A fresh take on Spider-Man

I’m getting a little tired of film titles with colons and subtitles. Just thought I’d start with that. What I’m not tired of, surprisingly, is superhero films. “Spider-Man: Homecoming” is different than the other Avengers films, in that it’s more grounded in the high school drama of an insecure, immature teenager who is grappling with the great power and great responsibility of super strength, super speed, super agility, super spidey senses, and all that other stuff we’ve seen already (five times in the last 15 years).

You would think that this reincarnation would be a bit too recycled and redundant after such a saturated market, but it actually stands out as one of the less formulaic takes on the genre.

We begin our story with the origin of our antagonist, Adrian Toone (Michael Keaton). It’s a masterful performance of which I only have two complaints (see below). He’s a salvage crew chief cleaning up the aftermath of the events of the original “Avengers” when Tony Stark’s company comes in and steals his contract, leaving him no choice but to go rogue; makes sense, and a pretty compelling character motivation device.

Anyway, in a sharply done sequence, we are introduced to Peter Parker (Tom Holland) through a personal video diary that catches us up on the events of “Captain America: Civil War” through the eyes of the kid. From there, we get to relive our own awkward high school experience through Peter’s nerdy, shy daily struggles as he interacts with girls, teachers, his Aunt May and the general public of Queens, New York. He more than anything wants to be an Avenger, and his attempts to gain the approval of the elite superhero agency is both endearing and desperate. He finds himself growing up before our eyes as he faces a new type of criminal, the prospect of a hero’s life beyond his Queens childhood home, and talking to the girl of his dreams, Liz (Laura Harrier).

Robert Downey Jr. returns as Iron Man, and serves as the father figure and the connective tissue to the rest of the MCEU (Marvel Comics Extended Universe). We are teased right and left about the possibility of our favorite Avengers popping in for a cameo, and make no mistake, Spider-Man has joined the team with promise for some epic collaboration in the near future. Downey Jr. has his usual swagger, but he shows a certain soft spot for the kid, which adds even more depth to his complex character.

Director Jon Watts (“Cop Car”) provides a different take on the genre. It’s truly more of a high school dramedy at heart than a traditional superhero flick. That’s what keeps it from becoming stale before the opening credits are over. He wisely chooses to skip over the origin story, which every red-blooded American knows by heart by now. Instead, we are immersed into the more banal parts of the hero’s life. It’s as if we were offered a movie of Black Widow doing her grocery shopping and going to the gym instead of actually fighting bad guys all day. It worked.

We root for Spider-Man because he’s everything we wish we were. It’s every child’s fantasy to develop superpowers, and to walk the halls of the high school hiding a secret that is beyond cool. He’s a smart, kind person. Like Captain America without the confidence, experience, or chest hair. Tom Holland does an exceptional job encapsulating the emotion and physicality of a teenager, and although some of his behaviors are aggravating at times, we are constantly reminded that he’s just a kid (something that was missing from the other two attempts with Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield), and kids make poor choices. His best (and only) friend, Ned (Jacob Batalon) is the goofy, nerdy kid, who complements Peter very well, bringing a sense of realism to Parker’s intended persona. Ned’s comic relief is actually more resonant in grounding the high school vibe than even Parker’s, but that’s a whole other essay.

My only gripes are that at times it seems a bit long, some of the dialogue is a little weak and forced, and with the Vulture’s costume. When not in full special-effects mode, it doesn’t necessarily work for him. Keaton embraces the opportunity to show a different side of his acting arsenal, and he absolutely nails it. It wouldn’t have worked 20 years ago, but his gruff, aged exterior and his gravelly voice make for a very deep and rich character. Overall, this was an excellent film and an exciting preview of things to come for one of the most iconic superhero characters ever. See it because it’s good, not just because it’s Spider-Man.