Spider-Man: Homecoming (Jon Watts)

[Henry Gale]

IMDb / Wiki

[Henry Gale]

It was only after the movie ended that I realized that Spider-Man operates best when it's not doom and gloom, but that pretty much every single big-screen adaptation of the character has concerned itself with dealing with major character deaths, strained romantic and family relationships, and or renouncing the costume. He was always in downtrodden, brooding inner turmoil, even when the movies were good, which almost made his ventures in costume a reluctance, with his snappy dialogue almost feeling ironic and at odds with how you knew he was really feeling.

Spider-Man: Homecoming is the first Spider-Man movie that just operates as pure, infectious fun with simultaneously latching onto a tone of vibrant adolescent energy and strong, emotional stakes all at once. The action is uniformly well-constructed, but the most gripping sequence is one without any effects or costumes at all, with nothing but static character coverage. All it involves is [

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people driving in a car with very different perceptions of a situation,

] and it's easily one of the most intense stretches of superhero cinema I've ever seen.

The movie is just super funny, charming, effervescent, and keep its stakes very grounded and personal. Even though the film has gone through many drafts, you can feel the influence of John Francis Daley incorporating his Freaks and Geeks-shaped nature into it (with the added mind-boggle of now seeing Martin Starr play a teacher in it) and the oddball messiness of Chris McKenna's Community days (with Donald Glover popping up in the least Troy-like role imaginable). The film immerses you so effectively in the conflict of a high school kid having to juggle his own identity and social life while being Spider-Man that you don't need an added looming city destruction to make it relatable to you as an everyperson. It's easy to connect to and invest in because of how few players are involved. You see ramifications of the first Avengers film and the team is talked about so much, but it's always from the lens of a wide-eyed kid who's had a fleeting, wild connection to it all. Also, anyone still worried about Downey's Stark overwhelming the film, you don't need to. There are even Iron Man bits from the trailer that feel like they were created just for the marketing.

Might just be Top 5, even Top 3, of the MCU for me (despite feeling so like its own type of movie), which is extra remarkable considering how impossible this movie felt like it would be only a few years ago. When Giacchino's version of that music played over the Marvel Studios logo, I got serious chills and even slightly choked up. Homecoming, indeed.

[Dukefrukem]

I can't believe I have to wait 7 days to see this.

[Philip J. Fry]

[transmogrifier]

This is the best Spider-man film, but then I don't really like the Raimi films, so there's that. It's also a Marvel film through and through, which means it is safe and predictable and very much concerned with brand extension. It does benefit enormously from the fact it's not another origin story, and it plays best when focusing on how Peter tries to balance regular life with superhero life, and it is very funny when it does that. It's no accident that the best action sequence comes when the two combine at the Washington Monument, where there are actual stakes (and an actual sense of physical danger!). Unfortunately, these things need a plot, so we get a totally ridiculous ferry set piece, which makes no sense on a simple physics level. And then we go into [

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Crazy Stupid Love

] territory for the "surprise" reveal, which sends the film rushing way too fast into the end game (and the way the film reveals it - as a surprise - robs the antagonist of a chance to actually show some depth and react to the Washington Monument thing as it happens, but here it is a two-second throwaway line in the car), which culminates in yet another noisy, frenetic, totally ridiculous big action scene (I mean, it is chock full of dumb).

Still, it has by far the best post-credits scene of any Marvel movie, so it has that going for it.

[Dukefrukem]

I need your yay/nay vote and ranking with other MCU films immediately.

[transmogrifier]

Guardians of the Galaxy - 69
The Avengers - 69
Ant-Man - 67
Captain America: Winter Soldier - 64
Iron Man 3 - 64
Captain America: First Avenger - 64
Spider-Man: Homecoming - 64
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 - 64
Dr. Strange - 58
Iron Man 2 - 58
Captain America: Civil War - 56
Iron Man - 55
The Incredible Hulk - 55
Avengers: Age of Ultron - 55
Thor - 51

Cinematic fast food.

[Peng]

So all between 3/5 and 3.5/5 stars. That is actually better than what I expected.

[Dukefrukem]

I watched First Avenger and half of Winter Soldier yesterday. I appreciate First Avenger much more the more I watch it. If you were to somehow add in Russo Bros action it may be one of the best in the MCU.

[Henry Gale]

Unfortunately, these things need a plot, so we get a totally ridiculous ferry set piece, which makes no sense on a simple physics level. And then we go into [

Show Spoiler

Crazy Stupid Love

] territory for the "surprise" reveal, which sends the film rushing way too fast into the end game (and the way the film reveals it - as a surprise - robs the antagonist of a chance to actually show some depth and react to the Washington Monument thing as it happens, but here it is a two-second throwaway line in the car), which culminates in yet another noisy, frenetic, totally ridiculous big action scene (I mean, it is chock full of dumb).

I didn't want to mention it before, but I will say this was the biggest "You either go with it, or you don't" moment for me, and I'm surprised that most people seemed to have been as cool with it as they have been, especially since, like you say, it takes a major element of emotional context from that reaction, having to reveal it when they do. And the film you cite exactly came to mind, but that was a case where I decidedly did not think it helped that film's story. It helped that I went with as soon as I did, because I thought [

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that chauffeur scene was tremendous.

]

My biggest nagging issue over time with it is [

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that with his Stark-designed suit and "Karen", it kinda turns Spider-Man into Young Iron Man & Jarvis for a significant chunk of the movie. The redemption being that the final act (via Tony's speechifying and fathering) largely confronts this, forcing him to play hero without the high-tech super-suit, but in the majority of the time he is in it, it still feels pretty dissonant to what his superhero nature should be, him not knowing what web he's shooting and such. And I do get that from a screenwriting standpoint it's a huge help because it gives him someone for him to talk to aloud on screen, therefore we can spend more time with him in the suit without us losing his voice, etc.,
but to me this was the most detrimental MCU infusion.

] Also the fact that he doesn't seem as aware of how able he is to physically latch onto things as other cinematic iterations, and the fact that there is never a clearly conveyed instance of his Spider Sense. Unless they want to have him grow into certain abilities like that, to further the puberty parallels.

[Skitch]

I appreciate First Avenger much more the more I watch it. If you were to somehow add in Russo Bros action it may be one of the best in the MCU.

One of the most underrated in the MCU. The mixed response still annoys me. I really like that movie.

[transmogrifier]

So all between 3/5 and 3.5/5 stars. That is actually better than what I expected.

I seldom hate them, but don't really love any of them either. They just exist - my wife enjoys them, so we watch them together.

[transmogrifier]

I didn't want to mention it before, but I will say this was the biggest "You either go with it, or you don't" moment for me, and I'm surprised that most people seemed to have been as cool with it as they have been, especially since, like you say, it takes a major element of emotional context from that reaction, having to reveal it when they do. And the film you cite exactly came to mind, but that was a case where I decidedly did not think it helped that film's story. It helped that I went with as soon as I did, because I thought [

Show Spoiler

that chauffeur scene was tremendous.

].

I think it was a terrible choice in the end, because it sacrifices WAY too much of the Vulture's character, who is thinly sketched and totally wasted in the end. It would have been simple to let the audience in on it early and then let Peter figure it out later, but they wanted that dumb gotcha moment. Also, the film misses out on a HUGE opportunity immediately after the car scene:[

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I was hoping Peter would go to the dance and spend some time hanging out and enjoying himself with his date, basically be seduced by the idea of letting things go for his own pleasure/peace of mind. Instead, they just rush through everything to get to the dumb plane thing. Also, because of the gotcha twist, the speed at which Keaton figures everything else doesn't really track....

]

[Winston*]

I seldom hate them, but don't really love any of them either.

The reason they almost all get good tomatometer scores.

[Dukefrukem]

LOVED this.

Everything about this movie tonely is perfect. I was giddy in my seat. Parker in high school. Vulture's origin. The tie-ins with the first Avengers. Basically the setup is done in the shortest, most efficient way, without having to have to explain who spider-man is, where he comes from, and what his powers are. That's the advantage of having the MCU to work with.

I kept thinking to myself, the stakes are so small compared to previous Marvel films, but they are so large for Peter. And that's why the tension feels so great. The city, state or planet doesn't need to be in jeopardy for a film to feel like the character has a purpose. That's exactly what transpires- small scale set pieces; the Washington Monument, The Ferry and a small 727.

And hilarious. By far the funniest film in the MCU. It makes me want to watch it again because there's so much joy on screen. There's no brooding. What I have to struggle with now, is whether or not this is my favorite spider-man film. If it is, it's also my favorite comic-book movie.

[Dukefrukem]

1. Spider-man: Homecoming N/A
2. The Avengers 2012 ★★★★★
3. Captain America: The Winter Soldier 2014 ★★★★★
4. Captain America: Civil War 2016 ★★★★★
5. Avengers: Age of Ultron 2015 ★★★★½
6. Guardians of the Galaxy 2014 ★★★★½
7. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 2017 ★★★★
8. Ant-Man 2015 ★★★★
9. Doctor Strange 2016 ★★★★
10. Iron Man 2008 ★★★★
11. Iron Man 3 2013 ★★★★
12. Captain America: The First Avenger 2011 ★★★½
13. Thor 2011 ★★★½
14. Iron Man 2 2010 ★★
15. The Incredible Hulk 2008 ★★½
16. Thor: The Dark World 2013

[transmogrifier]

Another couple of things that annoyed me about the film:

- the new suit was far too Iron Man-ish for me. I get that Iron Man and RDJ are the crown jewels of the universe, so you want to cram them in everything as much as possible, but it's getting a bit boring now.

- some people say The Vulture is one of the best villains in the MCU. It's not true though; he COULD have been, but he's underwritten (because of the aforementioned desire to have a gotcha moment) and more nakedly a plot convenience than many other villains.

- Marisa Tomei is wasted.

- the loud whispering at school about being Spider-man. Come on idiots, everyone can hear that shit.

[Dukefrukem]

Not sure if you're up to date on the MCU plans trans, but Spider-man is going to become the new Iron Man in Phase 4. So they are pretty much setting up Tony Stark's death- hence the Spidey Suit.

[transmogrifier]

Eh. The links between individual movies is by far the least interesting thing about the entire MCU for me. (For example, I could not give less of a shit about the Infinity Stones or Thanos yet, because why should I?.)

Actually, make that the second least interesting - the actual least interesting is reading about future directions of the MCU

[Dukefrukem]

Fair. The weird thing about the suit though, it basically replaces Spidey Sense, which it didn't feel like Peter had. Not sure if it's a power he hasn't learned how to use yet but there was't one moment where it appeared he was anticipating getting hit. And he got hit a lot.

[transmogrifier]

Fair. The weird thing about the suit though, it basically replaces Spidey Sense, which it didn't feel like Peter had. Not sure if it's a power he hasn't learned how to use yet but there was't one moment where it appeared he was anticipating getting hit. And he got hit a lot.

See, not being a comic book guy at all, I have no issues with any liberties taken with how Spider-man "works" so to speak or his backstory - I just wish I wasn't watching another Iron Man clone, because I've seen that already. It was fine the first 10 times or so.

EDIT: Still, the first half of the movie is very engaging, funny, and well-directed, and the reason I'm positive on this. Just like 90% of the other films in the MCU, a rewrite of the third act would have done wonders.

[TGM]

The M in MCU clearly stands for Mediocre at this point. That was easily the weakest Spidey yet. Spider-Man? More like Spider-Meh, amiright?

The found footage shit at the beginning was the best part. That, and I liked the girl they cast as MJ. But after seeing this movie? Yeah, Andrew Garfield > Tobey Maguire > Tom Holland.

That post-credits scene was nice, tho.

[Dukefrukem]

No you are not right. And found footage part at the beginning was the WORST part.

[TGM]

It was the only part with any semblance of charm. The older movies may at times be problematic, but they all have a certain charm that goes completely missing in this conveyor belt bullshit. This movie, like Ant-Man, was aggressively mediocre.

[TGM]

Another couple of things that annoyed me about the film:

- the new suit was far too Iron Man-ish for me. I get that Iron Man and RDJ are the crown jewels of the universe, so you want to cram them in everything as much as possible, but it's getting a bit boring now.

- some people say The Vulture is one of the best villains in the MCU. It's not true though; he COULD have been, but he's underwritten (because of the aforementioned desire to have a gotcha moment) and more nakedly a plot convenience than many other villains.

- Marisa Tomei is wasted.

- the loud whispering at school about being Spider-man. Come on idiots, everyone can hear that shit.

Agreed with all of this. For much of the movie, I felt like I was watching Iron-Man Lite.