Marvel has finally got its hands on arguably its most
popular creation. And as we all know, with great power comes great
responsibility – Marvel Films has taken up the responsibility and how! They
manage to bring freshness into the Spider-Man franchise by cleverly avoiding
the normal tropes that have become cliché by now, and deliver a fun, light
superhero movie that works.
“Spider-Man: Homecoming” is a refreshing origin story (of
sorts), which in itself is saying a lot. After his involvement in the events of
“Captain America: Civil War”, Peter Parker (Tom Holland) returns to high school
and spends his after school hours trying to fight crime in the streets of New
York city, while impatiently waiting for his next ‘real’ mission with the
Avengers. Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) has become Peter’s mentor, and
entrusts his head of security cum chauffeur Happy (Jon Favreau) to keep an eye
on him. Things get real once he gets entangled with a group of criminals making
high powered weapons using the alien technology from the first “Avengers” movie
led by the Vulture (Michael Keaton). Add to that everyday high-schooler stuff
like dealing with bullies, building a Lego Death Star and trying to let his crush
know how he feels!
You’ve got to hand it to Marvel Films – they are able to
capture the essence of each of its vast array of superheroes and give them a
unique and distinct treatment on screen. “Homecoming” is no exception – the
web-slinger gets a treatment that feels true to the character. The tone of the
movie is set with the opening bit itself, where the Spider-Man jingle plays.
Peter Parker is essentially a kid when he gets his powers, and an obvious
aspect of the character’s development would be coming to terms with his powers
while going through issues any normal teenager would go through growing up.
While the previous iterations of the character, including the comics, have used
the death of Uncle Ben to essentially jolt Peter Parker into becoming a
responsible superhero, this movie steers clear of this aspect in what now feels
like a stroke of genius. In fact, there is not even so much as a mention of
Uncle Ben. This allows for the entire movie to be about Peter’s development
into a superhero (which is what this movie is all about), and also avoid the
emotional baggage.
This movie focuses on all the right things. Peter’s
interactions with his friends, especially Ned (Jacob Batalon) provide for some
of the best moments in the movie. The bits where Peter is learning and adapting
with the suit are also especially good. The big ticket action sequences are
good, yet not over-the-top and all about the world ending. Even the Vulture is
not a supervillain with grand plans of taking over the world, but just a
regular bad guy trying to provide for his family through illegal means. The
makers cleverly ground the story and live up to the “friendly neighbourhood”
tag. It’s good that Tony Stark is not given more screentime than he
deserves, and his involvement in the movie is not just to pull crowds into the
theatres; but adds to the plot and the character’s growth as well.
The performances are all top-notch. The regulars like Robert
Downey Jr. and Jon Favreau have been playing these characters for so long it’s
hard to find a false note. The supporting cast including Marisa Tomei, and
especially Jacob Batalon seem perfectly cast. Michael Keaton as the Vulture is
great, but feels underutilized. Speaking of underutilized, why was Donald
Glover even there? It seems to be a placement for a plot point to come in the
upcoming movies, but in this movie he is seriously wasted. I haven’t seen
anything Zendaya is in, but I know she’s quite popular and even her character
seems underwritten, and more in service of things to come.
But of course, this movie is all about Tom Holland. Marvel
has taken a gamble with the younger Spider-Man storyline, which needs a young
actor; but Tom Holland is definitely dispelling any doubts that may have been
there. His performance as the young hero is perfect, and the earnestness and
enthusiasm he imbues the character with is infectious.
All in all, this movie is definitely worth a watch. While it
may not be the best superhero movie out there, it is a refreshing addition to
the ever-growing MCU. It’s highly entertaining and caters to all audiences, and
pretty much delivers on the good time I expected.
P.S.: Stay till the end credits (there is a mid-credits and
a post-credits scene, so make sure you catch both) – it’s hilarious!
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