Spiderman Homecoming represents something of a watershed for MCU. Yes, there have been Spidey movies before Homecoming. But this represents Marvels first run out with one of their most iconic characters. How did they get on? Read on. But be warned, there are some (minor) spoilers!
What’s it all about?
Spiderman Homecoming kicks off with some back story for the Vulture, played by Michael Keaton. Set just after the Avengers showdown with Loki in New York, this gives a needed lean into how the Vulture came to be.
Fast forward 8 years, Vulture runs a profitable operation. Stealing alien technology throughout New York, and developing them into weapons is his M.O.
Spiderman, in the meantime, is just back from his audition with Iron Man, as seen in Civil War. After getting a much-needed suit upgrade, courtesy of Stark, he is looking to become more than just a friendly neighbourhood Spiderman. By random chance, he comes across Vultures gang mid-heist, and so the story goes from there.
Cast and crew of Spiderman Homecoming
Holland manages to pull off a childish mix of comedy and steel that most purists associate with Spiderman
After Disney, Marvel and Sony agreed to share the rights to Spiderman, there was a lot of talk about who would fill the role. There was a general consensus that Tom Holland was a risky choice. The English actor hadn’t had a lead role of note before Spiderman Homecoming. It proves to be an inspired decison. Holland manages to pull off a childish mix of comedy and steel that most purists associate with Spiderman.
Robert Downey Jr continues to play Tony Stark, as if he was born for the role. And there are welcome returns for characters from the Iron Man franchise. Secondary characters like Marisa Tomei (Aunt May) and Jacob Batalon (Ned) all work well within the storyline. But the big success here is Michael Keaton.
Keaton is superb in bringing Vulture to life on screen. His back story is weak, along the lines of Sandman in Spiderman 3. But there is a genuine edge and malice to the character, excellently portrayed by Keaton.
The verdict
There is a constant feeling that it should be called Iron Man 3.5 featuring Spiderman
I’ll be honest. Going to see Spiderman Homecoming filled me with both anticipation and scepticism. Spiderman is an icon of the Marvel universe. But both the Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield franchises failed to live up to the hype.
Spiderman Homecoming is far from perfect. There is a constant feeling that it should be called Iron Man 3.5 featuring Spiderman. RDJ’s presence is always there in the background, and when he comes into scene, you are nearly expecting it, especially in the Staten Island scenes. There are some major character flaws too, with Spiderman relying on his suits ability, much like Stark does with the Iron Man suit. No Spidey-Sense tingling at all, which was a little disappointing.
However, in Tom Holland, Marvel have found someone who can genuinely make the franchise the success it deserves to be. Michael Keaton, in my opinion, is up there with Loki or Obadiah Stane as one of the best villains in the MCU. The special effects are what you would expect from MCU, with plenty of action scenes to satisfy. And there is enough teasers throughout the movie and in the end credit scenes (there are two, just to note!) that will leave you looking forward to the next Marvel movie.
Does it live up to expectations? Yes. Is it a new dawn for Spiderman? Yes. It’s even good enough to forgive Tobey Maguire and his dance moves.
It’s been a long time coming, but Spidey is finally home. And it’s worth it. Just make sure to stick around for both end credit scenes.
