Review of Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) by Omar L — 27 Dec 2017

One of the reasons Spider-Man has resonated with so many for so long is that he was one of the first superheroes introduced to kids. Whether it was through cartoons, coloring books, children's adventures, Spider-Man was the introduction to the Marvel Universe at large. Despite the tragedy of the death of Uncle Ben, Spider-Man purposefully was a kid at heart, balancing a genius intellect with an immaturity that came from inexperience. The previous Spider-Man movies of Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield never focused on the awkwardness that comes with high school; in fact, those movies seemed eager to leave high school behind to concentrate on Peter Parker and Spider-Man as an adult.

Spider-Man: Homecoming does two things no other Spider-Man movie has done before: 1) it shows Peter Parker as a high schooler where school activities are naturally an important part of life, and 2) it shows Spider-Man in the shadow of the larger world of heroes; namely, the Avengers. Tom Holland expertly navigates the complexities of trying to be a hero, a student, a friend, and a nephew all at the same time, with each seemingly granted equal priority in his life. That balance is enough to overwhelm anyone, and Holland gives a heartbreaking performance when everything (literally) lands on top of him).

The movie feels a little too long, especially with its first two acts. But boy, does the movie get injected with energy when a plot twist brings all the different facets of Spider-Man and Peter's life together.