After The Amazing Spider-Man 2 fell short of expectations in 2014, the last thing anyone wanted was another Spider-Man reboot – unless it involved the Avengers, of course. It once seemed impossible, but Sony and Disney finally worked together to bring one of Marvel’s most popular heroes into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. I wish they’d saved the title Amazing for this third iteration of Spider-Man because it’s actually pretty amazing.
Tom Holland’s Spider-Man was first introduced in Captain America: Civil War, so thankfully we’re spared the tired origin story in Spider-Man: Homecoming. I really liked Tom’s predecessor, Andrew Garfield, in the role of Peter Parker/Spider-Man – wow, what a man – BUT Tom proves himself a worthy successor in Homecoming, his first solo outing. Tom is funny, charismatic, and believable in the role, and it’s so cool to watch him having the time of his life playing Spider-Man in such a large-scale film.
In case some viewers skipped out on Civil War and aren’t aware that this Spider-Man exists in the same universe the Avengers, Tony Stark, the Lord and Savior of the MCU, gets quite a bit of screen time here as he takes on a sort of mentor role for Peter. The rest of the cast is filled by Zendaya, Jacob Batalon, Marissa Tomei as Aunt May, and Michael Keaton as Vulture. Michael Keaton is a scene-stealer, and his casting couldn’t be more perfect.
After the short-lived Amazing Spider-Man was canned, along with a Sinister Six movie and so many others, I wasn’t sure if Sony would ever get Spider-Man right. I wasn’t sure if audiences would even be interested in another Spider-Man reboot so soon after the last one. Boy, did they prove me wrong. Spider-Man: Homecoming is fresh, fast-paced, and a whole lot of fun, and I can’t wait to see the next one.
