Spider-Man: Homecoming spins a great web of joy

MARVEL have had a few goes at getting the casting of ‘Spider-Man right’. Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield and now, Tom Holland. Third time lucky it seems, because this new film and its star, are the real deal. 

The film tells the story of a young Peter Parker/Spider-Man, who, having tasted the big leagues with the Avengers in ‘Captain America: Civil War’, reluctantly returns home to resume his humdrum life living with Aunt May. 

While Parker must grapple with the same problems as every school going teenager, he has the added pressure of trying out for a place on the crack superhero team, under the watchful eye of his new mentor Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr). 

As spidey comes to terms with his newfound powers, things don’t always go to plan, and Parker finds himself knee deep in a battle with the             villainous ‘Vulture’ (Michael Keaton), with neither side prepared to back down quietly.   

The movie is directed by Jon Watts, who is famous for, well, nothing really. How he got the job of directing a $175 million dollar project is a mystery, even to the man himself. But he does an impressive job, and having an intimate knowledge of the story, which he co-wrote with five other people, surely didn’t hurt. 

Credit must be given to Marvel for taking a risk on new talent like Watts, Holland and a crowded writing team  that could have produced a mess of a script. 

The problem many action hero  movies have is that they focus too much on the action and not enough on the hero. 

This film is refreshingly different, and much more satisfying as a result, concentrating on Parker’s struggles to fit in at school, ask out the girl of his dreams, and keep his one big secret. 

The story is told with immense charm, humour and fun, with Jacob Batalon deserving special mention for his performance as Parker’s buddy, and comic sidekick, Ned. 

But it’s Holland who steals the show in a turn that surely secures his paycheck for future spidey spin-offs. We score him, and the movie, a hugely entertaining, 4.5 out of 5 stars. 

Paul O’Rourke