Stars Tom Holland, Michael Keaton, Jacob Batalon, Laura Harrier, Zendaya, Tony Revolori, Bokeem Woodbine, with Marisa Tomei and Robert Downey Jr. Directed by Jon Watts So let's just say that, yes, Spider-Man: Homecoming is fairly good and entertaining as he would expect. The high bar is set by Sam Raimi's Spider-Man II with its excellent action set-pieces, strong characters built upon the established baseline of the previous film, a great and sympathetic villain, and Aunt May's magnificent speech about being a hero that resonates throughout the film. For Homecoming, the story and plot almost seems too busy where Peter (Tom Holland) is concerned. Sure, he's constantly trying to prove himself to Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr), that he is a bona fire hero, albeit one utterly lacking in experience. While it works perfectly, tying to the high-school drama, it feels slightly schizophrenic to the derring-do heroics while dealing with the team of villains led by Adrien Toomes (an excellent Michael Keaton). In addition to Toomes’ cohorts, some sporting names or devices that might raise the spider-sense of some fans, there are also Peter Parker’s school-mates. There, as well, are a plethora of characters with familiar names- Ned (Jacob Batalon), Flash (Tony Revolori), Liz (Laura Harrier) among others although they are not who we might expect. The same applies to the snarky Michelle (Zendaya). So yes, there is clash in tone where the high-school drama and the super heroics are concerned and many of the characters flit in and out, not that it’s a totally bad thing. After all, this is a very different Spider-Man who’s had a taste of the big leagues and somewhat doesn’t quite take in the whole “Power and Responsibility” thing into his thought process for now. Most of the time, he’s reacting to the situations while trying to prove his worth to Stark, and making a bigger mess of things along the way. Then again, that’s part of the story we’re dealing with, an odd balance between a curse and a boon, rushing forward from the events of Captain America: Civil War, albeit several months later. There’s no faulting the performances and new Spidey, Tom Holland, gives Peter an earnestness that’s been missing from the previous incarnations, delivering a very nice balance between being in and out of costume. Holland practically carries the movie and his interactions with Keaton are beautifully conceived, leading to a pivotal and very key Spidey moment. The casting is solid, particularly with Batalon pulling a nice double act with Holland. Marisa Tomei does well as this version of Aunt May, but somewhat feels underused, being there more to fret over Peter than provide any sage or life advice. Still, director Jon Watts manages to find a balance for the most part given the rather desperate pieces and set-pieces. Maybe having six credited writers might illustrate the problem with tone, but Watts pulls it all together still, shining quite well with he teen/high school drama while keeping the action set-pieces different enough from the previous films. All this is wonderfully aided by Michael Giacchino’s score that occasionally recalls the cartoon themes. This is entertainment in the grand Marvel Studios fashion, putting Spidey into the MCU where he belongs, even if it’s just for a while. He gets to mix it up with the bigger universe, particularly Iron Man, with others getting a sneak in or a name drop… and of course, the cameos. The pacing is rapid and the action goes as big as it can manage without going over the top, like some other massive threat from the sky again… oh wait. did they manage that too? You can decide on that yourself. Rating: *** / 5 Find the best online deals here. | Barnes and Noble | Google Play Store | Book Depository Discover more about the books here. Please Support.
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