For the past week I’ve been stalking Tom Holland’s Instagram. I’ve been watching his interviews, stunts, and of course the wonderful lip sync battle.
I believe this kid was born to be the Spider Man we all deserve.
Then, he went on to prove me right.
Around eight years ago, some workers were cleaning up after the huge mess done to and around the Avengers-Stark building. However, they were sacked immediately, and the boss was horribly hurt by the mean treatment by the boss, indirectly meaning Tony Stark, so they ended up stealing the alien parts and building weapons to sell to villains.
Afterwards, we got to stare at the screen for the LONGEST time for the Marvel logo… Damn, they really had to all out with every character, huh? It was nice to hear the Spider Man song playing as it zoomed out to revealing how every illustration of every character ended up in a “Marvel” logo.
We meet Peter Parker, a 15 year old boy who caught Tony’s attention when he was recruiting for his own team against Captain America. He was making a video of his trip, of his meeting the Avengers, and of course, Tony Stark.
This kid is so dorky. I love him.
We were brought to right after Peter made an appearance on Tony’s team in Civil War, when Tony and Happy dropped him off in front of his apartment building, and Tony told Peter to basically stay out of trouble. And that he’d call the kid if he ever needed help again.
Two months later, Peter was still waiting for a call from Tony. He ran out of school right away the moment the bell rang, every single day, just to wear his Spidey suit and Tarzan around the city like the hero he believed he was. However, even though he reported to Happy every night and asked if he was ever needed, Peter was just a lonely hero without his Mr. Stark.
It was until he stopped an ATM robbery one night, during which it was revealed that the bad guys, dressed as the Avengers – ironically, had a weapon so powerful it could blast off a neighborhood. When that happened, Peter finally got a glimpse of how truly dangerous the whole thing was.
But then again, he’s a kid. He loved it even more. He knew he had more potentials in him.
So Peter started investigating where the weapons came from, how they were made, and who created them. This time, he wasn’t all alone. Of course, one night his best friend Ned caught him in his suit and became the “guy in the chair” or the computer geek sidekick in most superhero team equation.
And when Peter was out investigating, and trying to stop the bad guys, he screwed up badly that Tony Stark came to fix his mess. At this point, Tony, who was fed up that the kid didn’t listen to his “don’t do anything I would or wouldn’t do” speech, decided to take the suit away from Peter.
“If you’re nothing without the suit, then you shouldn’t have it.”
So Peter resigned from being Spider Man, and went back to focusing on his highschool activities. He finally got to ask the popular, senior girl Liz to the homecoming with him, and he patched up whatever wrong he’d done in the past during his Spider Man days.
However, on the homecoming night, as he picked up Liz from her house, Peter realized that Liz’s father was the bad guy he’d been chasing all along.
Phew. Now that was some plot there.
This movie was a light watch, and I said it with a lot of love. Like, so much love. It was quite funny, not too depressing or dark, and the actions were alright.
I didn’t find myself going, “NO NO NO NO NO” at all, which disappointed me a bit, but remembering that the protagonist is a 15 year old nerd, I thought I could let it slip.
The story didn’t introduce us to the beginning, or the “I got bitten by a spider and whoa I got these powers” plot, but to the transition from “I got powers!” to “How can I use them well? How can I control them? How do I balance this and my life?”
It is one thing to have superpowers and to become a hero, and it is another thing to live your life that is just you out of the suit. At that age, 15, considering puberty and everything, it is understandable that Peter can’t choose well or balance things healthily. He obviously loves being a hero more than living his own life as a high school student, and truth is, he isn’t at the stage in life when he’s free to do whatever he wishes yet. He is still under age, under Aunt May’s supervision, closely watched by his teachers at school, and not experienced enough to know what’s the right decision and not.
Tom Holland nailed it. And no, I wasn’t being biased when I said it. I had moments when I had my doubts, when I questioned if he really would make a good Spider Man.
Michael Keaton as Vulture. Hmm. Gah, I love him. I can’t say much more since I’d go on and spoil stuff, but for me, his portrayal worked just fine.
Robert Downey Jr is always a joy to have on screen, although I feel like his role as a somewhat father figure to Peter felt a bit forced. Firstly, Tony Stark is NOWHERE close to being a good father figure, and secondly, his presence just kept on reminding me that this would lead to an Avengers movie.
Anyone else curious about Zendaya’s character Michelle’s, “My friends call me MJ” quote?
Spider Man Homecoming is a solid 8/10 from me.
It does have a Marvel vibe all over it, because doh, it is a Marvel movie. But it’s nice and refreshing to have such a young protagonist dealing with issues that are outdated and relevant, plus it’s always nice to remember good old high school days while watching this movie.
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