Nothing is more satisfying than finally seeing a beloved character portrayed right on the big screen. After years of movies that were both hit and miss at the same time, Spider-Man: Homecoming finally gets Peter Parker and Spider-Man right.
There’s a stark contrast between Tom Holland’s version of Spider-Man and previous iterations. The film separates itself from previous movies in the most important way, adventure. Watching Spider-Man: Homecoming felt like more of the adventures of Spider-Man rather than just another beating of a dead horse origin story. We get it, he was bitten by a radioactive spider and gained superpowers. Move on! And move on, they did.
Origin stories are great for lesser known characters, but if DC’s Wonder Woman proved anything it’s you don’t have to spend half a film on them. Sony approached the film the same way. There was only a brief mention of Parker’s hero origin in a one liner but passed it as if it were never there. It comes off as more of an easter egg to hardcore fans than a distraction from the pace of the movie.
Sony and Marvel’s team up perfectly illustrates the life of Spider-Man by going with a much younger, more immature Peter Parker. The story isn’t slowed down by a character who makes mistake after mistake then eventually comes around to save the day. By going with a younger version, they’re able to portray his naivety and show development, rather than dumb luck. If they had they gone that route, it would be very hard to believe this was the same character as the one portrayed in Captain America: Civil War. Instead, the audience sees a character who is a hero but not the one they expect him to be to start the film.
The most important essence Spider-Man: Homecoming had to get right was the connection of the character to the audience. People loved him in Civil War now they just needed to recreate that in a feature film. Duplicating that success seemed to come too easy this time around. There was the perfect balance between the life of Spider-Man and the life of Peter Parker. You’ll be treated to the struggle between doing the right thing and growing as a hero, as well as juggling family, friends and teenage responsibilities. Parker is a socially awkward outcast as well as a lovable adored hero. By creating the best version of Spider-Man so far, Sony has finally set up a sequel most can’t wait to see. Spider-Man: Homecoming ties in perfectly to the MCU as well as does enough to separate the shared universes when they need to. Plenty of action and adventure for fans of all ages. A solid 7.5 out of 10.