SPIDER-MAN HOMECOMING
Directed by John Watts
Screenplay by 5 writers ...No Shit....5
Starring Tom Holland; Michael Keaton; Marisa Tomei; Robert Downey Jr; Jon Faverau; Laura Harrier; and Jacob Batalon
Tom Holland has arrived as the new Spider-man!! This movie follows Spider-man as he tackles The Vulture (Keaton). He fights mentally with his place in the Avengers. He also has to find his way through the hallways and growing up in his high school.
If you read my blogs ...you already know I am Superhero "movied" out. Superhero movies feel too long, with lazy story lines, turning the movie theater into one big screen video game. So here comes the ...I guess the third re-imagining of Spider-man....and this one does a lot right.
Let me start with the script:
The script has Peter Parker spending more time in his high school, just being a high school teen and hanging out with his best buddy Ned than fighting bad guys. This really worked. This gave us character development. We also get to know the people around him, who we then, as the viewers, care about as much we care about Peter.
The fight scenes...like in many of the last superhero films...are over extended (I am looking at you the overrated Wonder Woman also), not in this Spider-man. The fight scenes are short and use less of that video game/CGI look during the battles.
I also liked how the script connected with the last Avengers film.This film drops us off right after the film....where Peter returns from the battle, and still struggles to find his place in the new world he now lives in.
Then there is the casting which is spot on:
Tom Holland is very good as Peter Parker. I forget sometimes he is British having to do all this with an American twang. He pulls Spider-man off as your everyday high school student, and by night he is still your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-man.
Tom's costars in high school are great because they run the gambit of the hallways of a high school. The Crush (Liz ...played by Harrier, but a little bit underused). Jealous bully (Flash played wonderfully by Tony Revolori). Outcast cool (Michelle ...fantastic!! Played by Zendaya.) Best friend (Ned .Who takes on the viewers eyes, as he watches his friend climb ceilings, wonderfully played by Batalon). All these young actors make this film rise above the dredge of the superhero films released in the last couple years.
The connections or link between this film and the last Avengers film...with cameos by Downy Jr and Evans is well done. It is done softly, well as soft as Ironman can be.. Yes both are cashing in, but both are very good and funny and clearly are not just mailing it in. Also the wonderful Faverau returns as Happy Hogan, he is great and very funny just trying to babysit Parker from a distance.
Then there is a wonderful performance by Michael Keaton as Toomes/The Vulture. He is not sinister. He is just an angry businessman. Who is going to cash in by selling these arms and no one will get in his way. He is just surviving. So he plays the part spot on. He it bad, but you kind of feel his struggles. He just goes about things the wrong way. See the credits!!
Problems? Yes.
- I bring this up often. Where is the tension for out superheros? The end game will be okay. Spider-man falls from high heights, but he falls, rolls over and gets up. They do not die (as of this date), yes Superman dies but did he really(See new JLA). Yes I understand kids are watching, but remember the adults are paying the cash and it seems like there really is no fear for our superheroes. So they put the superheroes friends in jeopardy. Still a bone has to break when you fall off big buildings at some point. OKAY!!! I know!!! Relax it is make believe....but after awhile I feel like during fight scenes I can leave the theater and comeback 10 minutes later and not miss a thing because the hero never gets hurt. No tension.
-Last problem. Marisa Tomei as May Parker. Barely in this film!! You have Marisa Tomei, You cannot find room for her in the script!!
Well 4 out of 5 stars for Spider-man Homecoming. 4 stars for a person who is "Superhero'd" out is pretty good.
From the shadows as always thanks for your time.
No comments:
Post a Comment