Attitudes have changed on the crime-fighting arachnid since Tobey Maguire's first outing as Spider-Man in 2002. Moreover, there have been oodles of superhero movies the past 15 years -- including a not-so-beloved reboot of the character in 2012.
Spider-Man ranks as one of the most visible and well known protagonists in the comic book realm, so it stood to reason that they'd give the character another shot.
The first appearance of our "next-gen" Spidey came in 2016's "Captain America: Civil War." Brit actor Tom Holland's portrayal of Spider-Man was part of a brief "battle royale" of various Avengers at an airport, but seemed to be well received. He provided many of the scant laughs in that rather dreary third outing for Cap and Friends.
There was a youthful, exuberant energy that hadn't been seen in the character before.
I must admit I was happy to see Sony and Disney come together and work to mesh Spider-Man into the popular Marvel Cinematic Universe -- having him on screen with Iron Man, Ant Man, Black Widow and the rest of the superhero crew that fans have become enamored with the past decade.
"Spider-Man: Homecoming" arrives just in time to save the 2017 summer movie season.
While the movie might not be the epitome of perfection, there is quite a bit to like this time around.
Gone are the tried-and-true origins of how Peter Parker became Spider-Man. Those elements are relegated to a few brief mentions when Peter and his friend Ned are bantering back and forth.
Instead, "Spider-Man: Homecoming" picks up with the character after "Captain America: Civil War."
We see Peter Parker going through his daily life in high school (the Midtown School of Science and Technology). His "cover identity" for interacting with Tony Stark (Iron Man) is that he is part of a Stark Internship.
Peter fights crime in and around his New York neighborhood, but longs for more after his heroics with the Avengers. Yet Stark (along with his business associate Happy Hogan) seem to be giving Peter the cold shoulder, and would prefer he remain "a friendly neighborhood Spider-Man."
Parker quits his academic decathlon team -- and sets aside any sort of social life -- to focus on proving himself to his mentor.
After a harrowing effort to thwart an attempt to rob an ATM (by criminals wearing plastic Avengers masks), Peter returns home to find his friend Ned (Jacob Batalon) waiting for him, holding a Lego Death Star the two had planned to work on. Ned is initially shocked, but soon elated to find out his friend is the masked superhero -- believing it can help their "street cred" at school.
Ned peppers Peter with a number of questions about his secret identity. As the two are discussing the topic, they overhear a group of girls in gym class talking about their favorite superheroes. When they realize that their classmate Liz (an arm's-length crush for Peter) is enamored with Spider-Man, it results in Ned informing the class that Parker knows Spider-Man.
The two are then invited to a party at Liz's home (which Peter is reluctant to attend). As they set in motion a plan reveal Spider-Man at the party, Peter observes an explosion in the distance.
The explosion is the result of high-tech arms dealers (who happen to be the criminals behind the ATM robbery) showing off weapons to a ne'er do well named Aaron (an oddly cast Donald Glover).
The arms dealers work for the film's main heavy, a man named Adrian Toomes (Michael Keaton). Toomes was a salvage operator who was working on clean-up after the Battle of New York (featured in 2012's "Avengers"). His contract to salvage debris from the battle was cut short by the government, who turned operations over to the U.S. Department of Damage Control (operated by Tony Stark).
Feeling slighted by the government (he mentions that he had to purchase new trucks for the clean-up job), and holding a grudge against Tony Stark, Toomes and his team develop some of the high-tech gadgets he was able to salvage into top-of-the-line black market wares. He has even developed a set of flying wings for himself to use on robbery jobs (Toomes is the character Vulture).
When Peter decides to investigate the explosion he observes from Liz's party, he meets Toomes' winged alter-ego for the first time. He nearly drowns in the confrontation, and is ultimately saved by Tony Stark (who had included monitors into the Spider-Man suit).
On Peter's walk back to the party, he discovers a glowing, purple orb from Toomes's operation.
Peter believes this might be his big chance to hunt down the criminals, and prove himself to Tony Stark.
So he and Ned go rogue, hack the Spider-Man suit to remove the trackers (and disable the "training wheels" mode), and set forth on their own investigation -- which sets up the final two acts in "Spider-Man: Homecoming."
While none of this is particularly new superhero territory, there is an energy and pacing that makes "Spider-Man: Homecoming" work. There is also a healthy dose of self-effacing humor in the film, something that is sorely lacking in many recent superhero outings.
The film is light and fun. I wasn't sure how Tom Holland would be in the titular role, but he proves himself a likable sort, and has the chops to carry the film on his shoulders.
Michael Keaton does his best with relatively little screen time as the main villain.
He has been a dependable actor throughout his career, and has the ability to pivot between light comedy material and dark dramatic fare. (One of my favorite film moments is his "chainsaw scene" in 1983's "Mr. Mom").
While Keaton's casting as Bruce Wayne in 1989's "Batman" caused quite a stir among fanboys at the time, his acting range added a subtlety and nuance to his portrayal of Batman -- and movie-goers have seen unconventional casting choices in superhero films ever since.
Some fans have grumbled that certain pillars of Peter Parker's origin story have been tossed aside (ex. the MJ character isn't named "Mary Jane"), but considering that this is the sixth "Spider-Man" movie in 15 years, they needed to take a fresh approach.
It was nice to have Tony Stark/Iron Man along for the ride. Robert Downey Jr. is enjoyable in that role, especially when his has the opportunity to do some of his humorous riffs.
There were also some corny "Captain America PSAs" shown at Peter's school during the movie, and they worked to great effect.
There was also a twist in the movie that I didn't see coming.
I enjoyed "Spider-Man: Homecoming" more than anticipated. After a series of relatively dreary superhero outings recently (like 2016's "Doctor Strange"), it was nice to see something that had the tone and heft of pink bubblegum.
I also liked "Wonder Woman" earlier this summer, but enjoyed this latest Spider-Man outing a tick more. I'll leave you to determine which superhero movie you preferred this summer, but both entries prove there is still vitality in the genre -- which is great news for fans.
P.S. -- Be sure to stay through the entire end credits scroll. There is a fun "easter egg" at the end.
Rated: PG-13, Runtime: 2 hrs, 13 min
Check out my previous post: "Omaha Live!" - Premiere Party, Season 6 Debut
No comments:
Post a Comment