This 2017 American superhero film, based on the Marvel Comics character, the second reboot of the ‘Spider-Man’ film franchise and the sixteenth film of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (phew!), is by Jon Watts and stars Tom Holland, Michael Keaton, Jon Favreau, Jacob Batalon, Zendaya, Laura Harrier, Marisa Tomei and Robert Downey Jr.
With 3 different “universes†and 7 films, the ‘Spider-Man’ movie franchise is in its second reboot injust 15 years making it one of the most controversial and it seems difficult superheroes to make work. From Tobey Maguire to Andrew Garfield - and lots of legal ties in the meanwhile – the web slinger finally gets a new home where he should have been all along; settled in the expansive Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Gone is Mary-Jane. Gone is the Daily Bugle. Gone is Uncle Ben (well, we know that, but it’s not a plot point here). Tom Holland plays the 15yr old Peter Parker still at high school, and still coming to terms with his alter-ego duties as Spider-Man. Not that we see him getting used to his powers, as we did that in ‘Captain America: Civil War’ where it was clear he knew what he was doing!
No, here we see him already fighting crime and trying to be the friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man Tony Stark wants him to be rather than risk his young head fighting with the Avengers who always remind you they are part of this game now. Be it Robert Downey Jr in his Iron Man role (only taking up 15mins approx. of the 2hr run) or even Chris Evans popping up via video as Captain America – and another welcome cameo towards the end - they are the comfort blankets to remind us all where this new Spider-Man belongs.
It’s nice to see him a bit rusty in the fast-paced action; he may not always have buildings or trees to magically swing on so he has to run like hell to get where he wants, and these little moments are really well thought out and funny. He doesn’t always land perfectly or makes the most of his suit when he could – its development, and that’s always nice to watch without going back to baby steps and origins. There is some grand action including sequences pretty much spoilt in the trailers like the plane fight and boat attack; all shot, edited and played out really well.
I didn’t miss his time as a photographer or anything of the usual Peter Parker standard stuff, and we just jumped into the action going off against Michael Keaton as Vulture, who is always a joy to watch. He’s a wicked piece of work, but he has a heart somewhere inside that vengeful body. Thankfully not always hidden behind his CGI wings, Keaton has enough presence to be a threat, and it’s great seeing him in the big time again. Support from the likes of Jon Favreau too is a welcome touch of light-relief, as is the beautiful Laura Harrier, the likeable comedic talent of Jacob Batalon and the easy going Aunt “Bae†May in Marisa Tomei.
Refreshing also seeing the high-school superhero clash, rather than a young adult or older man in his prime doing little else. This is the high-school / superhero movie cliché again, but for Spider-Man it works well enough and makes sense, leading to some good plot points that help progress the film rather than stall it. And in that sense, the story overall is well paced and draws from narrative from the first Avengers movie, making it all tie up in that big over-reaching arc that Marvel do so well.
As we’ve seen Spider-Man in action six times now on the big screen, we have nothing really new on offer bar the MCU touches and additions to the suit and the new villains on screen and hinted at. But, it’s got that polished Marvel presentation that fits in so well with the current MCU. It’s bold and bright, vibrant, action-packed and populated by a passionate cast determined to lay foundations for future stories that can build on strengths and polish the weaknesses here.
There are a few flaws of course; the final battle is a little over-long, but on that note refrains from too much CGI to dampen the humanity behind it. As said before, the action is similar to what we’ve seen before but that can’t be helped. And Tom Holland is one of the most accurate representations of what high-school Peter Parker should be, and it’ll be nice seeing him develop, because he never…stops…narrating and talking! I didn’t find it too distracting, but I see why others could!
A big, bold and bright return to the silver screen here for old web-head, shaking up how we see Spider-Man and Peter Parker, but not dragging its heels in throwing us into a new MCU era with lots of exciting possibilities faithful to the source material. Out of the three actors, Holland is my current fave, and of the now seven films Spidey is in, this it certainly Top 3.
With 3 different “universes†and 7 films, the ‘Spider-Man’ movie franchise is in its second reboot injust 15 years making it one of the most controversial and it seems difficult superheroes to make work. From Tobey Maguire to Andrew Garfield - and lots of legal ties in the meanwhile – the web slinger finally gets a new home where he should have been all along; settled in the expansive Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Gone is Mary-Jane. Gone is the Daily Bugle. Gone is Uncle Ben (well, we know that, but it’s not a plot point here). Tom Holland plays the 15yr old Peter Parker still at high school, and still coming to terms with his alter-ego duties as Spider-Man. Not that we see him getting used to his powers, as we did that in ‘Captain America: Civil War’ where it was clear he knew what he was doing!
No, here we see him already fighting crime and trying to be the friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man Tony Stark wants him to be rather than risk his young head fighting with the Avengers who always remind you they are part of this game now. Be it Robert Downey Jr in his Iron Man role (only taking up 15mins approx. of the 2hr run) or even Chris Evans popping up via video as Captain America – and another welcome cameo towards the end - they are the comfort blankets to remind us all where this new Spider-Man belongs.
It’s nice to see him a bit rusty in the fast-paced action; he may not always have buildings or trees to magically swing on so he has to run like hell to get where he wants, and these little moments are really well thought out and funny. He doesn’t always land perfectly or makes the most of his suit when he could – its development, and that’s always nice to watch without going back to baby steps and origins. There is some grand action including sequences pretty much spoilt in the trailers like the plane fight and boat attack; all shot, edited and played out really well.
I didn’t miss his time as a photographer or anything of the usual Peter Parker standard stuff, and we just jumped into the action going off against Michael Keaton as Vulture, who is always a joy to watch. He’s a wicked piece of work, but he has a heart somewhere inside that vengeful body. Thankfully not always hidden behind his CGI wings, Keaton has enough presence to be a threat, and it’s great seeing him in the big time again. Support from the likes of Jon Favreau too is a welcome touch of light-relief, as is the beautiful Laura Harrier, the likeable comedic talent of Jacob Batalon and the easy going Aunt “Bae†May in Marisa Tomei.
Refreshing also seeing the high-school superhero clash, rather than a young adult or older man in his prime doing little else. This is the high-school / superhero movie cliché again, but for Spider-Man it works well enough and makes sense, leading to some good plot points that help progress the film rather than stall it. And in that sense, the story overall is well paced and draws from narrative from the first Avengers movie, making it all tie up in that big over-reaching arc that Marvel do so well.
As we’ve seen Spider-Man in action six times now on the big screen, we have nothing really new on offer bar the MCU touches and additions to the suit and the new villains on screen and hinted at. But, it’s got that polished Marvel presentation that fits in so well with the current MCU. It’s bold and bright, vibrant, action-packed and populated by a passionate cast determined to lay foundations for future stories that can build on strengths and polish the weaknesses here.
There are a few flaws of course; the final battle is a little over-long, but on that note refrains from too much CGI to dampen the humanity behind it. As said before, the action is similar to what we’ve seen before but that can’t be helped. And Tom Holland is one of the most accurate representations of what high-school Peter Parker should be, and it’ll be nice seeing him develop, because he never…stops…narrating and talking! I didn’t find it too distracting, but I see why others could!
A big, bold and bright return to the silver screen here for old web-head, shaking up how we see Spider-Man and Peter Parker, but not dragging its heels in throwing us into a new MCU era with lots of exciting possibilities faithful to the source material. Out of the three actors, Holland is my current fave, and of the now seven films Spidey is in, this it certainly Top 3.
