Review of Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) by Dirigiblepulp — 14 Aug 2017

It's ironic that in a culture over-saturated with superhero films, where film "fans" are decrying the state of the big budget pic and Hollywood studio moviemaking in general, continue to overpraise these same films year after year. You can't say that superhero films are "product" and aren't doing anything innovative or interesting or new and then every time a new one comes out heap tons of praise on the one aspect that differentiates it from the rest - "Wonder Woman" is a great film because it reverses gender (but does nothing else of note) and Spider-Man is because it actually stars an actor close to the age of the character he's playing and draws comparison to John freakin Hughes because it takes places in a high school and that's what Marvel execs are touting.

First off, Homecoming is a pretty terrible subtitle for multiple reasons. It flat out sounds bad is the most alarming - who thought this was acceptable? And because the eponymous Homecoming in the film really doesn't serve that much dramatic purpose. The movie kind of wants you to think it does, but it doesn't and this really applies to the film as a whole.

Tom Holland is a fitting Peter Parker. He captures the nervousness and goofiness of callow Peter, it not exactly his science geekiness (sure he invents his webs, but that's for fanboys and does nothing for his personality like it was supposed to in the comics). For a while, this is a flick about a boy trying to find his place in the world. Navigating friends, girls, school and of course being a superhero. These parts work.

Then the film transitions (and fairly early on) into a one-note movie about a boy wanting to be an Avenger. Not a hero, not a boy becoming a man by learning responsibility, just an action figure with a cool suit. The film takes the entire premise of Spider-Man the hero - "With great power comes great responsibility" - and turns that into a dilemma about learning the powers of one's supersuit. Tony's pivotal line in this movie is the most embarrassing misrepresentation of a character's identity I've yet seen in one of these kinds of films - "If you're nothing without the suit then you're nothing." - except of course that's not even remotely true. The suit is basically an Iron Man costume in spandex and Peter spends large chunks of time trying to figure out fancy custom web configurations. Not learning responsibility or growing up or maturing, just you know, playing with his new complex super-toy.

Suffice it to say that the final revelation that happens during the Homecoming scene means nothing. Peter doesn't have to do any growing in order to succeed, he just lucks into finding Vulture and then does everything he was told not to but this time around the world is saved so it's fine. And the joke they make at the end about Peter becoming an Avenger (it's a test right?) is so stupid and out of place dramatically that it just shows how completely thematically confused this whole film is.

Final thoughts: MJ drop mattered none - her longing look completely unearned. Keaton is great as Vulture, his motivation relevant, but grossly underutilized and developed. Action scenes are choppy for the most part. Also, is Laura a cool girl or a geek? Somehow both and yet inexplicably likes Peter for no reason whatsoever. Peter gets it all, learns nothing. Millennial Spider-Man indeed.

Also this film loves it some Raimi Spider-Mans (don't we all?). The upside down kiss tease. The line about Aunt May not understanding Peter's body's "changes." If only...