Plot
Review: If you're exhausted about getting a third Spider-Man reboot, don't worry because the latest movie Spider-Man: Homecoming is pretty darn great, and absolutely worth going to see.
Spider-Man: Homecoming finds us picking up with Spider-Man after the events of Captain America: Civil War, where Tony Stark drops off Peter with his new suit, and while Peter may be eager to join The Avengers for their next battle, Tony encourages the young Superhero to take it slow.
The movie give us a fun look at what it means to be Peter Parker, and also just how challenging it can be to be a high schooler when you're swinging around the neighbourhood trying your best to help.
Director Jon Watts has made a big movie that fits into the Marvel Universe and in many ways also provides viewers the opportunity to get a different perspective on the Marvel comic book movies. If there is anything Marvel is good at, it is the ability to introduce viewers - who may not know the context for the events on screen - with a quick refresher without it being tedious for those of us who have seen the previous movies.
In the lead, Holland is the most personable incarnation of Spider-Man and he meshes well with the character. His youthful casting was an intentional move but the studio, and it pays off because he is incredibly charming as Spider-man - while still giving the superhero his own attitude.
If anything Holland's Parker feels like a regular kid, except that that kid is a super-powered genius.
In a smart move, the film is set at a science based school which automatically informs us that everyone in the school is smart. Despite that, the school still has it's own cliques.
Holland is surrounded by a solid cast of young actors with Jacob Batalon as his best buddy Ned, Laura Harrier as his crush Liz, and Zendaya as Michelle, his sarcastic classmate. Zendaya always delivers when she is on screen, and this role may actually help the actress gain more notoriety.
Michael Keaton is excellent as the villain, Vulture, playing arguably the best Marvel super-villain to date. Usually the baddies lack noticeable characteristics but with Spider-Man: Homecoming we're presented with a bad-guy that feels like he may even be too powerful for our hero.
Keaton brings the intensity, clearly enjoying his time in an atypical baddie part.
What was a surprising joy was the restrained use of Iron Man, who has a strong precise as Peter's mentor, but yet doesn't overshadow his role in the movie. Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau) - acts as a liaison between the two with him getting all of the messages Peter leaves for Tony. Downey really only has a handful of notable scenes, and this isn’t quite the team-up fans might have expected, but that is certainly not a bad thing.
The movie has it's fair share of twists and includes one or two lines referencing his dead Uncle Ben, and includes a recurring joke about his young, gorgeous Aunt May (Marisa Tomei) - as in previous iterations she has always been older.
Spider-Man: Homecoming is fun, funny, and has it's fair share of action sequences, with us watching Peter Parker develop his Spider-Man skills and evolve as a Superhero.
Spider-Man: Homecoming may look like every other Marvel movie, but what it is is a really well-crafted Marvel superhero movie.
theolin.tembo@inl.co.za