Spider-Man: Homecoming is a very important movie. Peter Parker is a character that I’ve always found parallels with, and the timing of this film is perfect. I just graduated high school, and am heading to college in a few months – I know what a modern day high school should look like, and Homecoming nails it. It’s as if Jon Watts, the director, made a perfect mashup of a cute, high school love story and a badass, heroic superhero film.
In many ways, this movie gets Parker and his alter-ego perfectly. The web-slinger is a quick witted, nerdy, courageous character who strives to do whatever he can to help people. Something I’ve always found interesting in Spidey comics, and now in Homecoming, is that being a “good person” in high school is often not the popular thing to do. Regardless, Parker has always been the one to take responsibility. After six movies, Homecoming finally nails this crucial aspect of Parker’s character model. While the previous films had our main character go against the grain and help people when the time often wasn’t optimal, this flick goes a step further and truly makes it a trait that Parker carries with him wherever he goes.
After nearly 10 years of the Marvel cinematic universe, it’s challenging to not find similarities between each film. While minor common threads are fine, it’s the overused “end of the world” ordeal that I am not interested in anymore; Homecoming takes the Marvel formula, twists it, and makes an extremely personal film about a kid, his friends and family, and dealing with a pissed off everyday man trying to get revenge on Tony Stark. Although the movie deals with the prospect of many, many people dying, it’s ultimately about Parker and his life – this is the greatest feature Homecoming boasts.
The best part of Spider-Man going back to Marvel is shown in Homecoming. While it’s cool to see Spidey team up with the Avengers, it’s so refreshing to finally have a true high school drama that is, in turn, a great Spider-Man film.
I left high school a mere month ago; Spider-Man: Homecoming is the perfect movie for anyone in my position today: leaving youth and taking the plunge into adulthood. However, the film also stands as an everyday action/comedy/drama that can be enjoyed by anyone looking for a fun theatrical experience.
