“Can't you just be a friendly neighborhood Spider-Man?”
Tony Stark
 |
| "With great power..." |
Synopsis:
Following on from the events of Civil
War, well-meaning high school student Peter Parker excitedly awaits
his next mission with the Avengers, unaware that he has been
essentially 'shelved' from the most dangerous assignments because
Tony Stark isn't confident he's ready for the big-leagues.
Elsewhere, salvage specialist Adrian Toomes is all but put out of
business by Stark Industries, and so turns to selling illegal weapons created from alien technology to support his family. When Parker stumbles across Toomes' operation the
stage is set for a super-powered battle of wills with far-reaching
consequences.
For your consideration...
Spiderman Homecoming does not exist
within a vacuum. Most will realise that this is the third reboot in
15 years (that's a reboot every 5 years for the slow of math). I've always
maintained that re-boots not only deserve to be, but in all fairness
should be, considered alongside previous incarnations. After all, if
you don't feel confident that you can improve on what's already come before,
then why are you rebooting something? The first of Sam Raimi's Spiderman films
was a film for adults pretending to be one for children (complete
with an attempted rape, a bone-crunching final and a hero who fails
to 'get the girl'). His second Spiderman was a children's film
pretending to be for grown-ups (featuring a villain who 'learns the
error of his ways' and redeems himself saving the hero, as well as some
sickly-sweet soul searching). Raimi's third entry failed in just
about every way, but by now Raimi had proved once and for all that superheros could be big business.
Marc Webb's (oxymoron alert) 'Amazing' two efforts somehow turned
everybody's favourite unassuming teenager into a prick; there's more to updating a character than giving him a skateboard and an attitude (he was more of a Bart Simpson than any Peter Parker). It was
therefore with a mixed reception that Marvel finally managed to buy
back Spiderman's rights from Sony and announced yet another reboot by
launching the character into it's expanding MCU (the Marvel Cinematic Universe). There
were those who were happy to see the character back in safer hands,
those who were upset that they would never see the close of Marc Webb's
announced trilogy (idiots mostly), and those who thought a third reboot was simply
too much too soon. Even Kirsten Dunst,Raimi's leading lady, waded in to the debate. "We made the best ones, so who cares?... They’re just milking that cow for
money.". It was a fair comment, and in most instances she'd be dead right; the first 2 Raimi films would be hard to top, but let's not forget the movie business is still a business and I'm sure she's taken the odd job 'for the money'. However, on this occasion Ms. Dunst may have to eat those well chosen words... The first thing that needs to be said about
Spiderman Homecoming is this; it's by far the best Spiderman movie to date, and one of Marvel's strongest entries. Secondly, it's very, very funny. Most of the
Marvel films to date have been an entertaining combination of
whip-smart banter and explosive mayhem, with Guardians of the Galaxy
thus far being the most humerus. However, Spiderman goes one step
further to the extent it's probably first and foremost a comedy and a
super powered adventure second. That's certainly no bad thing... I
once said the time for a perfect Spiderman has come and gone, but I
was (as the scores might suggest) dead wrong, although I do feel
vindicated in the accuracy of some of my points. I said Marc Webb's
Nolan-esque take on the character was a step totally in the wrong
direction, and for a character like Spiderman it should sway more
into the comedic realms of Kick-Ass (which in so many ways
essentially was a Spiderman story). Homecoming is EXACTLY that,
thanks to a terrific script credited to no less than 12 writers,
which would normally result in disaster. Read-on, Spidey fans...
Script: 1/2
Despite the fact that the script is
incredibly entertaining, there's no disguising the fact that, so far
as the plot is concerned, it's pretty silly. However, that said,
you're not watching a Spiderman film for the plot, right? By placing
Spiderman into the Marvel universe (a God-send in so many ways), it
does mean having to embrace some of the more 'wild' elements of that
franchise, including alien technology. But with Marvel's favourite
son back on home ground and in safe hands, it's a very small price to
pay... On another note, it always bothered me how anybody was
supposed to overlook the fact that a teenager on a low to modest
income could afford to create the Spiderman outfit and web-shooter
tools (a point that became laughable in Marc Web's gritty attempt). In Tony Stark the Marvel universe finds it's answer, and
it's at once such an obvious and shrewd move. Naturally, Stark is
responsible for essentially bankrolling Peter Parker and providing
him with the tech, and it becomes suddenly believable that the suit
would be blue and hot-rod red (this from a flashy and extravagant
billionaire who designed himself a gold suit). Minor grumble; too many gadgets for my liking, but it
feels a reasonable fit for the MCU. Wasn't overly sold on the suit's
internal-voice, but it proved a great way of keeping the character
talking and provided the occasional laugh.
Pace: 2/2
While I was watching
the film I always felt like we were moving from scene to scene with
such speed and efficiency that by the time it ended it had felt like
a relatively short experience. I was surprised to read that actually the
film was just over 2 hours in length. While I adamantly stand by my
opinion that most stories can be told successfully in 90 to 120
minutes, Homecoming obviously stands as proof to the fact that a well
told film will justify it's length. Thankfully, none of this time is spent wasted on an origin story (not even Civil War bothered). The Marvel head-sheds, quite wisely, have figured out most people know the
whole 'uncle Ben thing' pretty well by now, and instead just get on
with telling the story at hand.
Acting: 2/2
Not sure how else I can
put this, but Tom Holland IS Peter Parker. He's perfect; he's nerdy,
he's self deprecating, he's enthusiastic, he's innocent, he's witty,
he's good natured while never being a
goody-two-shoes. He's not wet like Toby McGuire was (his moping got
tedious after a while), and he's not too-cool-for-school like Andrew
Garfield. And, shock-horror, he's pretty close to actually being of
genuine high-school age- that's a first and it makes a huge difference. McGuire and
Garfield were both clearly adults, adults in peril. Holland looks
like a kid, sounds like a kid, acts like a kid- he's just a kid doing the right thing in the face of real danger, and all the
more braver for it. That's what Spiderman should be about!... In
Raimi's first Spiderman, Willem De Foe chewed the scenery with relish
and gusto, and made for the perfect Green Goblin. There will never be
a better Goblin, why try? Wisely, Marvel didn't bother. Instead,
they've found a perfect foil in Michael Keaton, and rather than dial
in a zany Beetlejuice-styled performance, Keaton again proves his
range by making Adrian Toomes a very nuanced character. He's ruthless
but not an entirely unlikable, he's a character that started with
honest intentions and, true to life, found himself on a slippery
slope. He's justified his crimes (he has a family to support), he had
the opportunity (the alien technology from his clearance days) and he
had the motivation (forced out of work by Stark Industries). Ruthless but not cruel, nothing he does ever feels for the sake of causing suffering, although he's clearly dangerous. It all
comes from an honest emotional place, who hasn't at some point felt
like they're put upon by 'The Man'? And, in a refreshing turn,
Toomes, AKA The Vulture (although in the film nobody ever calls him
this) is one of the few villains in the Spiderman rouge's gallery who
isn't the result of a failed science experiment.
I don't think it's saying too much to
point out that, once again, the villain learns of Spiderman's secret
identity (after all, it's only happened in every film so far; Green
Goblin, Doc Ock, Harry Osborne, Venom, Sandman, Lizard, Hobgoblin). So naturally, Parker also learns who Adrian Toomes is (in one HUGELY shocking twist which I did not see coming). In the
scenes that follow with Holland and Keaton sans-masks, the air is
electric and both actors show the standard of their game; Holland
looks genuinely heartbroken and terrified all at once, and because
he's (importantly) "just a kid" he looks all too vulnerable. Keaton is
totally conflicted- all seething rage and reluctant adoration. It's a
Hell-of-a scene, and sets up the dramatic tone for the remainder of the film. On that
subject, like Ant Man before it, Homecoming's stakes are relatively
small. There is no doomsday bomb, no city-sprawling gas-cloud, no
alien invasion. Ant Man (while not the best film in the Marvel
cinematic franchise) was, in the end, a man trying to save his
daughter from a maniac: as an audience we can relate to those stakes much easier than, say, the
Avengers saving the world from aliens.
Spiderman's stakes concern an attempt to steal a shipment of powerful
weapons, but that's about it. But, given the smaller-scale, and
Spiderman's relative inexperience and the terror he feels confronting the Vulture, that's significant enough. This is about bravery, loyalty
and dedication, and what is at the end of the day (super powers not
withstanding) "just a kid".
Other mentions; Robert Downey Jr is
always a delight as Tony Stark, although his long-suffering assistant
'Happy' Hogan, as played by Ironman director Jon Favreau, has more
screen time in his function as Parker's minder. Marisa Tomei gets a
few laughs as a MILF-style aunt May, and Disney heartthrob and teen
model Zandaya is a 100 miles from her usual glam image as one of
Parker's fellow students (I dare not say more). Laura Harrier plays
Parker's popular but sweet natured love interest Liz, while Jacob
Batalon is a joy as Parker's nerdy best friend; he and Hollander have
a warm and believable chemistry which the film does well to exploit.
Aesthetic: 2/2
The effects are
(despite earlier misgivings) all good, and the suit design has grown
on me some. The Vulture (never my favorite villain) here has a cool
makeover, and the scenes where he's flying around while fighting
Spiderman are all serviceable. Most of this sort of action we've seen
a lot by now, no matter how good this reboot is there's no denying a
strong sense of deja vu in the visuals. What makes it different this
time round are the characters and situations at play. That said, the
film does include a few novel touches; by moving much of the climax
to very high-up in the air (beyond the 'playground' of buildings seen
in most of the other films) there's a genuine sense that Spiderman is
out of his element and in great danger, and it's also funny to see
Parker suffer from a bout of vertigo, a joke that works all the better for Holland's
youth. In fact, his relative inexperience is a cause for many of the
funniest moments- it's refreshing to see that, just because he has
the suit, this doesn't make him the fully-fledged and capable hero that
McGuire and Garfield instantly became (although I admit things on
occasion did go wrong for McGuire). But yes, the budget and effects
are well utilised, and the smaller scale means that the spectacles
somehow feel more grounded in reality.
Intention: 2/2
Homecoming is the
first film that nail's it's target audience, in the purest sense.
It's a film about a teenager, for teenagers. But, by extension,
teenagers being the middle-audience, there's something here for
everybody. It's funny (very funny), it's sweet natured (while never
saccharine) and it's exciting (especially if you're too young to remember the first 3 films). Familiar themes and characters are given fresh overhauls, but
are never so different that they're somehow offensive to long term
fans. As a child I grew up on Spiderman, and I personally thought the
changes were not only made with good intentions but entirely
necessary; I've seen Aunt May as doddery, I've seen MJ as the perfect
cheerleader type, I've seen Flash Thompson as the mindless brute,
I've seen Harry as the best friend. I honestly didn't have high hopes
for Homecoming, like a lot of people I thought it was a film the
world didn't need, even if Marvel would likely do better than Marc
Webb (I really, truly, hated those films). But, happily, I was wrong.
Another feather in Homecoming's cap is how it essentially stands
alone. Sure, it references events from Avengers Assemble and Civil
War, but in such a way that, even if you have no prior knowledge, the
film feeds you this information easily. Sure, it also features Tony
Stark, and 'Happy' Hogan, both to great effect (Stark's relationship
with Peter is particularly poignant in parts, hysterical in others,
not to mention an excellent way to introduce Spiderman into the MCU)
but, again, it's set-up in such a way that anyone can enjoy this film
without an encyclopedia-like knowledge of all the other Marvel output.
This didn't feel like a 'tent-pole' film; it wasn't there just to
set-up more cross-overs, an issue that plagues many of the Marvel
films. Nor does it suffer from the twin plagues of too many characters
and establishing too many plots. No, Homecoming is Homecoming, it's
that simple. Refreshingly, anyone can enjoy this on it's own merits.
Final Word: 9/10
Let's hope “friendly neighborhood
Spiderman” is less a disparaging remark and more of a statement of
purpose for the wall-crawler's future films, because it's this
smaller scale which is one of the films most vitalizing and promising
strengths. Will something be lost in seeing Parker transform from a
well-meaning but fledgling hero into a sure-footed mega-hero on par
with the other Avengers, as it was in the dreadful Kick-Ass sequel?
We will have to wait and see, but the future is looking bright. It was very brave for the studio to
have the entire climax of the film take place without use of the
iconic Spiderman suit, (for reasons I can't discuss just yet), but
like Tony Stark chastises “If you're nothing without the suit, then
you shouldn't have it”. And with those words, Marvel invest
everything they have in the character of Peter Parker and not the
cash-cow image of Spiderman, a conviction that pays off in spades. I've heard Homecoming described as "Harry Potter meets Avengers", and while that's not entirely inaccurate it also fails to capture the films level of success or significance: Homecoming didn't try and rework that old line "with great power comes great responsibility"; it lived it. Homecoming isn't just the title, it's the Marvel welcome the character deserves. A joy from start to finish. Kudos Marvel, one right out of the park.
