Jon Watts brings a quirky sense of humour to the Spider-Man mythos, giving us probably the most comic accurate version of this character in live action to date. Tom Holland is as close to perfect casting as one can hope for; intelligent, naive, awkward, impatient, and so full of awe at his powers that you feel like he really is a teenager who has gained super powers. His best friend is also a welcome addition as live action versions to date have always ignored the social aspects of Peter's life outside of his family and love interest, and the addition of actual friends and high school activities grounds this Parker in a level of realism. And Michael Keaton as Samuel Toomes (aka Vulture) is dripping with menace in a way few of the Marvel villains have been thus far while also maintaining his basic humanity through his dedication to providing for and protecting his family.
The cinematography is nothing extraordinary, but it is still competent and at times beautiful, chaotic, and disorienting. Michael Giacchino provides probably his best Marvel score to date with a lot of similarities to the Guardians of the Galaxy score with its combination of existing songs and original compositions.
The most loosely connected of the Earth based Marvel movies, that looseness is both Spider-Man's strength and weakness. As a strength, it allows Watts and company to tell a standalone story with no loose ends and no superfluous effort to ties it into everything else going on in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. But, when it does have to play to that trope, it mostly falls flat. The initial scene, set in the immediate aftermath of the Battle of New York is the impetus for Keaton's character and works as a good cold open, as does the introduction of Peter which is done vlog style before, during, and after the events of Civil War. These work because they give us an understanding of why Toomes is hell bent on stealing from Stark and it also sets up the ennui which propels the majority of Peter's arc through the film. But, other aspects of the MCU inserted feel forced; such as the Captain America cameos, Tony Stark in almost every scene but two, Pepper Potts (making her first MCU appearance since Iron Man 3), and Happy Hogan. These all feel like they were afterthoughts, imposed upon the director and writers by Marvel Studios, though they don't bring the film down too much.
Peter's interactions with those around him range from cringeworthy to adulatory, exactly how a teenager would act in the situations he finds himself involved in. And it really is Tom Holland that makes this film and this incarnation of Spider-Man the best to date. He's so full of childlike wonder and teen angst, both of which are incredibly believable and help to reinforce the idea that he really is just a child thrust into a situation that he realistically shouldn't have been thrust into. And his interactions with his suit AI are some of the funniest moments of the film as she tries to assist him and even chastises him for not seeming to understand his suit's capabilities.
Not perfect by a long shot, but Spider-Man: Homecoming is a cute, exiting, and funny installment in a series getting steadily darker and more serious, bringing a much needed breath of levity to the series as a whole. And the fact that it really isn't a superhero film, it's a high school drama a la John Hughes and Joe Dante with a few superheroic moments peppered throughout, really works in the film's favor and makes it stand out from the glut of comic book films currently coming out.
I give it 4 stars out of 5.
