Tom Holland was Born to be Spider-Man | Homecoming Review

"Writers live twice," -Natalie Goldberg

I almost had to disown my family at the end of Spider-Man: Homecoming. Because they were pretty disappointed with it. 

And I believe I've determined why: They expected a traditional superhero movie/origin story featuring someone in their late twenties. 

But alas, onto my thoughts. 

The Bad

1. Aunt May

Aunt May is an incredibly important relationship not only in the comics but in the other Spider-Man franchises. The movie attempts to make her cool and attractive, but it falls flat because this new interpretation of Aunt May has no depth. If she did, the movie didn't give her the time to grow into the character she should have been. The relationships that matter to Peter Parker are some of the strongest drivers in the story, but they missed the mark on this one. 

2. The Love Interest

Liv . . . Liz . . . whoever the love interest was, was terribly uninteresting. They had no chemistry together, and the only thing that would change about the story is that the villian would be less interesting. Liz wasn't a character - she only served to add conflict to Peter and add depth to the Vulture. Maybe the point was that Liz took a backseat, but she was terribly bland and only utilized as a plot device. 


The Good

1. Tom Holland

This man was born to play Spider-Man. He's got the innocence and youth of Tobey Maguire, and the humor and depth of Andrew Garfield. Not to mention he's the best actor of all three of them, with Garfield a close second. 

2. The Setting

Homecoming nailed the unique atmosphere of Spider-Man, which is high school. My mom didn't like it because she thought they focused too much on that in the beginning, however, I found it entirely engaging and realistic, because we rarely see superheroes in a setting so mundane. It added to the appeal and the realistic feel of this movie. Of course, these would be the challenges Peter would have to face. 


3. The Comedy

Unarguably the funniest of all of the Spider-Man movies, this is the most obvious improvement over the other franchises. The humor is never shoehorned in either, just to make sure the audience is paying attention. It's smart and arises directly from the plot and characters. The humor also fits the context of the characters and setting, albiet making it not exactly kid-friendly. The most poignant thing about it, though, is how much it pokes fun at the world they live in. Seemingly mundane things are hilarious to us because it takes place in the MCU, namely Cap's amazing cameos. 


4. The Tone

The tone was also appropriate, unlike many other Spider-Man films. The first tended to be corny and garishly colorful, and the reboot was almost too gritty and dark. However, this film has its moments of humor and its moments of intense grit and its moment of heart. The tone never felt unbalanced or unfitting with the context or the genre. 

5. Peter's Character Arc

Spider-Man: Homecoming is a genre-bending movie, but one that also knows and appeals to its core audience. Peter's character arc is something new to be seen in superhero movies. It's less about Peter trying to prove himself worthy of being an Avenger - what it might seem to be on the outside - and more of Peter trying to find himself inside and outside of the Spiderman suit, and trying to fit in. It truly fits the film and the context of the character. 

~

I could talk forever about the great parts of Spider-Man: Homecoming. However, if two elements were changed, this movie would be a 10/10.

~The WordShaker