Spider-Man: Homecoming

The Pre-Match Setup: New Season, New Striker

Friends, welcome to the first installment of our review series. We start it off strong with Spider-Man: Homecoming! Following his cameo in Captain America: Civil War, our friendly neighborhood web-slinger, Peter Parker, gets his first solo film. With some calculus homework and crime-fighting in Queens, Peter is used to juggling. This is not your average superhero movie. It is more like a PG-13 action-adventure science fiction movie where Peter Parker, in some high school superhero origin story. Jon Watts, the director, wants to show the real Peter Parkers high school struggles, and thankfully he has Tony Stark played by Robert Downey Jr., with his charm, who is Peter’s reluctant mentor. For such a big superhero with a huge universe around it, the stakes are personal. A villain called Vulture emerges. We are glad Watts chose to focus on Peter and keep us here rather than take us on a huge universe spanning saga with everything off the bat. The movie is a nice smooth length of 2 hours and 13 minutes.

Star Players on the Pitch: Holland's Debut and Keaton's Masterclass

When discussing star-power, Spider-Man: Homecoming's lighting in a bottle of talented actors begins with Tom Holland. He creates a frenzy, and critics praised him for bringing “a younger and more optimistic Peter.” He adds dimensionality to Holland’s character in that he captures the teen in him, using spider-powers as an awkward, relatable teenager. Holland’s charisma and energy are recognized by Richard Roeper, from the Chicago Sun-Times. Hollywoodportrayals of superheroes lack the likeability and draw-factor that Holland’s recently has. However, every great supervillain is a great hero’s foil, and Michael Keaton does wonderfully crafted work the role of Adrian Toomes/Vulture. Keaton adds “a positive direction” to the character of Vulture as a working-class man with motivations. Toomes’s character, along with his menace, is fueled by understandable motivations. These actors have a synergy with Holland that build an authentic world of Peter’s high school that's real and alive - especially with Downey Jr’s mentor role and Peter’s high school friends.

Momentum Swings: Where It Surges, Where It Stalls

There are some brilliant elements here. The first is a confident embrace of Peter’s clumsy, awkward teenage years, especially his time in high school. This is where the film comes into its own. Think of the “lower stakes” as Richard Roeper did. It allows great character work. Classroom scenes, jokes, and even teenage crushes ground the action and provide scenes of indescribable warmth. It is impressive how the creators fit it “snugly in the sprawling MCU” without suffering from franchise-building fatigue as the Rotten Tomatoes Critics Consensus says. There is a good reference to the known universe without losing focus of Peter’s story (and by extension, the entire story). The Vulture’s arc provides remarkable heaviness and should not be overlooked. However, every goal isn’t a score. The overall feel is of a film that will please most, but some will leave feeling somewhat let down. It still features plenty of Spidey, but some say it should have put the titular hero in “more real world danger.” (Some users on the site also say the film should feature more grounded action, and less of Tony Stark and his tech.) IndieWire’s David Ehrlich says some of the action and character clichés of the genre are present, along with a lack of depth for female characters. This doesn’t affect the film, though. Kenneth Turan criticizes the film’s pacing most of all, saying the film is “unevenly orchestrated” at times, yet finds its “true” and consistent pacing the rest of the time.

The Full-Time Scoreline: Beats Tonight's Match?

A whopping two hours and thirteen minutes. Did Spider-Man: Homecoming take that long to win over the match tonight? Absolutely! This lovely, youthful take on a reboot of one of Marvel's original characters brought a whole lot to the game. Watching Tom Holland's Peter Parker is laughter and empathy rolled into one. The Vulture, played by Michael Keaton, provides one of the most entertaining antagonist roles in the MCU. While some may want more traditional Spider-Man situations or more independent struggles of Spider-Man, the story stayed grounded in high school which is what may make this movie so unique. It’s a movie that is filled with color and a whole lot of fun. Again, I must stress that this team did not take this movie too seriously but managed to put together great characters and emotion. For a superhero movie that has great storytelling and is filled with emotion, Spider-Man: Homecoming is the perfect addition to your next movie watch on Pikashow. It may just be “that kind of movie”, as Mike Ryan from Uproxx said, “you leave and you're just in the best mood—and still will be days later.” Surprisingly, Spider-Man: Homecoming ended up being one of the best movies to watch.