Spider-Man: Homecoming

Homecoming is a movie version of Iron Man's remote-controlled suit (which also shows up here). On the outside, it works flawlessly and gives you everything that you expect from it (even though it is mostly just a goof; the film goes by rather quickly), but on the inside it is empty and lacks distinctiveness. Except for the scenes with Michael Keaton, whose cartoonish Walter White entertained me far more than Spider-Man’s dilemma of how to ensure world peace while hooking up with a sexy schoolmate. Vulture deserves a solo turn in which his skilfully constructed story will not be hindered by the (mandatory) references to 1980s pop culture or a teenager struggling with his hormones. I was surprised by how conservative the film seems despite its targeting of younger viewers (roughly the same age as the YouTubers whom Peter’s opening video diary addresses) who might have a rebellious streak in them. Homecoming is a veritable anti-Deadpool. The characterisation of Aunt May begins and ends with the acronym “MILF” and the other more prominent female character is here only so that Spider-Man has someone to save. Of the two people’s heroes, only the actions of the one who acts with the blessing of a huge corporation (and with the help of its super-modern drone-like technologies) are correct, though he strenuously tries to convince himself and those around him that he doesn’t need Stark to have his back, which is underscored by two impassioned scenes of last-minute epiphanies. The only touch of anarchy, which the film unfortunately does not take into account at all, is Spider-Man's reckless destruction of other people’s property (and the likely killing of dozens of civilians in the climax), which repeatedly results from his efforts to do heroic deeds. It is also for this reason that the pathos-free civilian level works much better, the dialogue scenes reminding us that Peter is, at heart, just an ordinary kid off the street who knows where to get the best sandwiches in Queens, but he cannot help you resolve serious moral dilemmas. If the filmmakers had not forced him to be responsible and had not attempted to make his action fit within the template of superhero epics, the new Spider-Man could have been much more compelling. Pro tip: take a sheet of paper containing the names of your favourite characters from the series to the cinema and mark down every time Atlanta’s Earnest Marks, Broad City’s Lincoln Rice, Silicon Valley’s Bertram Gilfoyle or Better Call Saul’s Nacho Varga pops up on the screen. 70% (07/03/2017)

Quite a surprise. Before the screening, I would have said that the thematic chest around the spider hero had been emptied by the completion of the Raimi trilogy, but Kevin Feige at Marvel proves time and time again that he knows exactly what he wants to do and how to do it. Homecoming's weaknesses, though, are precisely that it doesn't bring anything too original to the general Spidey themes around the dream girl or his loserism, and that it is a bit skeletal in its attempts to connect the overarching Avenger level to its own story, but it remains a highly entertaining and light-hearted piece that Marvel has been missing from its mosaic – that of the boy within the superhero, a boy who, in addition to the bad guys, has to deal primarily with himself and his teenage problems. One of those comics films that is not so visually imaginative, but definitely the most thoughtful, which benefits a lot from the characterful and unconventionally human villain performed by Michael Keaton. Nowhere near as rushed and forced towards the impending massive team-up as I feared. (01/01/2018)

From the sympathetic protagonist to one of Marvel's finest protagonists to Giacchino's music, almost ubiquitous but unobtrusive humor and one very mildly unexpected twist... Everything is done right here. I'm not gonna blame Spider-Man for targeting a younger audience when Peter Parker is a teen this time. On the contrary, it is an advantage, because from his age stems the great desire of a boy to be big, to belong somewhere and to be useful, which drives it all forward. The latest addition to this comic book family is, in short, a lively spectacle that does not hold things back with things we've already seen (Spider-Man's origin and so on), but tells something new nicely, clearly and with ease. (07/06/2017)

Spider-man is probably the only comic book that has never quite managed to target the right kind of audience and choose an adequate image. The first attempt was the most mature, and things went downhill from there. At the moment, after a short break, the protagonist has changed and from a fresh adult who can hardly buy alcohol in a shop we have a superhero who has a hot ID. Whether this teen move is good or bad is hard to say, but there is no significant move forward, it just came from somewhere else, and the result is average again. There are highlights, of course. The boat scene (already in the trailer) is impressive and everything about Keaton as the main villain is a treat (the conversation in the car is incredibly tense), but the action, in general, is not so good and there isn’t much of it. And the schoolyard banter and the artificially grafted femme fatale who makes it difficult for the spider-man to make a decision about (not) saving the world is there just to give the story a dramatic arc and the main character a life dilemma. (09/28/2017)

Marvel is going a little differently again. Spider-Man draws heavily on teen and high school comedies from the 1980s, and it's in the moments when the lovable Tom Holland tackles the problems of an ordinary teenager that the film is most entertaining. Spider-Man lags a bit in the action, which is unfortunately especially evident in the finale, but it's still a solid above average film. Plus, it can lean on the excellent Michael Keaton, whose villain is more interesting than he first appears. The two actors' scenes together are the strongest moments of the entire film. It's all the more disappointing that Jon Watts overstays his welcome unnecessarily and that he's a little short on the visual effects scenes. Still, it's a very fine Marvel film that tries to embrace the comic book genre a little differently than the previous ones. And I kind of like it that way. (08/16/2017)