There are many things that the world really doesn't need right now, and another Spider-Man reboot is arguably on that list. This is the 6th Spidey film in 15 years (without counting the cameo in Civil War) and the whole idea was starting to feel more than a little hackneyed.
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| Is this the poster layout for all blockbuster films now? |
Marvel Cinematic Universe films have form for luring audiences in to superhero films, getting us to like them, and then bogging us down in a mire of politics and tortured conflicts, and in so doing sucking all the joy out of the character that brought us to the film in the first place (see: Thor: The Dark World, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Captain America: Civil War). The MCU does well when it scales back, which is what it’s done here.
Spiderman: Homecoming picks up Peter Parker where we left off with him in Civil War. There's been a clash between the various factions of Avengers (nicely referenced at the start of the film by Peter's vlog, and also quickly outlining the relationship between Peter, Happy and Tony Stark). Peter is left vague instructions to check in with Stark via Happy, "...and y'know...we'll call you". An excitable Peter misses that this is probably a brush-off, and drops everything he loves in his life just in case he gets a crucial Avengers call, leading to double-life conflicts with his friends (including the scene-stealing Jacob Batalon), his school, his love interest (Laura Harrier) and his Aunt May (Marisa Tomei). On the constant look-out for anything suspicious that gets his Spidey-senses tingling, he happens upon a number of unusual events and, in the absence of being able to get Happy’s attention, sets about trying to save the day himself, with varying consequences.
The triangle between Peter, Happy and Tony is an interesting one, and it’s clear to audiences that there is a real sense that Peter is not being taken seriously. I’m a bit confused in this because I’m not sure what else Peter was supposed to do. He was given his hi-tech costume, and told to be patient, but there was no real sense of progression for him. Obviously things weren’t going to end well when he found he could disable the training programmes in the suit (and there was a lot of comedic value in the various settings that had been added, as well as Peter’s chats with June, Jennifer Connelly’s Siri-like voice in his suit. A nice real-world touch, given that Paul Bettany - Connelly’s husband - voices Jarvis in Stark’s own suits). But what was Peter supposed to do to advance in his training, and how was he meant to graduate to the main programming? Continuing to be patient (as instructed) would not have helped, and there was no sense that Tony intended to come back at a later stage and help out. This is somewhat rectified by the ending where Tony offers proper mentoring at the new Stark building in recognition that the “just be patient” advice hadn’t worked for Peter, but given that it could never have worked, I’m not sure what Tony’s actual plan was. This was subtly symbolised on the two suits Tony offered Peter. In his first suit, the legs of the spider aren’t attached to its body, essentially rendering the creature useless. This is rectified in the second version of the suit that Tony offers – the spider’s legs are attached, as he is offered fuller integration with the Avengers group. I digress.
The high school plot feels well-written, and Peter’s action in his high school life has very real and very important consequences for him (think Mean Girls if Cady was also a superhero). In fact, Peter’s high school feels real. An ethnically and racially diverse group of students who have some great teachers (the Decathlon coach, for example) and some jaded ones (the ones who point out that Captain America is “probably a war criminal now or whatever”, but direct the students to watch the schlocky Governmentally produced films anyways). Peter’s constant attempts to impress Tony and Happy also land well. It’s the same issue – Peter just wants to be part of the cool gang (in his school world as well as his superhero world). His Spiderman set pieces (the elevator in the Washington monument, the Staten Island Ferry) also feel in keeping with his Peter Parker persona – of course Spider-Man would think to look for points of strength to shoot webs to. Peter Parker is the kind of kid who would know that stuff).
Separately from this, Michael Keaton is playing Adrian Toomes, who is making a living as the head of a salvage company clearing up the city (and finding the work to be plentiful after the Avengers have been in town). Mercilessly driven out of business by a bigger company (contracted in part by Tony Stark), Toomes finds himself out of work and being picked on by the bigger company (in a nice, if depressing, reflection that bullies don’t just go away when you leave school). He hits back by scavenging whatever alien technology he can find, using it to create his own alter-ego (Vulture) and selling on whatever he can’t use. In a world where the recession is still felt, Toomes’ anger is understandable and realistic and a far cry from the pantomime versions of villains previously seen in other superhero films. There is no “wrong” here – Tony Stark is right to want to tidy up the mess that he makes of a city in his Ironman guise, and Toomes is right to want to make a living doing what he believes he was being contracted to do. Both opinions are morally ambiguous. That said, did Vulture have a plan beyond “take Tony Stark’s stuff”? I do wonder what the younger audience members made of this particular plotline.
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| Michael Keaton = giant bird. Check. |
There’s a further sinister note that isn’t commented upon – all characters at (presumably) all times are under surveillance. From drones, from phones, from CCTV, from gadgetty doodahs in Stark suits. Nothing is private. This seems to be generally accepted, and perhaps in the real-world too. There is an ethical question that has yet to be asked in the MCU – should superheroes be able to track anyone at any time without their permission, or is this just a plot device that I’m overthinking?
But these are quibbles in an otherwise entirely enjoyable romp through one part of the MCU. Holland’s take on Spider-Man is endearing and enthusiastic and entirely likeable. In a household where spiders are routinely trapped under cups and flung out the nearest window, I look forward to seeing more of watching this guy do whatever a spider can.
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| Legitimate question |
1. I particularly enjoyed the new BBFC warning: “contains concealed bad language”. That’s right up there with “mild peril”.
2. Whoever thought we’d be rooting for Iron Man and Aunt May to get together?
3. How come high schoolers can always fit so many people in their houses at illicit parent-free parties?
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