Everyone knows Spider-Man. There have been many reincarnations of Spider-Man, so when Spider-Man: Homecoming was announced, I wasn’t exactly thrilled as the most recent reboot was only done 3 years ago. I do love superheroes though, so I was still keen to check it out.
We first see a glimpse of Tom Holland’s Spider-Man in a small scene in Captain America: Civil War, but it’s not enough for us to judge. In Spider-Man: Homecoming, it’s all about Peter Parker’s struggle to balance his life as a normal high school student, as well as his desire to do something more as Spider-Man with his dream to join The Avengers. Despite my hesitation for this film, I loved it. Tom Holland was obviously chosen for not only his amazing dance skills (he has played Billy Elliot on West End), but his superb acting – in particular, his voice acting which for a character like Spider-Man when we don’t see the character’s face often, is very important. I also find him to be the most convincing Spider-Man to date as Tom Holland is the youngest actor to play Spider-man and convincingly passes as a high-school student unlike his predecessors.
The wit and humour of Spider-Man: Homecoming is great and is in loving tribute to John Hughes’ films. Many of the characters in Spider-Man: Homecoming are inspired by The Breakfast Club. Zendaya’s character Michelle being based off the weird Allison who was ‘The Basket Case’ character in The Breakfast Club is a clear example. There is also an obvious tribute to John Hughes when Spider-Man is running through all the backyards just like the scene from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. There is even a TV in one backyard that blatantly shows the backyard scene from Ferris Bueller when Spider-Man is doing the exact same thing. If you haven’t seen these movies, you’ll still enjoy Spider-Man: Homecoming, however you won’t get the references. I strongly encourage you to see these films not only for the references, but they are really great films!
Tom Holland’s portrayal of Peter Parker/Spider-Man is terrific. He makes Peter seem very pure, impulsive, fun, rebellious and endearing. He’s just a kid trying to find his purpose and place in the world. Tom Holland’s portrayal compared to all past Spider-Men is by far my favourite. And he’s funny! I loved Jacob Batalon as Peter’s best friend, Ned providing the right amount of humour to help make the film as witty as possible without being too cheesy. The stand out performance in the film however is Michael Keaton as Vulture. Michael Keaton is no stranger to playing the villain, though with this villain, there is a sense of humility and his character’s internal struggles are quite relatable.
Spider-Man: Homecoming is a fun, action-packed, entertaining film that manages to effortlessly insert itself into the Marvel Cinematic Universe (with some assistance from Tony Stark) as a great introduction to the Spider-Man that comic book fans know and love. Whether you read the comic-books or not, everyone will be entertained and satisfied with this film as it has a great plot, amazing action scenes and is appropriate for any age which is a wonderful thing because superheroes should be for everyone.