Written by Tasya
Contrary to most people, I wasn’t that excited for Spiderman: Homecoming. His appearance in Civil War was definitely a breath of fresh air, just some kid who idolises the Avengers and would do anything for help, but it’s another Spiderman reboot. Also, the amount of promotional and teasers that were released became slightly off-putting for myself.
Then the reviews started to pour in and I just couldn’t resist. Let me tell you; it seems like everyone else was incredibly excited for this movie where I’m from since all the tickets had been booked for at least a week.
Spiderman: Homecoming offers a new take on the web-slinger. He’s still young, full of energy, and totally enthusiastic about being a superhero. Different from the previous Spiderman, Tom Holland’s Spidey is constantly looking for trouble and bad guys to catch. It puts him in all sorts of dangerous and frustrating situations, but his need to prove himself so he can be worthy of being a superhero feels somewhat relatable. This is especially evident since everyone treats him like a kid and doesn’t want to hear his thoughts, even though he has proven that he is capable of handling things like back in Civil War.
I also love how this movie explored the relationship between Tony and Peter. Tony genuinely cares for Peter and tries to protect him, playing the father/mentor figure and even covers for him at one point. But well, Tony is Tony, and Peter is a teenager, which means we are bound to get “you’re a kid” and “no one understands me” clash throughout the movie.
It’s obvious this film would take on a fun and lighter tone than other Marvel movies, but I can also see why the tone make this movie not sit well with some. The lightness of the plot and dialogue suits the school setting and Peter’s age, blending his Peter Parker and Spiderman identity into one movie filled with romance, pop-culture references, and amazing action. Homecoming is part teen-movie-part superhero, so it worked well for a lot of other people in the theatre and me. Throughout the film, there was near constant laughter and exclamations from the audience, who were mostly teenagers.
Unfortunately, the villain seems very lacklustre. His motivation was straightforward, and he wasn’t that menacing, but instead felt like a caricature of a villain with an incapable crew. Perhaps if the film was able to explore his crew a little better to understand what they’re capable of, the villains would have felt more menacing.
Overall, Spiderman: Homecoming is a success for me. It manages to capture Peter Parker as just Peter and Spiderman, with high-school rom-com atmosphere, and amazing action scenes. Can’t wait to see more of this new Spiderman in Avengers: Infinity War!
Did you enjoy the film? Tell us in the comments below!
I really enjoyed the film, but I disagree with you on the villain. His motivation is something most people can relate to. He is not bent on world domination or total destruction. He is not evil personified. He is a guy who wants to support his family and found an opportunity to do so through crime. He also does not simply turn to crime out of greed, he does it to get back at those whom he feels wronged him. He is not into theatrics. He operates under the radar and he tries hard to stay there. He is a smuggler and a thief. Not a god or genius. He is believable. And I think the point is him not being too menacing. Spider man is still trying to prove himself in this film. He has also just had his super powers for 6 months. And he is a geeky teenager. It would have been bad to have him go up against a ‘world destroyer’ on his first time out and like in Captain America Winter Soldier it would have had people asking ‘the world is ending and the avengers don’t bother to show?’ I think the Vulture being a villain ‘not worthy’ of any of the other Avengers helps the movie fit into the MCU without raising too many questions.