Spider-Man: Homecoming

Adrian Toomes (Michael Keaton) the villain is a blue-collar guy who works in the salvage industry and has been cleaning up messes made by The Avengers since the attack on New York.  His job is taken away by the salvage team funded by Tony Stark which causes Toomes to keep the alien technology he has salvaged thus far.  He uses the technology to steal from Stark Industries and he does so not out of much malice but by pure necessity of survival.  This is only the second time Sony has given us a proper sympathetic villain.  In Spider-Man: Homecoming Peter Parker (Tom Holland) is battling high school as well trying to be the best superhero possible with the aim to become one of the Avengers.  Spider-Man: Homecoming isn’t a Peter Parker story nor is it a Spider-Man story.  Homecoming is a story about how a good man can be forced to go bad and how the hero just needs to be himself in order to succeed in life.

Director Jon Watts had directed a smaller film called Cop Car starring Kevin Bacon and what makes this film an exceptional take on the wall crawling superhero is that the film is less concerned with making Peter Parker become a hero and more interested in helping a teenager navigate his messy life.  This is a smart move because while Spider-Man has powers he’s still one of the most grounded and vulnerable heroes in Marvel’s slate of heroes.  The other decision Watts makes that is smart is he decides to focus on the high school aspect of Peter Parker’s life.  This, in effect, makes Peter’s frustrations and joys as he navigates life relatable and humane.

Let’s be honest this movie would be nothing without it’s villain.  Michael Keaton continues his string of incredible performances with this role.  The main selling point of this villain is that he is not bad.  He is a person who resorted to criminal life out of the necessity of trying to provide for his family.  Homecoming works because its villain is sympathetic and we need more grey characters than we do dark and menacing.

This film is not perfect.  The main crack in this film’s strong attempt at combining humanity and heroism is Peter Parker’s best friend Ned (Jacob Batalon).  Not only finds out that he is Spider-Man, but also attempts to ask as many questions as possible and use his friend’s acts of heroism to make him popular at school.  I personally found this aspect of the film disgusting and opportunistic in the worst possible way.  I think the reason it strikes a chord with me so deeply is because I would have automatic concern for my friend’s safety and Ned demonstrates none of that concern or goodwill toward Peter.

The supporting cast is surprisingly diverse and some personality changes have been made to comic book fans favorite Spiderman companions.  Flash Thompson (Tony Revolori) is now a quiz team nerd and Michelle (Zendaya Coleman) is a very familiar character given the wardrobe and personality of a smart outcast.  Both characters are entertaining and provide levity in this intriguing mystery of a film.  Tony Stark’s small moments in the film give the overall mission Spider-Man embarks on purpose and meaning as Downey Jr. is less warm mentor and more sarcastic but stern step parent to Peter Parker and here that approach works.

Tom Holland had the biggest weight on his shoulders playing this comic book icon but he ultimately succeeds because he doesn’t try to approach the role as one person having a dual life but rather one person transitioning from dealing with one side of his life and then dealing with school and friends when he can.  Holland doesn’t suddenly become more heroic when he puts on the suit he is the same person all the way through.  This is what makes the movie worth seeing but also allows audiences to grow with the character.  I, for one, can’t wait to see the wall-crawlers next adventure.