Fresh off his first adventure with the Avengers, Peter Parker (Tom Holland) is obsessed with becoming a full-time superhero.
Equiped with a new suit, Peter starts looking for opportunities to get the attention of his mentor, Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr).
One opportunity is a mysterious arms dealer who has been hijacking secret weapons from Stark and other companies...
Working on these Spider-Man reviews has been an exercise in constant revisionism. The Sam Raimi movies are a bit simple and obvious but they become examples of strong storytelling and character development through the prism of the Marc Webb duology.
And now to the John Watts/Tom Holland/Kevin Fiege era.
Firstly, it is great to have a Spider-Man who exists in an established environment and community. This movie has a stronger sense of place than the previous movies.
It might not be any more realistic than Raimi’s New York, but there is more of an ensemble feel - particularly in the early scenes - that grounds the viewer into this Peter Parker’s world.
While the details of this world-building were a plus, they are ultimately superficial. But i will dive into that a little later.
Watching this movie after the previous iterations, it is a bummer watching a Spider-Man who is part of a world of superheroes - part of the novelty is that Spider-Man is a singular being. He feels less special.
It is made worse by the presence of Tony Stark, whose involvement removes all stakes - Maguire and Garfield were put through the ringer and had to improvise their way out of problems.
That being said, this is probably my second favorite of the Spider-Men - the tone is lighter and it feels like Peter is surrounded by a genuine ensemble of highschool characters.
As the movie progresses, that lightness starts to feel like superficiality. On this viewing, the jokes are a shade too plentiful, and the stakes feel markedly smaller.
After his predecessors, Holland comes off a little slight - this version forgoes an origin story, but with it goes the pathos.
The set-pieces are solid - the filmmakers make sure that the gizmos do not do all the work. And the stakes rise when Tony takes his suit away and Peter realizes Liz’s dad is the Vulture.
This twist is one of the best swerves in a recent superhero movie, and it does lead to the only real tension in the movie.
It helps that Michael Keaton is great as Adrian Toomes - he packs a similar intensity to Willem Dafoe but the characterisation is more nuanced. He is also able to dial the menace down to a simmer. The scene between Peter and Adrian in the car is one of the best scenes in any of these movies. With Keaton, there is a tension between what his character is telling on the surface and his eyes.
Keaton’s eyes are piercing - it always feels like he is focused on something beyond the immediate focus of the scene. There is a straightforwardness to his performance as Toomes is frightening. It cuts through the movie’s sense of boheme in a way that the movie never capitalizes on.
I like it when the heroes are on the backfoot and the final fight between Spider-Man and Shocker (Bokeem Woodbine) is a fine example - Peter cannot get to his web shooters.
It does not last long but it is a nice beat.
There is something off about the climax to the movie that really stood out.
The filmmakers attempt to create a lowest moment for Peter when he is buried by the Vulture, but it does not work. Peter sees his mask in a puddle - the submerged side reflects his face back at him so it looks split. It is a nice touch but it is a payoff with no set up.
Tonally, Homecoming is a joy. It is lots of fun, and the cast are terrific. But after four years and two further instalments, its charms are starting to wear a little thin.
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