Many spoiler alerts: Proceed with caution!
It’s nice to be writing a movie review where I don’t have to start off by saying that everyone dies (in reference to "Rogue One"). In fact, in this Jon Watts directed movie, the only thing that died was my heart. I think it exploded from the perfectly coursed together romance, anxiety, sadness, happiness, and above all- laughter.
Peter Parker for me has always been the high school nerd who excels in science and math and is terrible with the ladies. Tobey Maguire always captured Peter perfectly for me, but his age really threw me off. The same goes for Andrew Garfield, except his performance was more underwhelming. Tom Holland is my perfect Peter Parker from Queens in that he acted like a sophomore in high school rather than being wise beyond his years. He looked like he belonged in high school, and the events in the movie like the academic decathlon and obviously homecoming show off his age even more. He messed up almost every task he was given until he finally understood what it meant to be a hero- which means he almost ruined the mode of transportation I take to school every morning.
Like many of the Staten Islanders I saw the film with, the ferry scene was my favorite, but not for the hometown pride. As much as I loved being a part of the theater's in unison screaming of "AYEEE" when the ferry was shown, the part of the scene which sold it for me was Tony giving Peter a "father-son" talk. In previous adaptations of "Spider-Man," there have been various father figure-esque characters, but I think Tony and his Iron Man arrogance dissipated long enough to give Peter the "tough love" he needed. Peter learning to be the friendly-neighborhood Spider-Man we all know and love without his suit is a coming-of-age lesson many of the younger members of the audience needed.
While the ferry scene was my favorite scene of the film, my favorite character is hidden within the shadows. I remember learning that Zendaya was on the cast list a while back but she never revealed who she was playing. She came out a few weeks before the movie saying that she wasn’t "Mary Jane" and she wasn’t lying! Zendaya’s new-age adaptation of MJ (Michelle Jane) is one that truly epitomizes the meaning of black girl magic. MJ saves the decathlon when Peter leaves by getting the sudden death question correct. It is this doing that helps her become team captain for the following school year. She even manages to highlight the issue of slavery to bewilder her white teacher when they speak about the Washington Monument. Above all, MJ is wildly in love with Peter, something that can be seen from her distanced crushing and decision to attend the academic decathlon to be closer to Peter. Zendaya was the perfect actress to bring to life this version of MJ.
Another honorable mention can be given to Michael Keaton who forever is Batman to me, but whose Vulture was utterly kick-ass. From the very beginning of the film, I knew Keaton would be an amazing villain. If there's one thing the Spider-Man films have always gotten right, it's the villains. What really sold me, however, was the ultimate plot twist that had everyone's mouth gaping open. Vulture just so happens to be the father of Peter's love interest, Liz, which he found out by ringing her doorbell on the night of homecoming. Adrian Toomes, the given name of Vulture, drives the pair to prom while Peter worries about his identity. Liz doesn’t make things better when she admits that Peter has some whereabouts that match the likes of Spider-Man. This grill session was the comic relief everyone needed in this hero-meets-villain moment.
From the Stan Lee cameo to the Lego Death Star, "Spider-Man: Homecoming" was the perfect summer movie that put Marvel on a new edge of high expectations. I look forward to seeing it a third time, downloading the soundtrack, and purchasing it on DVD.
