Spider-Man swings his way into the MCU, and back into our hearts
When I heard that Sony had canned its Amazing Spider-Man reboot, I was pretty disappointed. Andrew Garfield’s Peter Parker had really grown on me, and while I wasn’t crazy about the sequel – I still have a lot of time for the 2012 film. Suitably though, some damage control was applied when I heard that Spidey would be swinging his way into the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
I am just coconuts for joint cinema continuities – I have no idea why. It’s why I’m so lenient in my reviews of DCEU films, and why I’m so interested in Universal’s Dark Universe even though the thought of paying money to see Tom Cruise causes me physical pain.
Yet it has become especially apparent in recent years that MCU movies have become a little formulaic. An unlikely hero battling his own personal circumstance to halt some global threat which, in doing so, brings some closure to his own troubles. Invariably some city will be totally flattened, and it will all cumulate in a visually awesome battle sequence.
While Spider-Man: Homecoming doesn’t fall too far from Marvel’s very impressive tree, director Jon Watts has captured enough of what makes Spider-Man work that this film does come as quite the breath fresh of air.
That begins with Tom Holland, who is perfectly cast as Peter Parker – nerdy, awkward, charming, and likeable – everything teenage Spidey should be. The Ultimate Spider-Man Disney XD cartoon series (of which I am a big fan) feels like it was quite the influence in Homecoming. The opening of the film, in which Peter vlogs his Captain America: Civil War experience, feels incredibly reminiscent of Ultimate’s use of narration and forth wall-breaking soliloquies. Indeed I recall an Instagram post from Holland where he parted his hair just like Ultimate Spidey, which was a nice nod.
Tom Holland pictured at San Diego Comic Con 2016. Credit: Gage Skidmore.
While Holland himself is actually a similar age to the majority of your dear Newplex team, he is convincing as a teenager in this film, and a young teenager at that. His coming-of-age story, set in the confines of high school, goes a long way in reducing the stakes of the movie from the fate of the galaxy, or Asgard, or even New York (for the 100th time), while not feeling too trivial or unrelatable. It wasn’t that long ago we spent our days making increasingly embarrassing faux pas or lamenting over not getting invited to parties. I get invited to loads of parties now. I just can’t ever attend because, y’know, I’m the editor of this site… And my Scrabble club is a big commitment…
I had suspected, going into this film, that all of Robert Downey Jr’s scenes as “Mr Stark” would have been covered in one of Homecoming’s plethora of marketing spots. But, surprisingly, he does show up a little more than I expected. Not enough to make it another Iron Man film (Civil War, anyone?) but enough to make sense – though it is probably a 50/50 split between actual human RDJ and purely digital Iron Man suits.
Though it goes without saying that RDJ’s portrayal of Iron Man is still one of the best things about the MCU, he remains funny and cool, but now he has the added dimension of wisdom. Peter’s puppy-like need to impress him is adorable, and it makes for a compelling dynamic not yet seen in the MCU.
The youthfulness that Spider-Man provides to a slightly ageing Avengers roster is also certainly welcome. That teen movie feeling is woven into Homecoming with references to Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, which are completely lost on me on account of my rampant millennialism – but I’m sure older viewers enjoyed it.
The lack of yet another origin story is certainly a relief in Homecoming. Viewers my age have lived through several cartoon versions, countless comic versions, and now three movie reboots. He gets bitten by a radioactive – we know. There are certainly aspects of this version of Peter’s backstory I’d like to know, but Homecoming doesn’t feel the need to rush to all of that in this movie, leaving plenty to explore in future outings – keeping at least some intrigue.
It would have been nice to explore this version of Peter’s abilities a little further however – beyond his suit. An interesting idea was raised in Civil War when Stark discovered the goggles Peter had made for his more basic costume. He claimed that his heightened abilities caused something of a sensory overload, so he made those adjustable lenses to help him focus. I really liked how that was put in there, and I felt it may have been a small nod to fans perhaps on the autistic spectrum, or anyone who sometimes finds the world a little overwhelming. This wasn’t really picked up in Homecoming, so I hope we can explore that more in future films. Indeed most of the time in this movie was dedicated to looking at his new (and awesome) suit, designed and built by Stark – it’s cool, but it doesn’t tell us a lot about Peter.
Still, Watts doesn’t hold your hand through either Peter’s backstory or feel the need to re-establish nearly 10 years of MCU setting, but does draw on it perfectly. While Spider-Man himself may not be making the impact he wants to make on his universe, the universe certainly impacts him, and everyone around him. Marvel and Sony have taken full advantage of the MCU’s canon, sourcing a compelling origin story for the film’s main villain, the Vulture, played wonderfully by Michael Keaton. His natural charm converts to menace in a really delightful way, making for a villain who – may not be a threat to the world in Ultron proportions – still poses a meaningful challenge to our hero.
Spider-Man: Homecoming is just the film the Marvel Cinematic Universe needed right now. Optimistic, charming, and funny, Homecoming comes as an essential counterweight to the impending Avengers: Infinity War epic, which is likely to be 90% explosions.
I’ve not always loved Spider-Man, but I absolutely do now.
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