Keep It Reel: 'Spider-Man: Homecoming'

By Marc Woodfork

Actor Tom Holland dons the suit in the latest incarnation of the popular web-slinger, 'Spider-Man: Homecoming'.  And he doesn't disappoint.  Still buzzing after his experience with the 'Avengers', Young Peter Parker returns home but can't sit still as advised by his mentor Tony Stark, and wants to continue to prove himself.  Tom Holland is not only good at the role of  Spider-Man, he's equally great in the role of Peter Parker.  He's the first of any of the other actors who have played the roles who is great at both.  He brings a youthful energy, and naivety that a teenager would have to find out he has super powers.  Holland is believable.  He reinvigorates a character that had become stale and uninteresting.

The film itself is very good.  Marvel took a shot on basically a cameo performance in 'Civil War', and it pays off.  'Homecoming' is very distinctive in its own right.  There have been six 'Spider-man' movies, but this one is unlike all the others.  You can't draw any parallels to the other films.  The actual look of the film is not as dark or gloomy.  The filmmakers made the right decision against making an origin story. We all know that already.

What viewers want to see is the continued connection between Spider-Man and his now-loose association with the 'Avengers'.   It's the dynamic between Tony Stark and Peter Parker that is most interesting and garnered the bulk of the script attention.  The CGI work is brilliant.  The story and main villain are bit under-developed but that is easily overlooked due to the performance of Tom Holland.  Forget about the other 'Spider-Man' films.  Forget they even were made.  This is the only 'Spider-Man' worth watching and rooting for.