Let me begin with the confession of me never having read the Marvel Comics about Spider-man. They haven’t ever been a part of my native culture. When the Comic books entered our local market they cost much more than a regular book and I simply couldn’t afford them. So the first encounter for me getting to know Spider-man as a character happened when I came across the animated TV-Series of 1994.
Naturally I instantly got infatuated with the story cause it was so new and original; a super clever but geeky student bitten by a spider becomes a superhero. Honestly, what is there not to love?
And then the whole current of live-action blockbusters arrived! I will include short list of only those that I’ve seen myself.
First, the trilogy directed by Sam Raimi whereof films were premiered in 2002, 2004 and 2007 correspondingly. Spider-man or Peter Parker was played by Toby McGuire and it’s been the peak of his acting career so far. I’m pretty sure that everyone has seen the films and as it is well known the first two were accepted positively whereas the third one left mixed review. But I’m not going to dive into this any further. Not the point of my review)
The second effort of launching the Spider-man film series was titled as “The Amazing Spider-man” and had only two movies premiered in 2012 and 2014. The franchise never got to the third film because of the mostly negative reception. They were directed by Marc Webb and the main part fell onto Andrew Garfield who is rocking the Hollywood right now. Popularity of the lead actor didn’t save the franchise though and it just died down without shooting the continuance.
And now the fans of the Comics and films were presented with another try to revive the never-ending story of our beloved superhero. We’ve already had a glimpse of this extraordinary character in one of the last Avengers series and now he’s gone all solo!
“Spider-man: Homecoming”, 2017
Directed by Jon Watts, cast includes such names as Michael Keaton, Zendaya Coleman, Robert Downey-Junior, Jon Favreau, Donald Glover, Marisa Tomei. The lead role of Peter Parker was given to a young and promising actor/ “acrobat” (because that’s the only nick I can give him after seeing all the flips his doing in the videos on his youtube channel) Tom Holland.
It feels like with every new reboot our Spider-man becomes younger and younger. It may be due to the choice of actor or because we’ve seen Peter Parker being a man in the 2002 film and a student in Midtown Science High School in 2012.
Then in 2017 we see even younger Tom Holland who is only 15 years old at the time! But who’s complaining? Definitely not me! The creators portrayed him to be an inspired and energetic teen that is eager to take on the world. His energy is contagious and I’ve found myself leaving the cinema theatre in an uplifted mood and I’m almost positive that I was smiling at strangers like a fool.
But let’s break down a little of what significantly improved from all other screen adaptations. Strictly in my own humble opinion so it may differ from yours, and you’re welcome to contradict or add your point of view in the comments. It’ll only add to the review!
First of all, I like how conflicted the villain is! There were moments that I could hardly call him a villain. Vulture, as he is called, has got his own reasons for doing whatever it is he's doing and sometimes you’d sympathize with the character and other times you’d think he’s getting over the top with his malevolent actions. He’s already done so much damage that it’s so hard for him to stop so he simply does what he can do best. That’s why it’s so exciting to observe Parker’s and Vulture's clashes, because there is no way to predict how it is going to end. It's also essential to mention how low-key is the villain in the beginning. While the world is preoccupied with the world-size battles between Avengers and other invaders in line, this anti-hero just stays away from all that mess and works on "promoting" - so to say - his local "business". This "business" just happens to affect other lives substantially and that's why Spider-man is giving him the hard time, if it's okay to put it it like this!
Secondly, great action scenes, the one with the elevator and on the ferry in particular, leave us shaken and rocked in a good way. Visually they look fantastic and there’s a feeling that you’re in the same vicinity as the heroes of the movie.
Thirdly, quick-witted remarks of the Spider-man are just in that style as I’ve seen them in animated TV-series of 1994. They gifted me with a warm feeling of nostalgia. They’re a big part of the success the film had so far.
By the way the whole script is practically brilliant and I’m relieved to know that the dialogues are not trite. Seeing the Spider-man and the Iron-man together already hints us on expecting some fountain of subtle and not-so much subtle jokes.
Fourth point is my favorite and it might be a SPOILER, so if you don’t want to know move one item down. As the film progresses some of us start doubting if the Spider-man is as good without the suit, because almost all of the power comes from the functions and technology the suit is equipped with. But then there is some time in the story-line when Peter has to act without his suit. That’s when we can be assured that he is still a superhero without it and suit is not everything that is required to be that. I think it’s awesome that the writers included this turn of events in the plot.
The last point I want to make is about Peter's sidekick, who is a major addition to the fun and the plot. In the movies of earlier years we've seen Peter as some kind of a loner, or he picked his friends wrong - referred to the Osbourne family as you might have already gathered yourselves. This time though Peter's best friend is his true support and someone he can totally rely on in any given circumstances. I think it's incredible improvement from other franchise installments!
I won’t say that everything in the film is perfect. Surely there were some minor let-down moments, but they fade and seem so insignificant in comparison to the entire outcome. To be honest, even stressing my mind now I can't pick them out from my memory. Frankly speaking, I don't even want to.
From the first moments of the picture you’ll understand that this Spider-man installment is unconventional, but I won’t point at the particularities. I got to say that I like the unconventional route that’s been taken for this franchise and it makes the waiting for the sequel even more worthy!
Thank you for reading this post and please, leave your comments below! I remind you that I've expressed only my own opinion and your is probably different)))
I wish you more good movies and see you next time for another review!
