Hey, everyone!
I just got back from seeing what I think is the second best Spider-Man movie of all time. That isn't to say Spider-Man Homecoming is bad. No, no. Far from it! It's amazing, spectacular and all that fun stuff. I just liked Spider-Man 2 a bit more than this one. I know several people feel the same way I do. And if you know me, you know how huge a fan I am of the webhead. Spider-Man 2 is my favorite of the Sam Raimi movies and Homecoming is on par with being almost as good. I never really liked the Mark Webb movies as that Spidey came off more like a jerk than anything else and that's not who Spider-Man is.
Here's what I liked about the movie. I liked how the suit was a clear reference to the Steve Ditko era of Spider-Man complete with the webbing under his arms. The eyes, too, hearkened back to that era. It makes sense because this Spidey is just starting out. He's had his powers for a few months and is slowly learning the ropes so to speak.
A lot of people were also worried about how much Tony Stark was in the movie. I'm glad he was kept to a minimum. At the same time, I see why they had him in there as well as a certain star spangled Avenger. They wanted to show that Spidey is in the Marvel Cinematic Universe with the rest of them. And now he joins the ranks of the Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy, Defenders, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and the new Freeform shows in one cohesive universe. Even if he's on loan from Sony as part of the deal. It's good to see him here and I can't wait to see him in Avengers: Infinity War.
What I didn't like about the movie was how it dragged on a little. I mean some of the stuff could have been cut down. But, it was okay. They wanted to show a side of the Spider-Man universe we didn't get to see much of in previous movies. We saw Peter in high school. He was in high school for like ten minutes in the Sam Raimi movies and not long in Mark Webb. It's good to see that aspect of his life as we see where he came from.
I also didn't mind that we didn't get an uncle Ben mention. I mean saying "Aunt May had a rough year" was enough to make you say "Ohh". And we do get a mention of the spider bite. Just never shown. It's good that they skipped the origin as we have seen it many times before.
Michael Keaton was amazing as the Vulture and in a way I'm glad they made us almost feel sorry for the guy. I don't want to spoil anything, but, he really tried to help his family. Sure he went about it the wrong way. The motivation was clear at least.
The rest of the cast did an amazing job. Marissa Tormei's Aunt May was nurturing like in the comics. Her being younger is fine by me as long as she can act. The rest of cast did a great job and played well like Peter/Spidey's supporting cast usually does in the comics. Great stuff from them and I'm glad Flash was more a rival than Peter's bully. I wonder if he'll become Agent Venom some day. Time will tell.
As for our main character? I love this iteration of Spider-Man! Holland nails the perfect combination of Peter's nerdiness, shyness and stuff. At the same time, he seems to get that Spidey jokes a joke a minute and comments on stuff with a wisecrack or two. This, I feel, was sorely missing in the Raimi movies. In Webb's version they tried. But, he came off so much like a jerk to me that I was turned off. You need to find the right balance and here we actually have it. For me it's like Spidey leaped from the pages of the comic and onto the screen flawlessly.
This is where the MCU shines. I know I am kissing up to them, but, Marvel Studios gets the characters. They do them justice. They try and give everyone a great project and nine times out of ten they give us something solid. They give us an action adventure and a story with a moral. That's really what made the comics so endearing and stand the test of time. It's why everyone has loved Spidey and the rest of Marvel's heroes, villians, mutants, monsters and Marvels.
Spider-Man Homecoming is a great dive back into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. You won't need to watch all the MCU movies to get what's happening. Just know that your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man is back home and will be there for some time to come if these box office numbers keep rising. It's good to see you in the MCU, Spidey! Keep swinging!
Oh and I loved the Spider-Man '67 intro with the Marvel logo! That was classy!
Ugh, a lot of what I had previously said had gotten eaten by my bad internet connection. I agreed with a lot of what you said, but I had a small correction to add:
ReplyDeleteYour characterization of Flash Thompson as a rival not a bully doesn't jive with my experiences in a NYC Specialized High School. In a Specialized High School, everyone is focused on Academics and getting into a good college. That means, yes, even Flash would realistically be in the academic decathlon. But that doesn't mean he's not a bully. Yeah, he's academically focused, so he doesn't target "nerds" (since he himself is a "nerd" by many definitions), but he targets the socially awkward. And that's what I saw in my High School. It was the weird kids, not the smart kids, that were targeted, and well, Peter's kind of weird.
I was just calling him a rival because I think that's what director John Watts called Flash in interviews. I remember them saying he wasn't so much a bully in this one like he was in the comics. I wasn't sure what else to call him as he wasn't totally comics Flash Thompson. Bullies do take on any form, true. Just wasn't sure what else to call him. Thanks for the comment!
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