Spider-Man: Homecoming (Dir. John Watts, 2h 13 m)

It's an oft-commented fact that the best superhero movies are not purely superhero movies; Batman at his best is a film noir, with truly fatal femme fatales and even more diabolical villains, the Captain America films have gone from war movie to critique of the security state and of the ever more prevalent security culture of post 9/11 America. Spider-Man Homecoming is just that; sure, it may look like your average popcorn superhero flick, but under the red and blue suit is a surprisingly smart, funny and well paced coming of age film. In which the main character is a young, relatively inexperienced superhero, who has to balance the life of a middle-school student with defeating a shadowy arms dealer using looted tech, sure, but still a coming of age film. And, it seems, it's third time lucky for the Spiderman franchise, after the decent but cheesy and uneven Rami/McGuire and the overcluttered and forgettable Garfield/Webb ventures, this is not only a solid first outing but one that builds a world around Peter Parker, and sets things in motion for future sequels.

After the previous three Marvel Cinematic universe films, (Guardians of the Galaxy, Doctor Strange and Captain America: Civil War) playing out across huge canvasses, one of the most notable things is the relatively small scale of Homecoming; sure, it covers the length and bredth of New York, with some scenes in Washington DC, but compared to the globe-, dimension- or planet- hopping adventures of the previous three films, the film, from beginning to end, is keen to remind us this is, after all, the "friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man". This, the film gets down perfectly; Peter himself (played by Tom Holland) feels very much like the average slightly nerdy kid, from the room full of Star Wars figures, to the social isolation he and close friend Ned suffer. Even villain Toomes, AKA "The Vulture" played by one-time Batman, Michael Keaton, feels like an average white-collar worker pushed too far by the machinations of the Avengers and Tony Stark's corporate profiteering, who simply wants to be able to make his family happy.

It's also a film driven, for all its webslinging action and webswinging fights, by character. Both Peter and Toomes are well developed, and this is undoubtedly the most sympathetic Marvel villain since Loki himself-a late scene in which the two uncover each others' identities, in a truly unexpected twist, leads to one of the best acted scenes in the film, in which Keaton is genuinely chilling. Peter, meanwhile, has to deal not only with the consequences of his actions in the aftermath of one of the single best setpieces in the MCU thus far, but, to quote that oft-repeated line from (the curiously absent in the MCU) Uncle Ben, has to learn that "with great power, comes great responsibly". It's not only responsibility, however, that Peter learns, but maturity, and whilst this maturity is best seen in his role as a superhero, it's also seen in his maturity and (albeit slight) confidence with people around him. Several scenes, from him rescuing a local baker from his Emotions, and Peter's emotions in particular underpin this film and give it a warmth and human scale missing from some of the more recent MCU films.

Around Parker is not only Iron Man and his aunt, May, but also his friendgroup, from Ned, with whom he not only has a strong friendship but entrusts the secret that he is Spider-Man; and this extended group is not only a group of excellent actors, but believable characters who, particularly in scenes with the decathlon team, play off each other well-Stark and May are particularly key characters with Tony clearly still somewhat raw from the events of Civil War, and determined that the next generation will be properly trained and accountable, whilst Aunt May remains as much a confidant as a carer for her nephew. The relationship with Ned is also well fleshed out, and it's to this film's credit that it never plays Ned's build or either Peter or Ned's interests, or in fact any character in a relatively nerdy or geeky background for laughs.


This comparative intimacy carries through to the story itself, with newly fledged superhero Peter, fresh from his cameo in Civil War, eager to prove himself to mentor Tony Stark, whilst balancing homecoming, homework, and an academic decathlon. Meanwhile, slighted construction worker, fed up with the collaboration between the US Government and Tony Stark, turns to crime, first using items cleared up from the Avengers battles, then openly raiding government trucks. With Peter keen to prove himself to Tony, and encountering several people using alien technology to carry out heists or crime, he sets out to find the source of the tech, and then, despite his defeat and near-drowning by the shadowy and spectacularly revealed Vulture, to bring the metal-winged villain to justice.

This film, in short, seems to walk a nigh perfect line between the Rami and Webb versions-enough humour and memorability to make it a worthy successor to the Rami outings, but whilst having the more realistic tone of the Webb outings-moreover, it's a film that clearly sets Peter back where he belongs, not as a reporter, or as a young man out of high school, but as the friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man, still finding himself, his place in the world, and gaining experience and maturity as a young man. A homecoming indeed

Rating: Highly Recommended.