Movie Review: Spiderman Homecoming

There comes a time when you begin to wonder why in the world movie studios keep returning to the same movie over and over again. I certainly questioned the need for the third Spiderman series since 2000. That said, I was also very curious to see what Marvel would be able to do with the franchise without Sony messing around with it. Thankfully, I’m pleased to say that the reboot did a really solid job, though it wasn’t without its flaws.

First off, the things I enjoyed:

• It wasn’t yet another origin story of Spiderman. Thank you.
• Michael Keaton’s villain wasn’t just a guy out trying to rule the world. There was an attempt made to make him well-rounded, and while I didn’t feel it was 100% successful (too much time spent away from his character for it to really work), I appreciated the attempt. If you filled in the blanks in your head, it worked.
• The score was a lot of fun, especially the way it harkened back to the old Spiderman theme. The fact that the new Superman movies ditched the old theme is still something that bugs me. It’s like a 007 movie without the theme. Star Wars without the fanfare. You’ve got such a good thing going. Keep it up.
• The plot had a few turns that surprised me, and that was a good thing for sure.
• The acting and characters were a lot of fun. Peter Parker feels like a real person with real problems. I was really rooting for him by the end because I wanted him to succeed, not just because he was wearing the colorful outfit.
• I loved how it was a mix between a teenager movie and a superhero movie. I felt like it pulled that off very well.
• The climax of the movie was great. The last third of the film zipped along and did a lot of fun things. Super.
• Humor, as always, is greatly appreciated.

But like I said, there were some flaws, as well:

• The first half of the movie seemed to drag. There was a lot to set up, and many moving pieces. While the ending was great, I couldn’t help but think some of that complexity could have been sacrificed in the name of a leaner movie that got where it was going more efficiently. I checked my watch a couple of times. With a good movie, I shouldn’t be thinking about my watch at all.
• Ironman, honestly, felt tacked on to me. He’d show up now and then as a device, and I found the times when he did to be kind of tiresome.
• Some of the fights felt repetitive.

Put the whole thing together, and it turned out as a 7 out of 10 for me. (Remember, a movie that’s a 5/1o is a completely average movie in my book. Every point above that means I had that much more of a fun time.) I enjoyed the movie. If it came earlier in the Marvel series, I probably would have rated it higher. But it didn’t. It’s squarely in line with the other Marvel movies, which is a good thing, but not different enough to raise it above all the others.