First Thoughts
This film is fantastic! Really incorporating all of the elements that have made Spider-Man relatable for decades! The action is amazing, the humour is on-point (Particularly for a Spider-Man film) and the storyline is so fitting for the character! I really enjoyed the John Hughes-Inspiration that they took for this film. Giving it more of a coming-of-age feel, which is great because the fact that Spider-Man is in high school has never really been focused on in previous films. But what really got me was how low-key the story was. It wasn't some doomsday device that Spider-Man has to stop, it was a lower level of crime (Well... For the MCU, I mean). So I really enjoyed that.
Peter Parker/Spider-Man/Tom Holland
I can't say enough good things about Tom Holland's (The Impossible, Captain America: Civil War) He brings the incredible acrobatics and personality of Spider-Man, but also bringing the heart of Peter Parker. In the past, actors who have played the role have usually focused on one element of the character for Tobey Maguire (Sea Biscuit, The Great Gatsby) it was Peter Parker and for Andrew Garfield (The Social Network, Hacksaw Ridge) it was Spider-Man. But Tom Holland seems to be the perfect balance between both, and that's fantastic! His Peter Parker was very reminiscent of Michael J. Fox (Back to The Future) when he was starring in films in the 80's, also very fitting as Fox was quite good at playing relatable teenage characters. But what really sells Holland's Spider-Man is the amount of heart that's put into the character. The struggles that Peter Parker has to go through because of being Spider-Man, the desire to be more than what he is and stumbling in doing so. Perhaps the best scene in the film is where Spider-Man is trapped under debris (Nod to the iconic Amazing Spider-Man: Issue #33 from 1966) and he's crying for help, for someone to get him out. And then comes to the conclusion that he has to get himself out! It was an amazing moment to see both Spider-Man realise his full potential and for Peter Parker to grow as a person. Even at the end of the film, where he turns down being an Avenger. Because he knows who he is as both a person and a hero. I loved it, and I really love what Tom Holland has done with the character.
The only thing I didn't like about this Spider-Man was his suit. I'm not a big fan of the high-tech Spider-suit. I think it makes him too much like Iron-Man and takes away from the idea of Peter Parker making everything for himself from scratch, something I've always admired about the character. I can understand why they did it, because in the comics Peter has his own company, Parker Industries, and more or less has a similar suit that he has in this film. I actually prefer the costume he wears in the finale against the Vulture. Mainly because it was made by Peter and not for him. Plus it looked really different from what other Spider-suits have looked like in past films, which made it stand out, and it genuinely looked like something a teenager would make. So I'm not a big fan of the high-tech suit and I hope they lose some of the elements that it comes with for any future films.
Spider-Suit
Tony Stark/Iron Man/Robert Downey Jr.
I am not a big fan of Iron man (Robert Downey Jr.) in the MCU. He's selfish, inappropriate, hypocritical and doesn't take responsibility for his actions at all. But in this film, I actually kind of respect a little bit more. As Spider-Man's 'mentor' he acts more as someone who is wanting Peter Parker to not make the same mistakes that he's made. In the scene, after the people on the ferry have been saved, Stark gives Spider-Man some tough love and tries to tell him about how his decisions can have serious consequences. Downey Jr. acts like a man filled with regret and anger. His reply to Spider-Man saying "I was just trying to be like you" and his reply "I want you to be better!" actually got me, I genuinely felt for the character that I couldn't stand. So it was good to see Iron Man feeling more regretful from the mistakes he's made. It was a great route to go down for him.
Adrian Toomes/The Vulture/Michael Keaton
Michael Keaton (Batman, Beetlejuice) plays one of Spider-Man's most memorable villains. Whilst I was a little worried that Marvel decided to change his character for the film into an alien arms dealer, I think it actually worked. Audiences can relate and sympathise with the vulture. He wasn't a bad guy who wanted to do bad things. He was just an average bloke who was put in a really bad position and tried to get out of it in the only way he thought he could. Also, it was very interesting that Toomes became The Vulture due to the Avengers efforts to fix New York. It seems for every good thing Tony Stark tries to do something bad comes out of it. But The Vulture was a very sympathetic villain and someone the audience can understand. I really liked the twist at the start of the third act where it turns out that Vulture is Liz's dad. I thought it was a really good 'Oh Sh#t!' moment and it was set up quite well as Vulture kept mentioning how he was doing everything for his family so we were going to meet them at some point, but I was not expecting them to be Liz Allen (Laura Harrier).
Ned/Jacob Batalon
Playing Peter Parker's good friend from high school is Jacob Batalon (North Woods) as Ned. From what I can tell Ned is a new character, so this is his first appearance. Which confuses me a little because the writers could've gone with Harry Osborn, who is an important part of the Spider-Man story. Maybe they feel the whole Spider-Man/Harry Osborn story has already been done so they don't want to go down it again? I don't know. But I have very mixed feelings about Ned. Sometimes he was a good friend, such as when he helped him out in the third act, and other times he was just terrible. As soon as he found out about Peter's Alter Ego he quickly tried to use it as a way to make himself popular. He shouted out in the gym that Peter knew Spider-Man, when he called Peter to ask where he was, as Spider-Man was meant to show up and say he knew Peter and Ned, he wasn't worried about Peter's well-being but more on the fact that wasn't following the plan. So I have very mixed feelings about Ned. I did like his mention about the Guy-In-The-Chair character that heroes sometimes have. Batman has it, The DC/CW heroes have it. I am not a big fan of those kinds of characters. I feel they take away a lot from the heroes, in terms of ingenuity and intelligence. So that's another reason I'm not a big fan of Ned, as he wished that character.
Michelle Jones/Zendaya
This is a very different role from what you'd expect Zendaya (Shake it up) to play. Michelle in this film is a bit of an outsider who's a bit detached from the other kids. In some way she's a mirror image of Peter, who is also detached from everyone else, but for different reasons. I quite liked Michelle, mainly because she wasn't judgmental. There's a scene at the Washington Monument where the class wishes to go to the top of it and she kindly says she doesn't want to go up due to the Monument being built by slaves (Not 100% true. But it is highly likely) and she doesn't protest or anything, she just does her own thing and lets the others do what they want. I liked that about her. I also found it very interesting that she turned out to be MJ at the end of the film. Since the last on-screen MJ was the typical popular, hot girl, whilst Michelle is the exact opposite: She doesn't wear any makeup, she doesn't care about what others think of her, she's a bit of an outsider. So this is a huge redesign of the character and I'm interested in where they take it from there. Also, I noticed her lifting her head up to see Peter walk away from the decathlon team meeting, suggesting some kind of romantic feelings she has for him. Also, would be interested in how that plays out.
Action
The Action in this film is nothing short of incredible! Spider-Man is one of the most acrobatic heroes in comics, and the filmmakers, along with actor Tom Holland, were able to incorporate that in a terrific way. The way Spider-Man swings across New York is amazing to the least. I also really enjoyed when he was chasing the van in the suburbs and was constantly crashing into things because of the roofs being so low. But the main fight in this film is the finale against Spider-Man and the Vulture. Both on the plane and on the Coney Island beach. Both of the character's fighting styles and weapons were fantastic! From Spider-Man's acrobatic martial arts style to Vulture's aero-fighting and tough wings, but the filmmakers did it in a way that looked very organic and realistic. Not to mention the beautiful backdrop of the Coney Island fare that made the scene pop. I really hope that Marvel keeps up with this kind of action.
Conclusion
This is a brilliant film! It gets Spider-Man just right by finding the right balance between Spider-Man and Peter Parker, something that past Spider-Man films have struggled with. It has great characters, great visuals and action. But above all that, this film has heart. It shows a clear coming-of-age story that sees the protagonist grow from an arrogant boy dreaming of the future to a responsible young man who takes a step back to focus on what's happening around him.
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