Welcome back, Pete

The Marvel Comics icon returns to the big screen for his third reboot in Spider-Man: Homecoming . Is it a case of third time lucky for the amazing arachnid?

Like it or not, the trend of big-budget superhero movies has become a definitive mainstay of today’s popular culture which doesn’t seem to be abating anytime soon. Once upon a time in the innocence of the early 2000’s, his was all set off in spectacular fashion with the smash success of Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man and while the genre is more popular than ever now, in recent years the wall-crawling superhero hasn’t been sharing in this glory. After a trio of formulaic pictures – the last of which lost millions for backing studio Sony – it seemed Spidey was destined to hang up his webs in favour of other brightly coloured do-gooders.

However in 2015, Sony appeared to strike a surprise deal with Marvel Studios head honcho Kevin Feige which allowed the webslinger to crossover into the “Marvel Cinematic Universe”. For the first time ever share the screen with the billion-dollar Avengers superheroes, something many fans had long been clamouring for. Spider-Man made his debut in the MCU in last year’s epic Captain America: Civil War to great acclaim and now he is back on our screens in the aptly titled Spider-Man: Homecoming. So does this new take on the beloved hero deliver on all its promise?

The short answer is yes.

Young Brit Tom Holland made a big impression with just a few minutes of screen time in his first outing and he continues to shine here, clearly having the time of his life in the role. His Peter Parker and Spider-Man are extremely likeable and optimistic with liberal dashes of naiveté and awkwardness befitting of a teenage outcast. Director Jon Watts has frequently cited 80’s John Hughes dramedies as a huge inspiration and this is certainly evident in the final product. The characters inhabiting the High School setting sound and act like actual teenagers as opposed to what your average middle-aged Hollywood screenwriter thinks a modern teen sounds like. Of these young upstarts, Jacob Batalon is a particular standout as Peter’s best bud and “guy in the chair” Ned Leeds. I hope to see much more of this kid.

This time around, Peter tangles with fiendish arms dealer The Vulture (veteran creature of the night Michael Keaton) who has been using leftover alien tech leftover from the climactic battle in 2012’s Avengers Assemble to create all manner of dizzying devices. From the vast pantheon of comic book nemeses to choose from, I must admit the choice to go with Vulture was a bit of an odd one as he had seldom been known for being anything other than a goofy B-List character, a bitter flying old man in green pyjamas. Fortunately, this new take on the character is anything but goofy. Keaton himself is fantastic as per usual, switching from sympathetic to terrifying at the drop of a feather and whose blue-collar sensibilities make a welcome change of pace from the more grandiose villains common in this genre. It is particularly interesting that his driving motivation is set in motion by none other than one of the MCU’s central heroes; Tony Stark.

Which leads us to the subject of Iron Man himself. A huge part of the marketing has been playing up the presence of Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark here; he’s even been the main focus of many of the posters and trailers. While Downey’s unique charisma is a welcome addition to any production, many were concerned that this film would be Iron Man 4 featuring Spider-Man instead of a solid stand-alone adventure for Peter Parker. Thankfully, these concerns can be put to rest as Stark is used sparingly and organically to serve the story rather than vice-versa.

Not all the characters receive quite as much thought, unfortunately. There are some great actors on display here such as Donald Glover, Tyne Daly and teen starlet Zendaya who serve as little more than cameos. Granted, these characters serve their purpose and in some cases pave the way for expansion in the future, yet it would have been nice to get to know some of them a little better. Or, at the very least, their first names. It is also a shame that Marisa Tomei’s Aunt May doesn’t get an awful lot to do, as her more youthful take on the classic character is a joy whenever she appears and her maternal chemistry with Holland is just wonderful.

The action scenes when they do come are suitably thrilling, although I doubt anyone expected anything less from a film such as this. I did note that the use of CGI was not as overwhelming or distracting as many similar summer blockbusters, perhaps due to a more prodigious use of practical effects or even just some restrains on director Watt’s part. Amidst all the crashes and bangs and thwips we never stop caring about the characters involved or the genuine stakes, so hats off to the writers on that front. It’s certainly very telling that the most thrilling scene actually is a simple conversation between a few of the characters out of costume in an enclosed setting. (I won’t spoil it for you though – you’ll know it when you see it!)

Ultimately, the film’s biggest triumph is not losing sight of what made the web-slinger so endearing to the masses for these Fifty-plus years; the fact that he is the everyman, constantly looking out for the “little guy” amidst a universe full of demi-gods and talking raccoons. Not only do these filmmakers remember this quality, they appear to embrace it whole heartedly – something sorely lacking from the majority of the previous instalments. If the inevitable sequels and supposed spin-offs carry on in this vein, Spidey should have a bright future ahead of him on that big screen in the near future.

Just don’t lose sight of why we all love Spidey, Sony. Not again.