Spidey Swings Home in This Amazing Adventure

By Avik Basak

Since Marvel’s deal with Sony, I heard many people say, “How many more reboots will we need before we get a Spidey movie, which will bring the truest version of the wall-crawler to the big screen?” It is a very genuine question since both Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield failed to hit the right balance between humour and goofiness that is needed for the character. While Garfield was a little too cool, Maguire always used to make me feel sorry for his bad luck.

Well, those are in the past now as Spider-Man swings home to the studio, which is named after his original makers. Like they did when then brought most of their characters to the big screen, Marvel Studios were expected to give our “friendly neighbourhood hero” the movie he deserved and boy, they pulled it off with utmost effortlessness.

Powered by a team of six writers and the vision of lesser-known director Jon Watts, Spider-Man: Homecoming is the Spider-Man movie we always wanted to see. Watts, who proved with his indie-drama- Cop Car that how much he can do with character driven stories, keeps his protagonist grounded here in a universe where everything else works high above in the sky.

Homecoming is the story of a high school boy who tries to prove that he is worthy to join the team of Earth’s mightiest heroes but instead what he succeeds in, is making a mess of himself. This is probably the most realistic take on the character, where you can not only see him struggle with his dual life but also might find answers to some not-so-important but genuine questions you might have had about his web-slinging capabilities since childhood (Such as, what would Spidey do if there are no skyscrapers to swing from? Simple, he will run or borrow a car). While it is a light, breezy, high school comedy that will make you laugh loud with its comic scenes, it is also equally compelling in the comparatively dark parts and action sequences.

Now, let’s talk about the performances. If you had any doubts if Tom Holland was the right choice for the role or not after seeing him in Civil War, you can put them to rest. Tom not only brings the much needed teenage charm to the character but also acts maturely whenever required. He is just perfect in every scene he is in and definitely, is the best iteration of the character ever.

Michael Keaton in his slightly re-imagined version of the Vulture is brilliant. Keaton not only proves himself menacing but also makes us care for his reasons behind his choices. Though he did not have a substantial role, Robert Downey Jr. did what he does best, owning every scene he was in with his amazing sense of humour. All the other supporting players from Jon Favreau to Jacob Batalan to Marisa Tomei did well too in their parts to make the movie all the more satisfying.

Michael Giacchino amazed us once again with his scores, especially with that revamped instrumental version of the old Spider-Man theme song. Dan Lebental and Debbie Berman also did a good job with their scissors as the movie never seemed too stretched.

It is not a perfect movie though, as it provides us with a couple of flaws. One of them lies in the climactic battle sequence, which starts off well but becomes a little sloppy towards the end. The other drawback is the timeline specified in the film, which directly contradicts the one mentioned in the previous movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Overall, it’s an amazing film and should be a sure watch for all the fans of the wall-crawler out there but if you are looking for a typical Marvel movie with lots of high-octane action sequences, then you might just end up a little disappointed. Come on, it does not hurt to fly close to the ground sometimes.

4.2 Stars Out of 5 From Me…