Parker wants to be an Avenger, wants to do more and now he's just helping people with directions. Iron Man is telling him he's not ready.

Being a teen, he's not content to stay put. He's an awkward teen and also a super hero. When he comes across an arms dealer, Spider-Man sees that as his chance to impress Iron Man and become an Avenger, but he only manages to get rebuked.

There's a dual nature of the confidence that comes with being a super hero while also being a teenager. Parker is both, and he has to juggle these feelings of doubt while hiding his abilities.

Keaton plays the villain, and the arc had potential. He's a blue collar guy that's forced into bankruptcy by bureaucracy. He steals alien technology and becomes an arms dealer while also masquerading as Vulture. The arc had potential as the movie attempts to humanize him towards the end, but Keaton is capable of more.

The end culminates in Parker reevaluating what he wants and what he needs. He wonders if maybe he isn't ready.