Back To Basics

Given that the superhero genre-strain in this day-and-age has blossomed to become the contemporary staple of blockbuster film-making, which has subsequently seen the likes of Marvel and D.C. culminate their own concepts into their own over-arching expanding cinematic universes, its become clearer to notice how each individual outing or sub-series has to work hard to establish its own personality. Indeed, with Disney’s Marvel Cinematic Universe recently expanding its horizons with not only the visually psychedelic Doctor Strange but with James Gunn’s character-entrancing Guardians of the Galaxy.Vol 2, it’s understandably difficult for those who haven’t been acquainted with every character in other features that have come-and-gone to be engaged with what’s going on-screen since this specific universe is filled with an array of superheroes that have their own separate stories to fulfil. In a sense however, much of this is, for now, tuned down as Marvel’s latest superhero outing, in the form of Jon Watts’ Spider-Man: Homecoming, brings forth this sense of familiarity for eager audiences and doesn’t utilise tropes seen in previous iterations. In being relieved from past Spidey shackles of “Uncle Ben’s death”, “with great power…” and the relationship dealings of Mary Jane and Gwen Stacey, the arrival of Homecoming certainly displays a fresh new take on the web-slinger that certainly sweeps past story-lines aside and tries to capture everything that has made Peter Parker and his costumed alter-ego such a lovable protagonist to watch. However, being that is the first Spidey filmic appearance that is associated with the Marvel studios umbrella, does Spider-Man: Homecoming stand on its own two feet? Or does it have to rely on Marvel’s ever-ensnaring Avengers presence?…

Picking-up from his cameo appearance in last year’s Captain America: Civil War, a thrilled Peter Parker returns back to New York, Queens, where he wants nothing more than to win Tony Stark’s approval and become a fully-fledged Avenger as Spider-Man. However, Peter soon realises that his responsibilities aren’t just related to be the “friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man”, he also has to manage being a normal high-school kid at the same time. In trying to find the right balance between his personal and superhero lives, Peter’s complicated life takes another turn as the Vulture threatens to eradicate everything that’s important to both Peter Parker and Spider-Man…

In being completely devoid of any nonsensical origin backdrop as depicted by Sam Raimi’s original ‘Spider-Man’ films and seen in Marc Webb’s lacklustre and underwhelming ‘Amazing Spider-Man’ features, what is strikingly evident to notice of the way in which director Jon Watts approaches Spider-Man: Homecoming, is how much of the web-slinging narrative this time around is paved more towards a different yet oddly familiar Peter Parker that is trying to balance his high-school life with his responsibility of being a lovable and friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man. Whereas Webb’s incarnation of Spider-Man similarly tried to go down the same route of depicting Peter Parker in a situation where he had to deal with problems in relation to his personal life, which inevitably backfired due to the forced Gwen Stacey relationship arc and the unnecessary angst that came along with it, Watts purposefully and thoroughly digresses through the protagonists high-school and alter-ego complications in way that is not only peculiarly relatable and evokes familiar tropes seen in a John Hughes film (perfectly exemplified in a sequence where our hero runs in accordance with the running scene from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off), but is executed in a manner which makes Homecoming differentiate from the other entries in Marvel’s expansive universe that have a habit of referencing a forthcoming events in future films. Indeed, although much of the crux of the story relies upon Peter desperately wanting to impress Tony Stark in becoming an Avenger by investigating and sleuthing around into the criminal activities that Vulture is doing, it’s apparent to perceive how equally important it is for Peter to attend his academic decathlon matches or to look after Aunt May since it becomes a realisation for him once he reaches his predictable moment of vulnerability and self-awareness in the deep stages of the narrative. This quandary then, of Peter balancing his dual roles as student and superhero, is certainly what drives the plot of the film forward and not only sets up the inevitable internal and external conflict of his character, but also generates a good deal of humour as seen with Peter’s friend, Ned. As much as it is welcoming however to see a Spider-Man film such as Homecoming which innocently burrows through the protagonists way of balancing different lives together, this approach of story-telling does indeed flesh-out a few problems to behold. The first of which is the pacing of the narrative structure and how there’s never enough time, especially within the first and second acts, that primarily focuses on the conflictions of the central character. While it’s rewarding to see a Spider-Man film in Homecoming, ever since Spider-Man 2, that gets the essence of the character and his quirky personality right as it should be, it can’t go unnoticed how somewhat jarring it can be to see our main hero constantly quipping without taking any real breathing to evaluate his own proliferation and internal confliction. It is only when we see Tony Stark/Iron-Man appear to mentor Peter at the end of the second act where the narrative structure decelerates from the constant comedic principles and we see the young web-slinger truly evaluate what he really needs to be doing. Naturally, with this being the first Spider-Man related film to be connected with Marvel’s Cinematic Universe, as wittily showcased within the opening moments of the film where we witness the web-crawler in “a film by Peter Parker” – camera-phone footage of the airport battle near the end of Civil War from said characters own perspective, it’s inevitable going into Homecoming how much it’s going to connect with other established characters being that the main hero himself wants to become an Avenger after being involved in preceding events and how Tony Stark makes his presence known a few times within the confides of the plot. One of the biggest concerns going into Homecoming is Spider-Man’s connection with the already established world that he’s situated in and how much, if at all, he has to rely on other entrenched characters to resolve the problems that he’s tasked in resolving. Other than an action sequence which see’s Spider-Man being helped out by Iron-Man on a Ferry disaster, Homecoming is very much a Spidey film. Like in Peyton Reed’s Ant-Man, there isn’t a grand plot which involves our heroic-protagonist trying to save the world in a grand-spectacle nor any blatant references for future M.C.U films. In its contextual roots, it’s clear to notice from Watts’ film that Homecoming wants to showcase a Spider-Man that is different yet familiar and isn’t bound by past generic tropes of the character that have been explored too extensively. 

The superhero. No role in Hollywood is more arguably scrutinised and only a select few who have played in-said roles can provide this on-screen immortality that no other actor can envelop themselves. From the palpable yet intricate enactments that Hugh Jackman had given as Wolverine, to Heath Ledger’s award-winning portrayal as the sinister Joker in The Dark Knight, it’s evident to perceive that even films that rake in big box-office billions have room for complex characters and inspired acting choices. As much as many who are reading this will still cling-on to Tobey Maguire’s performance as Spider-Man in Sam Raimi’s trilogy of films, the recent cinematic renewal of Spider-Man that starlet Tom Holland performs is equally as pleasing to watch. Continuing on from his quick-wit appearance in last year’s Civil War, Holland proves his worth in Homecoming by reprising the Peter Parker/Spider-Man role in a subtle yet relatable manner. His exuberance, intelligence and good-natured manner intricately exemplifies the youthfulness and earnest that one might expect to see of a young hero. From every comedic-quip he exaggerates as Spider-Man to the dire moments he faces as Peter Parker, Holland takes command of every scene he’s placed in; never getting swept aside by the likes of Robert Downy Jr. or Michael Keaton, as the Vulture, with their own formidable personalities. If there’s one set-back in witnessing this new incarnation of the web-crawler, it would be how regressed he’s become in relation to action-sequences that he’s apart of. In comparison to his quick-Marvel debut in Civil War where he battled against other established heroes by using both his fists and legs, Spider-Man’s fateful interaction with countless of thugs and with the Vulture all result into frenzies where webbing is only used which is confusing, considering the nature of his abilities vary from super-strength, as he mentions in the film itself, to other fantastical abilities like ‘spidey-sense’ to detect in-coming danger. Although, arguably, audiences will naturally gravitate towards the performance of Downey’s character of Tony Stark other than Holland’s portrayal as the main lead since he’s become the face of the Marvel films over the years and is established further in Homecoming to be a gadget-making authority figure that provides tough-love to the young Spider-Man, it’s just as rewarding to watch Tony’s glum-sidekick Happy Hogan, ably played by Jon Favreau, since he equally grabs the same amount of screen-time and is an inclusion to the context of the story that also provides some chuckles here and there. In viewing all the Marvel films that have graced the silver-screen in recent years, if there’s common-denominator that all these films share in unison, it is the underwhelming demeanour of the villains. Other than Tom Hiddlestone’s Loki, who’s had a few films to demonstrate who he is in full-proportion, it’s fair to say that Marvel villains of the cinematic universe strain have been rather forgettable; placing themselves in a one-dimensional arrangement that is fairly predictable and uninspired. What was surprising to perceive of Michael Keaton’s portrayal as Adrian Toomes/ Vulture (yet another where he’s playing a bird-esque character) is his rather curious engagement; forever diminishing him from simply being an atypical antagonist. Seen as someone who wants to put the food on the table and passionately disapproves of Tony Stark of the way in which he screws with the working man, he’s very much a timely villain that you don’t normally get to see in a genre that safely sticks to certain archetypes. While his transition from every-man to a scavenging criminal happens largely off-screen, with some of his vicious mannerisms feeling a bit out of place near the concluding events of the film, Keaton’s handling of Vulture manages to elude the Marvel movie villain streak of hampering a fine actor with a weak role and Keaton’s interpretation of the tortuous character suggests his Adrian Toomes is not devoid of redeeming qualities. 

With every Spider-Man film that has come and gone, it’s not uncommon to notice how the spectacle and high-octane set-piece scenes are what people remember of these genre-specific features. From Maguire saving a fast-moving train in Spider-Man 2, to Andrew Garfield taking over from a plucky die-hard kid in a Spider-Man costume to face the charging Rhino in The Amazing Spider-Man 2, it’s evident that the action-sequences try and deliver a fun-bravado that concludes with a rather emotional pay-off. In the case of Homecoming however, which features an array of conflicting sequences, the action set-pieces don’t really live up-to the said moments of previous films. Even though perilous scenes of the Washington Monument and the Staten Island Ferry moments are interjected with complemented and well-timed banter, the action itself is sometimes hard to follow; especially when Spider-Man confronts the Vulture for the last time in the film. 

As it is with the very best Marvel films, Jon Watts’ Spider-Man: Homecoming upholds a winning combination of a fun superhero adventure tale with a heartwarming story about a high-school kid dealing with issues in both his personal and alter-ego life-styles. Although the pacing of the first and seconds acts can be a little jarring, for those who were expecting a different conception, and the action set-pieces don’t pop-out in comparison to previous action scenes seen in preceding Marvel and Spider-Man features, what is important to note of this new take web-crawling character in Homecoming is how driven it is in providing a character-driven, coming-of-age action-comedy that happily sweeps aside unwanted tropes that have been explored before. Indeed, it’s hard to fathom anyone outright despising Homecoming, since it is the first Spider-Man feature since Spider-Man 2 which displays what fans and audiences want to see. With it being so-low to ground by primarily focusing on a young yet well-known superhero character, it is a film that wisely knows its greatest responsibility is to its characters and not necessarily the great powers they possess….

On that note, it’s time for me to end this week’s film review. As always everyone, thank you for reading my latest film review of Spider-Man: Homecoming and I hope you’ve all enjoyed the read! 😉 If anyone has an opinion on either my review or on the film itself, feel free to drop a comment down below. Next week, I will hopefully try and bring you a review of Christopher Nolan’s latest film of Dunkirk. If for some I can’t bring you a a film review of Dunkirk, then I’ll probably do a retro-review instead, since I haven’t done one in a while now. Anyway, thank you for reading this week’s Blog Post, and I’ll see you next week! Have a nice weekend! Adieu! 😊😎✌

★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ – Alex Rabbitte