Spider-Man Homecoming Review

I’ve been a Spider-Man fan for as long as I can remember, growing up watching the 90's cartoon on Fox Kids.  My generation of Spidey fans has also been lucky to see several big-screen versions of the character, albeit some being better than others.  With Spider-Man now firmly in the MCU fold, it's time for another outing.  And this one has definitely got my spider-sense tingling.  In a good way.

For those of you that have been living in a cave, Spider-Man Homecoming picks up where the Captain America: Civil War airport fight leaves off, with an excited Peter Parker (Tom Holland) longing for another shot with the big leagues.  Instead, he’s left cleaning up after street thugs, when he stumbles across weapon dealers using alien tech.  Eventually, he encounters the ring-leader, Adrian Toomes, AKA The Vulture.  Then it’s down to the usual superhero fair.  Except this time, the plot is handled incredibly well, with a good balance of small, subtle scenes mixed with the high octane action sequences that we've come to love with the MCU.  It's nice to finally see something different with Spider-Man.

Tom Holland is probably one of the standout performances of the year so far. The casting directors over at Marvel always do a fantastic job when casting iconic characters.  They certainly haven't disappointed here.  Despite two prominent Avengers being in the movie, Spider-Man is never overshadowed.  Again, it seems that they've found the right balance between established characters and the new ones.  In fact, all of the young actors are handled very well and it's nice to see the director coming from a small production into something so big, and yet, managing to hit the ground running.

As great as this film is, nothing can ever be perfect.  There are a few niggling things in this, but nothing too distracting.  Sometimes the action sequences have a little too much shaky cam, which makes it hard to focus on what's actually happening in the scene.  Also, it would've been nice to see Spider-Man doing a bit more of the acrobatic hand-to-hand fighting that he's known for, rather than relying on a vast array of gadgets.  I can see why they’ve opted for the gadgets, but it's always good to watch a nice punch-up.  Having said that, the action sequences are still very enjoyable and incredibly well thought out, particularly the sequence involving the Washington monument, which is just amazing.  As is the scene with the ATM robbery.

Overall, this is a fantastic return to form for the Spider-Man franchise.  Not since Sam Raimi's Spider-Man 2 has it been so enjoyable.  It's funny, quirky, with a great cast of characters that I can't wait to see again. There really isn't much in the way of negative comments that can be said about this film.  I highly recommend that you go and see it and I'm very excited for the next one.

            

Until next time… To infinity and beyond!