Road to Avengers Infinity War | The best and worst of Spider-Man Homecoming

Five good things about Spider-Man: Homecoming:

1. Spider-Man’s ‘homecoming’ in MCU

Robert Downey Jr. aka Iron Man had already introduced Spider-Man in Captain America: Civil War (2016).

This was the second reboot of superhero and the first standalone Spider-Man movie in the MCU. The character might have featured in Marvel Comics, but Marvel Studios did not have the rights for Spidey, which were owned by Fox Studios and Sony. So it was indeed a Homecoming for him when Marvel Studios finally got that. And as we know, the big return moment happened in Captain America: Civil War where he even managed to snatch Captain’s shield!

2. Tom Holland

Actors Toby Maguire and Andrew Garfield might have played the superhero before, but there was something about Tom Holland that proved he is the best one of the lot. A self-confessed Spider-Man fan, it was no less than a dream come true for Tom to play his favourite superhero onscreen. Being the youngest one to don the titular role, his innocence and swiftness have excelled over his predecessors.

3. Michael Keaton as Vulture

Micheal Keaton as the main antagonist, the Vulture was one of the high points of the film.

He played Batman. He played Birdman. And now he aced the role of Adrian Toomes aka the Vulture too. Micheal Keaton was menacing as the main antagonist and instilled fear in the heart of not just Peter Parker but even the audience. In an impressively understated performance, Keaton cements his place among the best MCU villains.

4. Jacob Batalon

Playing Ned, the geeky friend of Peter Parker, Jacob helped maintain the fun element in the film. Both Peter and Ned’s inherent chemistry was amazing and not a moment did we not see them as genuine high school friends. From freaking out after finding that his best friend was indeed Spider-Man to trying to persuade him to come to a party to get brownie points, Ned did it all.

The friendship of Peter Parker and Ned kept Spider-Man: Homecoming’s comic tone intact.

5. Robert Downey Jr

Tony Stark took Peter away in the name of an internship, to be on his side during a fight with Team Capt in Civil War. Now, Stark returns in this film in his alter ego Iron Man to become the saviour when Spider-Man struggles to keep a ferry from splitting. RDJ provided a perfect link with the wider MCU. Turning Spidey’s mentor, he was more like a catalyst that gave a much-needed push to Peter. Iron Man never really overshadowed the main lead. Director Jon Watts kept his appearance limited, only showing up when our friendly neighbourhood web-slinger superhero required him the most.

Iron Man had selective yet impactful appearances in Spider-Man: Homecoming.

Five not so good things about Spider-Man: Homecoming:

1. Spider-Man origins not explained

A standalone film always requires to begin from the very start, or at least explain the origin. But director Jon Watts avoided doing that in this one. For those who just came, they might find the movie’s basic plot difficult to understand. How did Spider-Man get his powers? How did he get bit by a radioactive spider? Barring certain points which were only broadly alluded, none of this was disclosed in the movie. Homecoming was more of how Peter’s story moves forward after the events of Civil War. So for the beginners, go back to the previous films to know more!

Tom Holland as Spider-Man will return in the upcoming Avengers: Infinity war.

2. No Uncle Ben

Peter Parker loses his Uncle Ben in a street mugging shootout and avenging his death becomes a trigger for him to become Spider-Man. It was a major element in the plot but remained absent as part of his origin story here.

3. Donald Glover’s cameo

A great actor like Donald Glover had an abrupt cameo in the movie. He played Aaron Davis, a criminal looking to purchase weapons from the Vulture, but gets tricked by Spider-Man to reveal information about the main villain. This was a performer wasted!

Actor Laura Harrier played Peter Parker’s love interest and Vulture’s daughter, Liz.

4. Weak love angle

We have seen some intense romance in previous films as Peter Parker’s love life has always dominated the script. But Homecoming did not have enough of it. A high school romance between Peter and Liz never fully developed and didn’t strike a chord with the audience. Though the reveal of MJ, in the end, was a pleasant twist.

Also Read: Road to Avengers Infinity War | The best and worst of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2

Tom Holland as Spider-Man in a still from the film.

5. CGI

Anyone is free to differ, but as compared to other Marvel films, and the fact that the studio boasts of some of the best CGI work in its films in recent years, Homecoming could not stand at par. Spidey’s web-slinging scenes look poor at places and remind us of some video game cut-scene.