Release Date: 7th July, 2017 (India)
Director: Jon Watts
Director: Jon Watts
Cast: Tom Holland, Michael Keaton, Robert Downey Jr., Marisa Tomei, Jon Favreau, Gwyneth Paltrow, Zendaya, Donald Glover
Run time: 2h 13min
Our rating: ****
The Good:
- The movie marks the entry of Spider-man to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which we have longed for YEARS!
- Tom Holland as Spider-man.
- Lots of comic moments so as to not get monotonous.
- Spider-man goes all tech.
- The series' obsession with Green Goblin has ended.
The Not so Good:
- CGI is top notch (we don't expect anything less from Marvel).
Should you watch it?: YES!
- More of Spider-man would have been nice.
It's back, and back with a BANG. This is what I would describe Spider-man: Homecoming as, if someone asked me to describe it in the shortest way possible. The second reboot to the Spider-man franchise is bigger, better and more relatable to the real world in most ways than earlier. Bigger - because Marvel's most important character has finally landed into the Universe which houses the most amazing of superheroes (Iron-man, Captain America, Hulk, Thor, Black Widow), hence Spider-man will consistently share screen space with them. Better - because according to me this is the best Spider-man movie EVER (yes even better than Spider-man 2). And relatable - because the Radio active spider bites are gone, this is just another kid, chosen to represent the web slinger.
What's interesting is that this time around there's no spiders lurking around to bite Mr. Parker and turn him into a superhuman (which I'm thankful for because it's old story now). Also, the good old Uncle Ben is missing from the picture to remind us that with great power, comes great responsibility. Instead, the movie picks up from where Captain America: Civil War left off, and continues with the cleaning off of the debris that the alien attacks caused to the NYC in Avengers: Age of Ultron. It shows Spider-man's entry into the famous Spider-man introduction scene from the Civil War, from the lenses of Peter Parker himself. Peter Parker, 15, is just another teenager who grew up watching the Avengers save his city, hoping that someday he would be able to contribute to the Dream Team. He is the same nerd that we've all grown up reading about, who is still the intelligent student taking part in and representing his school in quiz competitions. He has his best friend Ned by his side, who tries to buzz off all the bullies of Parker but fails miserably. His love interest resides in Liz, who is senior to him. His story is rather inspired from the real life of teens, and we can completely relate to him every single time - whether it is the nervous moments around his crushes to his wanna be superhero moments and the desire to prove himself to the world - this Peter Parker is crafted from the diary of a 2017 teenager.
But the parallel side of Parker is a soft-hearted, trying too hard to impress superhero. You can't help but notice the real teen quality in the way this Spider-man has been displayed. He's still getting the hang of the superpowers that his new suit possesses and in the process commits mistakes just like every teenager exploring new situations. Talking about the suit, we have a sparkling new Spidey suit this time around that ACTUALLY adds value to the superhero apart from the aesthetic part of things. It's feature-laden, has its own personal assistant, has different modes and latches on to Peter Parker 'tightly' by itself. Did all this detail about the suit ring some bells? Yes. The suit is all high tech a la Iron-man style. Do I love it? Hell YES! It smartly addresses the one biggest gripe I had with the Spider-man - he was grossly under-powered.
Lets move on to the casting of the movie. Michael Keaton as the Vulture is spot on. Having recently seen him as the smart wit salesman in The Founder earlier in 2016, it came as a no surprise to see him portray an intelligent contractor turned villain here. He's good, and justifies his experience in the industry very well. The supporting cast of Jon Favreau, Zendaya, Tony Revolori gave no reasons to complain and had their sweet little presence. Addressing the big animal out of the park - Tony Stark aka Robert Downey Jr., owns the show whenever he comes on screen - though I expect no less out of him. Replacing Uncle Ben here as the mentor for Peter Parker, he was his typical self giving us some of the most comic scenes of the movie. However, the biggest surprise for me in terms of casting was that of Aunty May. The old lady that we are accustomed to seeing as the guardian for our little boy is replaced by a relatively younger, hot lady who gets occasional passes from strangers. Marisa Tomei portrays the role flawlessly and I couldn't ask for more.
And now, on to the most talked about casting decision, that of the protagonist himself - Tom Holland. In my opinion, this is the best choice ever. Tom Holland really owns both the characters - Peter and Spider-man. He's a lot more energetic than Tobey Maguire, looks a lot more nerdy than Andrew Garfield, and looks a more believable teenager that Peter Parker is supposed to be. This is my favorite portrayal of the Spider-man hands down.
If you have ever enjoyed a single Spider-man movie, go watch this one, and I assure, you won't be disappointed. No other Spider-man movie has managed to keep the viewers hooked for the whole duration of the movie as much as this one. If you hate Spider-man: give this one a chance. Its a whole new story, with new twists and turns which promises to get more exciting as the story progresses. This movie is a visual treat for kids and youth alike. One word that would echo in your mind after watching the movie? MARVELous!
What's interesting is that this time around there's no spiders lurking around to bite Mr. Parker and turn him into a superhuman (which I'm thankful for because it's old story now). Also, the good old Uncle Ben is missing from the picture to remind us that with great power, comes great responsibility. Instead, the movie picks up from where Captain America: Civil War left off, and continues with the cleaning off of the debris that the alien attacks caused to the NYC in Avengers: Age of Ultron. It shows Spider-man's entry into the famous Spider-man introduction scene from the Civil War, from the lenses of Peter Parker himself. Peter Parker, 15, is just another teenager who grew up watching the Avengers save his city, hoping that someday he would be able to contribute to the Dream Team. He is the same nerd that we've all grown up reading about, who is still the intelligent student taking part in and representing his school in quiz competitions. He has his best friend Ned by his side, who tries to buzz off all the bullies of Parker but fails miserably. His love interest resides in Liz, who is senior to him. His story is rather inspired from the real life of teens, and we can completely relate to him every single time - whether it is the nervous moments around his crushes to his wanna be superhero moments and the desire to prove himself to the world - this Peter Parker is crafted from the diary of a 2017 teenager.
But the parallel side of Parker is a soft-hearted, trying too hard to impress superhero. You can't help but notice the real teen quality in the way this Spider-man has been displayed. He's still getting the hang of the superpowers that his new suit possesses and in the process commits mistakes just like every teenager exploring new situations. Talking about the suit, we have a sparkling new Spidey suit this time around that ACTUALLY adds value to the superhero apart from the aesthetic part of things. It's feature-laden, has its own personal assistant, has different modes and latches on to Peter Parker 'tightly' by itself. Did all this detail about the suit ring some bells? Yes. The suit is all high tech a la Iron-man style. Do I love it? Hell YES! It smartly addresses the one biggest gripe I had with the Spider-man - he was grossly under-powered.
Lets move on to the casting of the movie. Michael Keaton as the Vulture is spot on. Having recently seen him as the smart wit salesman in The Founder earlier in 2016, it came as a no surprise to see him portray an intelligent contractor turned villain here. He's good, and justifies his experience in the industry very well. The supporting cast of Jon Favreau, Zendaya, Tony Revolori gave no reasons to complain and had their sweet little presence. Addressing the big animal out of the park - Tony Stark aka Robert Downey Jr., owns the show whenever he comes on screen - though I expect no less out of him. Replacing Uncle Ben here as the mentor for Peter Parker, he was his typical self giving us some of the most comic scenes of the movie. However, the biggest surprise for me in terms of casting was that of Aunty May. The old lady that we are accustomed to seeing as the guardian for our little boy is replaced by a relatively younger, hot lady who gets occasional passes from strangers. Marisa Tomei portrays the role flawlessly and I couldn't ask for more.
And now, on to the most talked about casting decision, that of the protagonist himself - Tom Holland. In my opinion, this is the best choice ever. Tom Holland really owns both the characters - Peter and Spider-man. He's a lot more energetic than Tobey Maguire, looks a lot more nerdy than Andrew Garfield, and looks a more believable teenager that Peter Parker is supposed to be. This is my favorite portrayal of the Spider-man hands down.
If you have ever enjoyed a single Spider-man movie, go watch this one, and I assure, you won't be disappointed. No other Spider-man movie has managed to keep the viewers hooked for the whole duration of the movie as much as this one. If you hate Spider-man: give this one a chance. Its a whole new story, with new twists and turns which promises to get more exciting as the story progresses. This movie is a visual treat for kids and youth alike. One word that would echo in your mind after watching the movie? MARVELous!