 ***PLEASE NOTE: A Blu-ray 3D disc is only compatible with 3D Blu-ray players.*** A young Peter Parker/Spider-Man, who made his sensational debut in Captain America: Civil War, begins to navigate his newfound identity as the web-slinging super hero in Spider-Man: Homecoming. Thrilled by his experience with the Avengers, Peter returns home, where he lives with his Aunt May, under the watchful eye of his new mentor Tony Stark. Peter tries to fall back into his normal daily routine distracted by thoughts of proving himself to be more than just your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man but when the Vulture (Michael Keaton) emerges as a new villain, everything that Peter holds most important will be threatened.Storyline Storyline: Thrilled by his experience with the Avengers, Peter returns home, where he lives with his Aunt May, under the watchful eye of his new mentor Tony Stark, Peter tries to fall back into his normal daily routine - distracted by thoughts of proving himself to be more than just your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man - but when the Vulture emerges as a new villain, everything that Peter holds most important will be threatened. Written by Benett Sullivan Reviewer's Note: Reviewed by Martin Liebman, October 15, 2017 Spider-Man: Homecoming is Sony's third big-screen adaptation for the popular Marvel superhero in well under two decades, dating back to 2002's Spider-Man, which spawned two sequels, only to be re-imagined in The Amazing Spider-Man and its sequel a few years later. This latest take on the character saw his debut in Disney/Marvel's Captain America: Civil War, where the webslinger was once again recast and retooled, this time as a protégé of billionaire playboy Tony Stark, a.k.a. Iron Man. All of the Spider-Man films (and most comic book movies, for that matter) have been major financial success and to some degree have all been critical successes, too, so it's no surprise to see the studios continue to churn them out at breakneck speed. But here are just a few of the million-dollar questions: at what point does it all just begin to look and feel the same? How many scenes of Spider-Man using all his might and webs to hold up some in-peril bus or train or boat can audiences tolerate to watch? How many special effects-supported villains can he fight? Can there even be substantial characterization at this point? How many reboots will audiences accept? There seems to be no set answer to any of these questions (unless one considers "nearly $900,000,000" an answer), but considering that Homecoming is finally a "proper" Marvel Cinematic Universe film rather than just a standalone Sony property picture, it stands to reason that this iteration is the one that's going to last (feel free to laugh when the franchise is probably rebooted again in oh, say, 2025, because Spider-Man just can't be Spider-Man if he's a twenty- or, heaven forbid, thirty-something...can he?). Peter Parker (Tom Holland) is flying high after fighting alongside Iron Man against a rogue Captain America. He not only believes he has his foot in Tony Stark's door, but he also feels he's all but a full-fledged Avenger. Stark, however, sees a young man who's too immature for his own good, ready, perhaps, to fight in a crunch but not someone reliable enough to be called an Avenger. As Parker navigates the excitement of his prospects and pines after a girl (Laura Harrier), his best friend Ned (Jacob Batalon) discovers his secret masked, web-slinging identity. Meanwhile, a new villain, Vulture (Michael Keaton), born of greed and access to alien technology, arrives on the scene with the goal of acquiring more power for himself and his growing criminal organization. Spider-Man: Homecoming leans on humor. Heavily. Most of the first half and much of the rest of the movie is built around dry humor that often get a laugh but grows a bit tiresome as the film seems ever more intent on generating laughter rather than showcasing action or building character. It does, to its credit, take the humor as an opportunity to character build, which includes reintroducing audiences to the character by way of Peter's video diary that sees him recruited, travel overseas, and eventually battle amidst the action from Civil War. Homecoming, then, isn't an origins story. It assumes audience understanding of how Peter Parker became Spider-Man and doesn't bother with the spider bite, the gradual changes to his physiology, the slow harness of his newfound powers, that sort of thing. The Civil War montage simply establishes this film's place in the greater MCU. There's a brief discussion between Peter and his friend Ned about the Spider-Man origins, but such begins and ends there. And that's wise, not only wise because the character as-is has been previously established in another movie but because, frankly, as the third go-round for Spider-Man in well under two decades, there's no point in rehashing the same thing that audiences have seen before. That said, Homecoming does rehash many other of the same things audiences have seen before. Action scenes see Parker battling his enemy on large scales and through swaths of destruction. He fights to save innocent people in harm's way, using all his might and superpowers to hold up an elevator or keep a boat afloat. But that's true of practically all of the Superhero movies. There are only so many ways to skin the proverbial cat, in this case only so many ways to depict the character's physical strengths, unnatural abilities, mental state, and emotional connections to others. Things are going to get blown up, people are going to be in peril. There wouldn't be a movie like this otherwise, but to say that watching these same scenarios play out for the sixth time just in Spider-Man movies isn't getting a little long in the tooth would be to lie. That said, the movie does do it well, and there's enough interesting character and universe development along the way to keep the picture moving even when its action scenes largely stall out not because they're not exciting, but because they're repetitious. The film's best qualities exist far away from special effects and action. Parker's relationship with Tony Stark/Iron Man is the movie's highlight. On one side, Parker has more than a bit of hero worship going on. He wants nothing more than to be a key cog in Stark's life both as a person and as an Avenger. On the other side, Stark, less outwardly infectious than the overeager Parker, sees in the boy an opportunity to mold someone in a way his father never could with him. Yes Stark is a success, but he finds in the boy an opportunity to be the father figure his never was and he may never be unless he and Pepper Potts get down to business at some point soon. Then there's Michael Keaton's character, a man who becomes overcome with the opportunities afforded to him and obsessed with the power he eventually harnesses. The character, whose surprise revelation makes the movie all the more dramatically intense, stands as one of the more interesting in franchise history, villain or otherwise. He's sort of like a Batman-lite (speaking of Keaton) who has taken the wrong path with his life and opportunities. Keaton is wonderful in the role, playing it close to the vest until that revelation when he opens up, reveals his true self (in more ways than one), and delivers a strikingly simple but startlingly intense and threatening monologue in a key moment. Is Spider-Man: Homecoming the Spider-Man film audiences have been waiting for? The previous five films were financially successful and well received, a few more so than others, but this one's claim-to-fame is the character's integration into the ever-expanding and insanely popular Marvel Cinematic Universe. The film boasts strong performances from Tom Holland and Michael Keaton, is a bit heavy on the humor (though mercifully it's largely fine-tuned and narrative-complimentary humor and not that awful Michael Bay style of mindless bottom-of-the-barrel garbage). Action scenes are fun though repetitive but...aren't they all? The film scores big points for its characterizations and world building without getting into the tired origins story all over again. It's a rock-solid film, largely well paced, expertly put together, and it'll be interesting to see how and where this take on the character appears in the future, both in other MCU properties and within his own films. Sony's Blu-ray 3D delivers enjoyable 3D content, a strong 5.1 track (but it's not the Atmos track it should have been), and a fair collection of extras, comprised largely of short featurettes. Recommended. [CSW] -3.8- This is not the old Spider-man, they changed him from a troubled young adult with serious real life problems to a self-absorbed kid whose ambition to become an Avenger is as shallow as it juvenile. And so went the first half of the movie. As a more real juvenile I found the first half a bit… juvenile. However the second half more than made up for it. I found the second half to be exactly the movie I wanted it to be. It's fun, it's funny and it's cleverly tied in to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Tom Holland plays Peter Parker perfectly, while Michael Keaton is excellent as the villainous Vulture. It is a break from the troubled young adult of the first three films in this franchise but for me it turned out to be the best one of so far. This film gives me a lot of hope for the future of the Spider-Man franchise. [V4.5-A4.5] MPEG-4 AVC - D-Box and 3D really enhances this movie. Cast Notes: Tom Holland (Peter Parker / Spider-Man), Michael Keaton (Adrian Toomes / Vulture), Robert Downey Jr. (Tony Stark / Iron Man), Marisa Tomei (May Parker), Jon Favreau (Happy Hogan), Gwyneth Paltrow (Pepper Potts), Zendaya (Michelle), Donald Glover (Aaron Davis), Jacob Batalon (Ned), Laura Harrier (Liz), Tony Revolori (Flash), Bokeem Woodbine (Herman Schultz / Shocker #2), Tyne Daly (Anne Marie Hoag), Abraham Attah (Abe), Hannibal Buress (Coach Wilson). IMDb Rating (05/07/18): 7.0/10 from 121,241 users
 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
