Spider-Man: Homecoming
Dir: Jon Watts
2017
****
Spider-Man: Homecoming is amazing. The film itself is really good, I thoroughly enjoyed it, but that’s not what I’m really talking about, I’m taking about the finished product based on difficulties had and decisions made. It’s well known that Sony hold the rights to all things Spider-Man, which was always an issue with the current Marvel Universe, what with him being a member of the Avengers and all. You average non-comic reading viewer probably hasn’t thought twice about it but this sort of thing has had nerds and Marvel fanboys lose sleep. When Sony’s TheAmazing Spider-Man 2 failed to have much of an impact (particularly in relation to all the other Marvel movies), the studio realised it needed to talk to Marvel Studios and Disney Pictures. A deal was made, I’m sure Disney paid Sony handsomely, but no doubt everyone will enjoy a profit. He popped up in CivilWar and now has his very own film, it all seems simple but this was a long time coming for the fans and many of us never thought it would actually happen. This is the first amazing, the second amazing is what has been achieved considering the writers and director. I’m not being mean, but Jonathan Goldstein, John Francis Daley, Jon Watts, Christopher Ford, Chris McKenna and Erick Sommers are not writers (and actors) who would be top of my personal wish-list. Get some new blood in for sure, I’m all for that, but between them they’ve created Horrible Bosses, The Incredible Burt Wonderstone, Robot & Frank, American Dad! and the National Lampoon Vacation remake. Okay, to be fair they’re also responsible for Freaks and Geeks and The Lego Batman Movie but generally, they didn’t strike me as the best men for the job. I couldn’t have been more wrong. I think that maybe they were exactly the right kinds of geek that the franchise needed. Their shared story/screenplay/script is comic-geek perfection. Again, many of the non-comic reading audience will be unaware of just how much of the comics is in the film, how cleverly these elements are placed and how brilliantly it works within the existing Marvel Universe. Iron Man and CaptainAmerica both appear to give the film some Avengers authenticity but actually, there is more Marvel comics content in Spider-Man: Homecoming in many of the other Marvel films combined. You may watch the film and think that it features just one, villain, maybe two if you know your stuff but actually, it features five villains – three being members of the notorious Sinister Six. It’s beautiful, at last, hard core Spider-Man fans and casual cinema audiences are both catered for, you are free to know as much or as little about the story and characters without losing anything. While Spider-Man is a part of the Avengers, he’s also his own character. This probably has a lot to do with the Sony rights issue but in some respects it’s worked out the best for the character. I liked Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man, it was his first appearance on the big screen and apart from a few cringworthy scenes, it still stands up. The sequel is even better but the less said about the third the better. Marc Webb’s version of Spider-Man was also very strong but the problem was with the origin story. I can understand why they would re-tell it but it was too soon, not for Sony to keep the rights but too soon for audiences. The cast was good, the special effects impressive and the story worked - we just didn’t want to see Uncle Ben die again. The second film wasn’t great though, Sony were way too over confident with that one and it backfired. Getting the villains right was key, while most of the best ones were already used, they didn’t make the most of the ones that were left. I feel sorry for drew Goddard in some respects as it looked as if his Sinister Six movie was a done deal, and it was a little sad that he passed on Spider-Man: Homecoming but I think there is a little more hope that something can be done now. Marvel are showing Sony how it’s done. Michael Keaton’s Vuture was perfect, his backstory makes perfect sense and works well and if anyone questions his authenticity, well, there are four different version of the character, so I’m not sure the argument stands. It all lends itself wonderfully in introducing many of the Spider-Villains who I would never think would get a big screen look in, such as Scorpion (who became Venom), The Tinkerer of all characters and both versions of The Shocker. This breaks through a few superhero movie walls somewhat. There are many versions of different characters, pretty much all featured in this film are from the early 60s and updated, but never have we seen two incarnations of the same character in the same film. The Green Goblin in Spider-Man 3 doesn’t really count in my opinion. A big thing in the comic world but a subtle move in terms of film. I geeked out a little. Tom Holland is now my favourite Spider-Man, his version works incredibly well and while he’s only had one film and only featured very briefly in another, I think his is what the character needed from the very beginning. It sounded a bit rubbish on paper, Spider-Man being in High school, vlogging instead of being an amateur photographer and being Tony Stark’s side-project but it worked brilliantly in reality. I love how they wrote him into the story so convincingly, like he’d always been there just never on screen. Superhero films get the details wrong all the time, this feels like it has been written by fans but also by people with half a brain. There is something very un-superhero about the film, much like Ant-Man. This version puts the emphasis on your friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man, neighbourhood being the key word. There is no origin story here, it really doesn’t feel like it needs one, it doesn’t feel missing and we don’t have to watch Uncle Ben die again for the third time. Important and amusing aspects of the character are questioned; Does he lay eggs? What’s with the web-slinging, what is it and where does it come from? How does he get about in the suburbs where there aren’t any skyscrapers to swing from? These questions and more are answered beautifully, very much the way Marvel would and Sony never would. It actually feels like a John Hughes movie – indeed, there is reference to a couple of his movies. Tom Holland plays Spider-Man a little like an over-excitable Marty McFly with charming inexperience. Making Spider-Man’s suit a product of Stark Enterprise was a genius idea, not only does it prove as a realistic way for a fifteen year old superhero to have such an outfit but also because it is voiced by Jennifer Connelly – the wife of Paul Bettany, who voiced Iron Man’s suit/home computer J.A.R.V.I.S who became Vision. It’s funny how this makes Spider-Man: Homecoming feel even more like a Marvel film, even though it really is somewhat detached from the MCU. It’s a clever direction and could be the blue-print from now on, not just for company collaborations but stand-alone super-character films. Tom Holland is great, Michael Keaton is perfect and the film’s conclusion was awesome. Each twist was warmly received, from the character reveals to the character connections, it really was a treat for comic fans and cinema goers alike. The action is toned down somewhat but this is a good thing – Sony should take note regarding where they take the X-Men franchise next. Spider-Man is so well balanced, it’s like it was meant to be, maybe Spider-Man needed to fail in order to be reborn. I loved the soundtrack too, but why on earth have The Ramones’s Blitzkrieg Bop as the theme music when their version of the Spider-Man theme tune is better than the original?