Spider-Man: Homecoming represents the third time in this
young century that Marvel's flagship superhero has been attempted on
the big screen. While it's understandable that Sony wouldn't just let
a sure-shot property go to waste, they definitely run the risk of
diminishing returns from an audience growing fatigued at investing
their time and money into a franchise that won't get scrapped after
two or three films, especially when the prior two attempts ended more
with a whimper than a bang.
Generally speaking, Homecoming
gets a few things right, including sidestepping having to retread the
well-known origin of how Peter Parker (Holland,
Captain America: Civil War)
became the costumed superhero
for the third time in fifteen years. We find Peter Parker as an
awkward teenager, who has a crush on schoolmate Liz (Harrier,
Fourth Man Out), while also
brushing up on his knowledge on a school team vying for a national
academic competition. He also happens to have an internship with
part-time father figure Tony Stark (Downey Jr.,
Avengers: Age of Ultron), who is using the opportunity to
mentor the lad on the ways to use his technologically advanced costume
that's enhanced like a magic Swiss-army knife by an AI control device
Peter dubs 'Karen' (all tech courtesy of Stark Industries) to thwart
criminals around the city. He gets more than his match when the
Vulture, a spurned blue-collar Joe turned hi-tech criminal named
Adrian Toomes (Keaton, The Founder), comes on the scene, having confiscated alien technology
(from the Chitauri, as a seen in Marvel's The Avengers) in
order to manufacture and sell ultra-powerful weapons on the black
market.
The "Homecoming" of the title refers to Parker and his high school
existence, and more specifically, the fact that the big homecoming
dance is coming. However, there is a double meaning in that
Spider-Man character, is 'coming home' to the Marvel
Cinematic Universe, despite still existing under the Sony banner,
rubbing shoulders with most of the non-mutant heroes we've come to
know and love for decades in print form and on the silver screen.
Debuting briefly to rave reviews in Captain America: Civil War,
Tom Holland is an excellent choice for Peter Parker, providing the
right mix of intelligence, geekiness, awkwardness, earnestness, and
lithe physicality. He's a great pick, especially as he is the
most youthful in appearance and demeanor of the actors to play the
part, and with lots more upside for growth in future adventures down
the road. Marisa Tomei (The Big Short) as Aunt May is definitely a departure for
the character, especially in that she is supposed to be sexy,
something no other version of Aunt May has been since her inception.
She's not terribly important in the underdeveloped role, other than to
give Peter someone to bounce off of at home, and is probably racked
with even less grief about the murder of her beloved husband than
Peter. In fact, it's just not anything that seems to hang over
them much.
Some nice comic relief is also provided by giving Peter a friend named
Ned. Tony Revolori (The 5th Wave) seems to be channeling John Bender of
The
Breakfast Club in his portrayal of Peter's frenemy Flash (one of
several nods to the works of John Hughes). Peter's crush, Liz,
is about on par with other teen rom-coms in terms of development, but
in the world of Peter Parker, it feels as light in its weight as the
rest, meaningful only in so much as Peter has feelings but if they
aren't reciprocated, it's not really going to rock his world.
Much was made of Zendaya (The Greatest Showman) as playing 'MJ' in the role that usually is
white and redhead, but after you see the film, you'll realize that
they may share the same initials but it's a different character
altogether.
Keaton (who, ironically, once played a character known for playing in
superhero films as 'Birdman') is is usual self, which is almost always
fine in most movies, though the Vulture is not a particularly
memorable one, especially as the actor is just a CG creation once he
is in his costume, battling another CG creation in Spider-Man.
The worst aspect comes from, yet again, a Spider-Man villain also
knowing Peter Parker in another capacity in real life, something that
has strained credibility in every incarnation of the titular
superhero's films to date. For a film that offers a fresh
approach, it's a bit disappointing that the creators still adhere to
basic formula when it comes time for the superhero and super-villain
build-up and showdown.
Homecoming is directed by Jon Watts, helmer of the
small-budget indie Cop Car, which isn't a particularly
notable film, but does show some flair for his ability to draw out
good performances from a younger cast. While Watts does maintain the
emphasis on keeping things light and whimsical, it feels more like
watching three episodes of a TV show for teen more so than an epic
film, albeit with a better cast and much more money for effects than
television typically affords, though I personally feel that the visual
effects in Homecoming aren't nearly as well developed as
those of the regular MCU endeavors. What's missing for most of the
film is a sense of dramatic weight, without the emotional stakes that
made the first two Sam Raimi films in his series stand out for its
era. Even gone is the weight that keeps Peter Parker motivated
to battle criminals as Spider-Man, seeming like he's more interested
in becoming an Avenger than an avenger of his beloved uncle's murder.
Six credited screenwriters tinkered with the overall script.
There are occasional nods to classic Spider-Man story arcs, such as a
scene that echoes the events found in "The Amazing Spider-Man" #33
Marvel comic in which our hero is trapped under tons of rubble and has
to find the inner strength to get him out of the situation that his
outer strength seems unable to manage on its own. Of course,
like most aspects of Spider-Man: Homecoming, even Peter's
inner resolve during this scene remains surface level, as the massive
weight of twisted metal upon him seems more like a momentary obstacle
rather than the angst-fueled defining moment for a hero to have an
epiphany that would govern him the rest of his days, as it had been in
the print counterpart.
The same lack of true tension also carries into the action sequences,
with such fateful calamities as an airliner gone amok and a ferry that
is literally torn asunder lacking the requisite feeling of peril that
would make Spidey's heroic deeds feel, well, truly heroic. Even
a sequence in which the Washington Monument is on the verge of being
destroyed feels small and without much dramatic tension or grand
narrative impact. Deus ex machina (literally) moments involving
Iron Man feel perfunctory, merely there to persistently re-establish
the fact that Spider-Man now shares the same universe as its MCU
counterparts under the Disney umbrella. While the showdown
between Peter Parker and Adrian Toomes does carry some interest, even
if wholly contrived, the battle between Spider-Man and The Vulture
is about as exciting as watching the cut scenes of a video game that
is being played by a stranger. In other words, the film could go
a long way toward engaging us into the action with more than just the
soundtrack selections, character banter, and allusions to other Marvel
properties.
While I realize I'm not as high on Spider-Man: Homecoming as
many of my critical brethren, there's still an aspect that I enjoy
about it as a life-long Spider-Man fanboy, enough to state that, while
finding the filmmaking here largely disappointing, I did find enough
entertainment value within the film to still hold my attention, and
the cast is at least promising enough to think that future entries
could work wonders with the right script and direction. At least
it was never overtly bad in the ways that
Spider-Man 3 or
some portions of the Marc Webb Amazing Spider-Man series
could be. No, there aren't any major lows in Spider-Man:
Homecoming, but neither are there any major highs to be had
within its story as presented either. It's as as delightful to
admire its construction as a spider's web, but it's also just as
weightless, leaving Homecoming feeling like just a momentary
diversion in superhero cinema rather than something to merit writing
home about.
Qwipster's rating:
©2017 Vince Leo
