Spider-Man is Home!

Spider-Man is arguably the most popular character of Marvel next to Iron-Man, Captain America and Hulk. Unfortunately, he’s been absent from the Marvel Cinematic Universe because the movie rights for the character belong to Sony. Sony acquired the rights from Marvel when the company became financially unstable, so Marvel sold the movie rights of several characters to different companies. This lead to Sony’s attempt to bring the web-head to life with the help of Sam Raimi and Tobey Maguire. It would go on to become a trilogy and lead to a reboot with Andrew Garfield that failed in the sequel.

Marvel has grown since then to become the leading film studio for superhero films by smashing box office records since Iron-Man (2008). One thing has been missing from Marvel for the past nine years, and that’s the web-head’s return. Many thought they would never see it coming with Sony owning the rights, but a surprise announcement came during the development of Captain America: Civil War. Spider-Man would be joining Marvel Studios after a deal was reached, and that’s what leads us to Spider-Man: Homecoming. This film gives fans everything they’ve been wanting to see on the big screen.

Tom Holland fit the character perfectly by reflecting the universal stages that teenagers go through and bringing in the constant sarcasm that Peter Parker has been known for having. Fans get to see the classic version of the suit, but with a few upgrades by Tony Stark. Fans will find these upgrades to deliver hilarious comedic relief. There’s great character development as Peter is trying to discover what kind of hero he is, and what he could be while trying to balance both his lives. Marisa Tomei is terrific as Aunt May with being the wise, caring mother figure in Peter’s life; she’s probably the most popular since Sally Field’s portrayal in The Amazing Spider-Man.

There are some elements missing that fans won’t see and that may cause a problem with traditionalists. There’s no mention of the Daily Bugle or the cynical cigar smoking J. Jonah Jameson. No real origin story or backstory on Peter Parker but he does mention how he got his powers in one sentence. No mention of Norman or Harry Osborn, so don’t expect anything about the Green Goblin. The biggest change will be with a certain love interest in Peter’s life and that’s all that will be said.

Now we get to the main antagonist in the film, The Vulture, who is played by Michael Keaton (Batman). The Vulture is explained with a backstory that takes place sometime after The Avengers and Michael Keaton delivers just as good as a villain as he does as a hero by being brilliant, brutal and methodical. The motivation behind Vulture’s suit is more simplistic and industrial rather than using it to regain his youth. Marvel took a more human approach with him rather than copying the comic and it works out in this film.  

Spider-Man: Homecoming is a fun, entertaining ride for everyone to see and it lives up to the standards that Marvel Studios has been known for creating. It’s going to be no surprise that this film will bring in the cash and the critics have been raving non-stop. There’s two different end credit scenes: one is in the middle and teases a possible sequel, the other is just a video featuring a cameo and it’s hilarious. This film gets an 8 out of 10 because it’s a great reboot of a beloved comic book character, but if you’re a traditionalist, then you may have a problem with this film. The web slinger will be in Avengers: Infinity War, so a solo film won’t be coming for a while, but it will be highly anticipated when a date is announced.