I saw this film the night before I saw Infinity War and thought it would be a good idea to review this one (and several others) before I reviewed the third Avengers movie. Now, I'll be the first to say, I have never been a big Spider-Man fan. I just feel like there have been too many (3 can be considered a lot!) and so when I found out there was once again, another Spider-Man. I didn't think much on it. However, this Spider-Man was connected to the MCU/Avenger's and so his storyline was going to be different from prior Spider-Man interpretations.
Played by the wonderfully charming and handsome English actor, Tom Holland, this Peter Parker is introduced in
Captain America: Civil War when he is recruited by Tony Stark to aid him in his fight against Captain America. Peter Parker has already become Spider-Man in image, but is still a 15 year old boy trying to figure out what to do with these new found abilities. Now you may remember that I gave Peter Parker a less than warm welcome in my movie review of Civil War:
Then after re-watching the movie, I felt I may have been a little too hasty in my judgement and found Peter to be an endearing and lovable character. So, now that finally led me up to watching Spider-Man: Homecoming and really, honestly, actually finding a Spider-Man that I like!
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Peter Parker/Spider-Man
Two months after being recruited by Tony Stark, Peter must go back to his mundane life as a teenager in Queens living with his lively aunt, May Parker. While Tony allows Peter to keep his specially made, tech suit, Peter is bored and desperate to get back into the action. His one goal in life now is to become an Avenger and he will do whatever it takes to make it happen...only there is not a lot going on.
It's difficult for Peter to readjust to life after the Avenger's Civil War. From fighting along side his hero Tony Stark/Iron Man to going back to being the typical bullied loser and geek in school. Now Peter's biggest concerns are trying to keep his identity hidden, surviving the day to day grind of high school and finding the courage to talk to his crush, Liz Allen. However, Peter's identity soon comes to light when his best friend Ned finds out and he unexpectedly becomes a source that Peter begins to rely on.
Soon, life for Peter becomes anything but boring when he comes across illegal arms dealers with technology that isn't exactly of this world. This leads Peter to Adrian Toomes, a former respectable salvage worker whose company was run out by Tony Stark's Department of Destruction (D.O.D.) after the battle in New York (first
Avengers movie). Furious at Tony for almost ruing him, Adrian begins to steal the alien parts from different Avenger battles over the years and create weapons of intense destruction. He then sells them to the highest bidder which overtime lets him provide well for his family.
While Peter tries to fight Adrian and his gang, he ends up doing more damage than good which leads him to parent/child confrontation with Tony Stark. Although Peter's heart was in the right place, Tony cannot let him be careless and takes Peter's suit away telling him that his abilities aren't in his suit. It's not long before Peter understands what Tony is talking about, realizing that he has the strength and intelligence to outsmart his enemies without the need of technology to aid him.
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I've always found Spider-Man as more of superhero geared toward boys because Peter Parker is a boy. Not a billionaire, renown scientist, demigod or super soldier. Just a regular kid who got bitten by fate and will spend the rest of his life either at the mercy of fate or creating it himself. So, it's strange that I would actually find myself enjoying this Spider-Man/Peter Parker so much, but I really do.
Tom Holland managed to create a nerdy hero in training that was relatable and fun. He clearly based his performance off of the former interpretations, but pulled off a Peter that didn't have the angst of Tobey Macguire or the moodiness of Andrew Garfield. Not to mention his classically handsome looks made him easy to watch as well....at least that's my opinion.
Adding Tony Stark as a mentor and father figure did great things for the overall story as well as Tony's character development. Tony and Peter have a great father/son dynamic and it's easy to see that Peter wants a male adult figure in his life who will train him, but also challenge him to be better. Seeing Tony as a dad is a little scary, but he slides into the role effortlessly; and the relationship that is created in Homecoming is certainly made manifest in Infinity War.
So, to wrap things up, not being a Spider-Man fan, I can't speak on the behalf of all Spider-Man fanatics, but as someone who is following the Avengers Universe, this movie is great. You can see the beginnings of Peter's journey to becoming an Avenger and the start of his coming of age, taking the leap from boy to man with guidance from Tony Stark and hopefully other superheros to come.
Note: Reviews for Thor: Ragnarok and Dr. Strange coming soon!
