SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING
Directed by: Jon Watts
Written by: Jonathan Goldstien, John Francis Daley (8 more credits)
Starring: Tom Holland, Michael Keaton, and Robert Downey, Jr.
“Spider-Man: Homecoming” snuck up on me as quietly and quickly as a brown recluse in a dark cellar. Although this newest version of the oh-so familiar story of Spider Man isn’t as deadly as a brown recluse, it was at times mind-numbing. From the 2002, 2004, and 2007 adventures of the Tobey Maguire version of Peter Parker aka Spider Man to the 2 versions that Andrew Garfield gave us in 2012 and 2014, we now have Tom Holland portraying the infamous web-hurling Avenger. While it’s a different spin on an old tale, it’s not enough to engage and hook a new crop of viewers into the land of Marvel.
“Spider-Man: Homecoming” picks up right after his last appearance in “Captain America: Civil War” where the self-assured and mouthy young protege kept pace with his mentor, Iron Man (Robert Downey, Jr.). Not yet ready to be a full-fledged evil fighting machine, Peter (Holland) is sent back to Queens to live with his Aunt Mae and finish high school while attending his “internship” with Stark Industries. The young spider boy is itching to be an Avenger, but for no
w he’s just a nerdy outcast, crushing on a gorgeous older woman (a senior at his math and science academy). Peter attempts to navigates his way through the awkwardness of adolescence in high school while hiding his true identity. Peter, not yet ready for prime time Avenger work, stumbles upon Vulture (Michael Keaton) whose dastardly plan needs to be stopped. Kicking off his “training wheels,” the young Spider Boy learns a few lessons not only in life and love, but in becoming Spider Man.
w he’s just a nerdy outcast, crushing on a gorgeous older woman (a senior at his math and science academy). Peter attempts to navigates his way through the awkwardness of adolescence in high school while hiding his true identity. Peter, not yet ready for prime time Avenger work, stumbles upon Vulture (Michael Keaton) whose dastardly plan needs to be stopped. Kicking off his “training wheels,” the young Spider Boy learns a few lessons not only in life and love, but in becoming Spider Man.The story has obviously been told at least 5 times before for the silver screen from different viewpoints, but this 
version takes a fresh approach to the same old, same old. Set in today’s society with a few futuristic concepts, Peter experiences the ups and downs of attending school. His adolescent angst, while allowing us to see another aspect of Spider Man/Peter Parker, initially feels charming and sweet, but unfortunately, this just becomes dull and repetitive. His side-kick, Ned (Jacob Batalon) provides a bit of comic relief in the film, but there’s just not enough to endear us to either of them. The sporadic “guest appearances” via gym class and detention videos from Capt. America are a welcomed light in the darkness of this film. And Keaton just can’t seem to shake the wings off his back as he will always be known as Batman and/or Birdman to all of us, and now he takes on the metallic wings of Vulture, Spider-Man’s newest nemesis.
version takes a fresh approach to the same old, same old. Set in today’s society with a few futuristic concepts, Peter experiences the ups and downs of attending school. His adolescent angst, while allowing us to see another aspect of Spider Man/Peter Parker, initially feels charming and sweet, but unfortunately, this just becomes dull and repetitive. His side-kick, Ned (Jacob Batalon) provides a bit of comic relief in the film, but there’s just not enough to endear us to either of them. The sporadic “guest appearances” via gym class and detention videos from Capt. America are a welcomed light in the darkness of this film. And Keaton just can’t seem to shake the wings off his back as he will always be known as Batman and/or Birdman to all of us, and now he takes on the metallic wings of Vulture, Spider-Man’s newest nemesis.While Keaton can easily be seen as Mr. Mom, Beatlejuice, or Ray Kroc, he can also just as readily become a heartless evil character. Keaton adds depth of interest to any role and any film he’s in. Unfortunately, his screen time is relatively minimal in this 2 hour and 13 minutes endeavor. But when he’s a part of the film, you’re completely glued to what’s happening. For you “Better Call Saul” and “Breaking Bad” fans, you’ll be thrilled to see Michael Mando as “Mac Gargan,” a character sure to be a major part of Spider-Man’s next installment.
I was hopeful that the classic Iron Man/Tony Stark sarcastic sense of humor and banter would be utilized in this film given the fact that Downey, Jr. had a part in the film. This was not the case. His role was even smaller and given his lines, I’m not even sure he left his house to be filmed—it could have all been “green screened” given the lack of interest and interaction he had with the other characters. Jon Favreau portrayed Happy Hogan, Tony Stark’s right hand man (after Pepper Potts) who was also completely underutilized and whose personality was simply crushed.
So, that leaves the weight of the film on Holland, the new kid on the block. Can he carry it? With a stilted and poorly edited script, I’d say, no. Not even the special effects and the incredible splitting of the Staten Island Ferry can keep the interest level high enough in this film. The film needed a backstory and the characters needed a bit more complexity. And what happened to Marisa Tomei’s character of Aunt Mae? Nothing. Absolutely nothing.
Sorry, super hero/Marvel Comic fans. This new Spider-Man film just can’t seem to catch the interest of film goers who want a well-told story. Try spinning a new web for the next sequel.