Film: Spiderman - Homecoming

GENRE: Action, Adventure

RATING: PG-13 for action violence and some language
RUNTIME: 2 hours and 13 minutes

STARRING: Tom Holland (The Impossible, The Heart of the Sea)

Michael Keaton (Birdman, Batman), Robert Downey Jr. (Iron Man)

DIRECTOR: Jon Watts (Cop Car)

WRITERS: Jonathan Goldstein & John Francis Daly (Horrible Bosses),

Erik Sommers & Chris McKenna (Lego Batman Movie),

Christopher Ford & Watts (Cop Car)

PLOT: Peter Parker tries to juggle school life and going up against the Vulture as Spiderman.  

FULL DISCLOSURE: Love Spiderman, second only to Batman.

STORY STUFF: That was a lot of fun. I think what I enjoyed most was the fact that Peter Parker looks like a high school student doing teenagery things. The story moves at a great pace, has fun dialogue, well-made action sequences, loads of humour and interesting characters.

It also helps that Marvel is involved with its inclusion of Iron Man, Avengers aftermath and cheesy PSAs. Oh, and there are some fun twists. Don’t bother looking for them tough. Just enjoy.

ACTING STUFF: Holland is fantastic as Peter Parker/Spiderman. I liked Toby Maguire but Holland is perfectly cast. He has the right look, the right charisma (at times) and the right amount of insecurities as a new hero. Keaton surprised at his take on Vulture. He grounds it in reality by not just going the crazy route. He has a motive that makes sense. Jacob Batalon (newcomer) as Peter’s friend, Ned, is also well cast. I also liked how this version of New York seems to fit the racial diversity of the city without it feeling like it’s going the PC route. I will say it was weird to see Martin Starr (Silicon Valley) in such a straight-laced role.

ARTISTIC STUFF: It has all the artistic qualities you would expect from a Marvel film. Great action, cinematography, and general production value.  

VERDICT: Four and half stars out of five

SEE IT IF: You like Marvel films and enjoy a younger Spiderman.

UPCOMING REVIEWS: Despicable Me 3, The Big Sick