'Spider-Man: Homecoming' Review

Spider-Man: Homecoming is set two months after Peter Parker's exciting encounter with the Avengers in Captain America: Civil War. Parker's returned to his humble home of Queens, New York so that he may balance his life as an average high school student and the friendly, neighborhood Spider-Man under the watchful eye of Tony Stark. Trouble emerges when Parker discovers salvaged alien tech exchanging hands on a black market to be utilized in a series of heists and Peter realizes it's the opportunity of a lifetime to garner Stark's praise and prove he's deserving of joining the Avengers.

Spider-Man: Homecoming is drastically different from any of the wall-crawler's previous outings for a number of reasons. One, it's the first time the web-head's had a chance to swing around the greater Marvel Universe and I felt the MCU references and tie-ins were handled rather tastefully. Two, none of the other Spider-Man movies have really dealt with Peter Parker's time in high school and Homecoming hits that ball out of the park, not to mention how refreshing it was to see a Spider-Man movie that wasn't bogged down with the long-established origin story.

Jon Watts directs Homecoming in the vein of a John Hughes teen comedy, going as far to give one of those memorable movies a shout-out. From beginning-to-end, Watts is able to place viewers on the ground level of the Marvel Cinematic Universe while in the headspace of a teenager facing difficult dilemmas. Watts maintains the upbeat attitude well into the two hour thirteen minute runtime considering Homecoming is one of Marvel's funniest ventures yet!

Most of the humor is situational, derived from practical occurrences Spidey's never really found himself in before, and the screenplay penned by Watts, Johnathan Goldstein, John Francis Daley, Christopher Ford, Chris McKenna, and Erik Sommers makes great use of these moments as strategic sources of comedic relief. The writers find inventive ways to playfully prod at the web-slinger as circumstantial comedy continually comes to the surface and the fresh take on Spidey is oddly the most faithful swing from source material audiences have ever seen. 

Spider-Man has always been one of my favorite superheroes so I can't express how delighted I was to finally see him realized to his fullest potential. I've never really been a fan of Tobey Maguire's take on the web-head and Andrew Garfield's portrayal of Peter Parker just didn't seem nerdy or awkward enough. I was hopeful Holland would deliver both sides of the troubled teen based on the glimpse we got in Civil War and boy was I right (more on that in a moment)! Almost everything about this iteration reminded me of the classic comics and hearing Michael Giacchino's orchestral arrangement of the trademark theme as a backdrop to the Marvel Studios intro gave me chills.

Homecoming's action doesn't slouch either with some satisfactory sequences interspersed amidst the high school drama. While there's not anything that will hold a candle to the airport battle in Civil War (something I'm unsure will be surpassed till Avengers: Infinity War at the very earliest), I was earnestly entertained from start-to-finish. Among other technical components, there's competent costuming, proficient production design, and the visual effects made Spidey's web-slinging, swinging, and wall-crawling appear to be incredibly authentic. 

Despite my overwhelming enthusiasm, I had a few concerns about Homecoming based on the marketing material and am relived to see none of my worries translated to the big screen. For starters, the trailers relied so heavily on Tony Stark that I was slightly concerned the movie might as well. I was never in the mindset this would be Iron Man 4 but I did feel the movie might lean a little too heavily on that crutch or RDJ would take over all the scenes he shared with Holland. Just so you don't walk into this movie thinking it's the Stark show, I'll inform you that a majority of his scenes have been prominently featured in the trailers but there's enough under the table that you won't feel cheated.

I also thought the trailers seemed to reveal some pressing plot points but rest assured, there are some terrific twists left in store. If you haven't seen any trailers though, I would avoid them if at all possible. Oh, and that image included above that's been prominently displayed in nearly every trailer IS NOT featured in the movie in any capacity so I'll let you know that now rather than be disappointed while watching the flick.

The final source of unease materialized when I saw the suit Stark fabricated for Peter had a seemingly infinite number of convenient features. However, they serve a story purpose and weren't nearly as excessive as I thought they would be instead coming off as a couple bells and whistles to top things off. 

One thing that definitely won't let you down though is Tom Holland's turn swinging around New York. Holland expertly embodies the crucial characteristics necessary to portray the dual identities Peter Parker and Spider-Man. Holland exhibits an authentic awkwardness and excitability to his Peter Parker that's never as over-exaggerated as Maguire or unbelievable as Garfield. Not to discredit the actors who came earlier but Holland brings a youthfulness the predecessors were never able to.

His Spidey has a energetic exuberance about him that any teenager with those powers would display, he's more enthusiastic than Maguire but he doesn't get too quippy like Garfield. To make matters even better, Holland is the youngest actor to portray the web-head to date. Despite being 20 years of age, Holland sells the youthful nature of Parker and you'll buy into the fact he's in high school. He also demonstrates some extraordinary acting chops opposite more experienced actors, never getting overshadowed by RDJ, Marisa Tomei, or Michael Keaton but challenging them all to play ball. 

Surrounding Holland are an excellent assortment of adolescent actors who each offer eccentric personas around Midtown High including the likes of Jason Batalon, Laura Harrier, Zendaya, Tony Revolori, Abraham Attah, and Angourie Rice as the nerdy Ned Leeds, lively Liz Allen, madcap Michelle, brash Flash Thompson, aloof Abe, and bratty Betty. Batalon in particular stood out as not only a fantastic friend but an endearing presence. Laura Harrier's Liz locates a tricky balance between being the popular senior and Peter's down-to-earth captivating crush while Zendaya doesn't have much to do but snap snide, sarcastic remarks. 

Donald Glover also has a minuscule supporting role outside the high schoolers, worth noting simply because of the actor's profile right now. Especially when you compare his screentime to all the speculation surrounding his casting. However when onscreen, he showcased trademark charm that I can't wait to see him wield as Lando Calrissian in the untitled Han Solo spin-off. 

In the adult camp, Marisa Tomei reprises her role as a youthful iteration of Aunt May and I've gotta say Tomei's May makes her mark. She's unique when compared to the precursors based on age alone, which factors not only into some humorous gags but also weaves its way into the narrative. This May is looking out for Peter not only as a maternal figure but also in trying to help Peter with his social life and I liked how she factored into Peter's story.

Along his journey, Peter receives muddled mentorship from Robert Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark and Stark's assistant Happy Hogan, played by Jon Favreau. RDJ puts forth a cool disposition, exhibiting the confidence that gravitated audiences towards Iron Man in the first place while Favreau's Happy is as charming as ever. Oddly enough, I think Favreau may have had more screen time than RDJ but both are excellent in the capacities utilized. 

Meanwhile, Parker finds himself up against the villainous Vulture portrayed by none other than Batman himself, Michael Keaton. Keaton's a high caliber actor so the gravitas he carries onscreen enables Vulture to be menacing and his alter-ego Adrian Toomes to come across as a relatable everyman. Keaton flies Marvel forward in terms of their universe's villains by depicting a multifaceted malevolent force. He's not quite up to the heinous heights of Loki but don't discount the Vulture on his status as a B-level member of Spidey's rogues gallery. 

Spider-Man: Homecoming won't be in theaters till July 7th but you'll definitely want to conserve your web-fluid so you can swing into theaters for this one. In the meantime, I highly recommend checking out Baby Driver if you're searching for something to see this weekend (you can read my review by clicking on the blue hyperlink). To spin all my thoughts into one contrived cobweb, Spider-Man: Homecoming is easily the most entertaining incarnation of the web-head since Spider-Man 2. Glad you finally made it home Spidey!

Film Assessment: A-

Throwback Thursday Review: 'Iron Man 3'

First of all, I apologize for the delayed review but I've been busy at work on the latest podcast for my Youtube channel in which me and some friends discuss our favorite and least moments in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and work and school of course as finals are fast approaching. Another reason for the delay is that it took me a few days to finish my review of The Huntsman: Winter's War and I prefer to work on one review at a time so my thoughts don't become muddled. But any who, this week my Throwback Thursday is over Iron Man 3 completing my reviews of the Iron Man trilogy. Although I may revisit some of them later for my newer "Triple-R" format of review where I basically re-review a film with updated thoughts an opinions. Next week I will continue my series of Marvel reviews with a Throwback Thursday Review of Captain America: The First Avenger and a Recollection Reflection Review of Captain America: The Winter Soldier. The latter of which will probably be posted before the former since Triple-R's don't have a specified date. Also, if you want to marathon some Marvel films to catch up before Captain America: Civil War but don't have 24 hours to spare, you can check our Road to Civil War podcast I mentioned earlier at this link: https://youtu.be/bj_BnjCCO_g. 

'Iron Man 3' Review

Nominated For: Best Visual Effects.

Iron Man 3 is one of the most divisive Marvel films to date. This is in large part to being Marvel's first film post-The Avengers. The Avengers really raised the bar for everything to come from the studio now that the shared universe had taken shape. It was going to be nearly impossible for Iron Man 3 to meet these heightened expectations as it's difficult to tell a solo story right after a huge crossover event. In order for me to dissect my feelings about the film, I feel some spoilers are necessary so be forewarned, there will be spoilers in this review. Iron Man 3 is directed by Shane Black, who had previously worked with Downey in Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang and takes the reigns from Jon Favreau. This gave Iron Man 3 a vastly different feel to it's predecessors, Iron Man and Iron Man 2, as there wasn't any ACDC to be found, which I view as a creative decision symbolizing Tony Stark's character arc across the Marvel Cinematic Universe as he becomes more responsible (something that was further explored upon in Avengers: Age Of Ultron and looks to be a prominent part of Captain America: Civil War). Black and his creative team set out to bring Stark's story full circle putting him back in a metaphorical cave with a box of scraps and giving him some personal issues to overcome along the way. When it comes down to it, Iron Man 3 is a character driven story focused on Tony Stark. And that's the thing that I appreciate most about Iron Man 3 that I'll dive into more when discussing Downey's performance. Those expecting lots of action scenes with Stark sporting his armor were disappointed as there's only three major action sequences. While the action is relatively scarce in comparison to the entirety of the film, all the action is wildly entertaining. This includes the destruction of Tony's Malibu house, an incredible heroic sequence in which Tony must save about 15 people falling out of a plane, and the final fight between Extremis soldiers and Tony's vast Iron Legion. There's some fun scenes where Tony must use his wit and resources to fight Extremis soldiers and infiltrate the Mandarin's domain that were cool as well. The visual effects are wonderful as is to be expected from the studio at this point and it wouldn't be an Iron Man movie without some snarky sarcasm and quick one-liners, to which this film has many that still have me dying of laughter. I also really love the original score composed by Brian Tyler that I personally prefer to the inclusion of ACDC that's been a staple of the character in the previous films. When it comes down to performances, everyone across the board nails it for the most part. Robert Downey Jr. is definitively both Tony Stark and Iron Man at this point and never ceases to impress me. Downey gets to explore Stark's post-Avengers psyche where we learn he's now suffering from anxiety attacks and the Battle of New York left him with PTSD. Some complain about this but I think it was a logical step to make the character more compelling. I also like how it's left him in a place that's picked up well in Avengers: Age Of Ultron where he wants to "build a suit of armor around the world" and should be taken even further in Captain America: Civil War. Stark's new armor, the Mark 42, was visually an awesome experience. I enjoyed seeing the components individually latch onto Stark and culminate into a grand suit of armor, although it was too mustard for my taste. Gwyneth Paltrow is back as Pepper Potts and finds herself to be a deceptive damsel in distress at moments. Her chemistry with Downey is par to none and is a relief to see her kick some butt this time around. One thing that bothers me about her character is that there was a fake-out where she's presumed dead and survives due to the extremis in her blood stream. I think her death would have had greater ramifications as opposed to her survival since it doesn't seem keeping her alive has done the Marvel Cinematic Universe any favors. Don Cheadle returns as James Rhodes and this time around has been rebranded from the aggressive War Machine to Iron Patriot, a cool looking red, white, and blue suit of armor that isn't used much in the film. Cheadle's terrific in the role as we know from Iron Man 2 and has a fun buddy cop dynamic with Downey that keeps the lightheartedness alive in spite of the huge stakes present. Ty Simpkins is known by many as the "kid from Jurassic World" and is far less annoying in this film as an odd pairing to Downey that surprisingly works. Sir Ben Kingsley plays a more modern incarnation of the Mandarin or so Marvel wanted audiences to believe. With a huge twist no-one saw coming it was reveled that this supposed terrorist leader Mandarin was actually just a amateur British actor with a drug addiction. Fans were outraged by this twist and I was bothered by it upon first viewing but must admit it was a hilarious twist nonetheless. My frustrations with this have been significantly eased with the revelation that a real Mandarin does in fact exist as revealed in the Marvel's One-Shot All Hail The King. Yes, Guy Pearce is ANOTHER poorly executed Marvel villain as the suave Aldrich Killian, but I'd say he ranks among the upper half of the spectrum in comparison to others. Iron Man 3 is a nice resolution of the Iron Man Trilogy that goes full circle and functions as a great continuation to The Avengers and a decent launching pad for Phase 2 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. When it comes down to it, I personally enjoy Iron Man 3 despite the twists that drove fans bonanza. And while I'll admit it was a huge disappointment the first time I watched it in theaters, I've come to like it more and more with each successive viewing and can recommend it for those that temper expectations. 

Film Assessment: A-

Throwback Thursday Review: 'Iron Man 2'

This week I will be starting my Throwback Thursday Reviews correlated with the upcoming Captain America: Civil War by reviewing the remaining Iron Man and Captain America films I have yet to review. I figured I'd tackle one of the more controversial Marvel films, Iron Man 2, and next week I will review the classic animated The Jungle Book before the live action incarnation drops.

'Iron Man 2' Review

Nominated For: Best Visual Effects.

Iron Man 2 can be generally conceded as one of the missteps for the Marvel Cinematic Universe but nonetheless is quite entertaining. Iron Man 2 picks up right where the first one left off where Tony Stark announces to the world that he is indeed Iron Man but from a different perspective introducing Ivan Vanko, the villain of the piece. It then jumps forward a few months to Tony kicking off the Stark Expo, a Stark Industries equivalent of the New York World Fair, and we soon learn that the arc reactor keeping the shrapnel out of his chest also happens to be slowly killing him. This allows for a very interesting subplot for the film that isn't really given the depth that the severity of the situation deserved and unfortunately is shoved aside for a lot of set up for Marvel's Cinematic Universe. The biggest fault of the film is the fact that it prioritizes setting up ties and connections to the Marvel Cinematic Universe rather than focus on Tony Stark and further exploring his character. While it handles the setup exceptionally well, the film suffers from the overbearing attention to the setup and overabundance of subplots. Now, that's not to say that the film doesn't have great components, which it does, but the bad does unfortunately outweigh the good for the most part. I've drawn attention to really what the film's crux weakness is several times in the preceding sentences and aside from these issues, the remaining elements work quite well. Jon Favreau carries over his directing style from the predecessor and does the best job he can to pull this film together and make it the best it can be. Unfortunately, I believe that the studio restricted Favreau's creative freedoms so that the film would fall in line with Marvel's dreams for a Cinematic Universe. Aside from this, the technical elements are exceptional. The visual effects are very well realized and make the idea of a high tech suit seem somewhat real and look authentic. The action interspersed throughout the film is all entertaining and awesome to watch. One of the key action sequences that stood out to me was the Monaco Grand Prix fight that showcased the Mark V suitcase Iron Man suit, that was very cool to see onscreen albeit the brief screen time. Other key action scenes include the skirmish between Rhodey and Tony in their respective suits, and the third act big battle where we see Iron Man fight side by side with War Machine. Aside from action, the film relies on the very talented cast assembled and the cast delivers their A-game, for the most part. There's no denying it, Robert Downey Jr. is Iron Man. Downey brings fun, quirky charisma to the role that it's very difficult not to enjoy every moment Tony Stark is onscreen, regardless of whether he's wearing the Iron Man suit or not. Don Cheadle fills in the role of Rhodey for Terrence Howard and personally I preferred Cheadle in the role. Cheadle has some great chemistry with Downey giving a great buddy cop vibe from the two. While speaking of Don Cheadle, I feel I should discuss how they progress his character to become War Machine and I think that's one element that was handled quite well. I love the look of the War Machine suit and it's functionality in combat along with the narrative reasoning for Rhodey to don the suit. Gwyneth Paltrow returns to the role of Pepper Potts and has more of a spunky personality this time around. Her scenes with Downey are enjoyable due to the verbal tennis that they play with one another and the two definitely work well together onscreen. Scarlett Johansson is introduced as Natasha Romanov or, the name that many of you are more familiar with, Black Widow. Johansson plays the role with an air of mystery and kicks tons of butt in her action sequence to make her an interesting member of the cast, and I'd equate it to the size of Gal Gadot's role as Wonder Woman in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Other small supporting performances in the film include Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury and Clark Gregg as Agent Coulson and both S.H.I.E.L.D. members are certainly quite welcome. In regards to antagonists, Stark finds himself opposed by two villains, Sam Rockwell as a discount Tony Stark, Justin Hammer, and Mickey Rourke as a homicidal Russian, Ivan Vanko. Rockwell is amusing onscreen but feels like he's aiming to replicate Downey's performance as Stark but not as cool. If that's truly what Sam Rockwell was aiming to do, then he does it exceptionally well. Mickey Rourke is a serviceable villain but is quite odd at times and seems to be lacking proper motivation to make Ivan Vanko a truly compelling character. All in all, Iron Man 2 isn't the sequel that Iron Man deserved. The film certainly has it's flaws, but still amounts to be a pleasant viewing experience that establishes a solid foundation for The Avengers.

Film Assessment: B-

Throwback Thursday Review: 'Iron Man'

Given that Ant-Man will be released this week as the twelfth Marvel Studios film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and that it is an origin story, I thought it would be appropriate timing to go back and review the very first origin film that is the reason for the existence of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Iron Man. And I'm aware this is being posted on Friday as I was busy yesterday but if it can also considered a Flashback Friday review.

'Iron Man' Review

Nominated For: Best Visual Effects and Best Sound Editing.

Iron Man is a blast! The action is awesome, there are plenty of hilarious one-liners, and there are many enjoyable performances. In particular Robert Downey Jr. really breathes life to the role of Tony Stark and plays it perfectly. So it's crazy to look back and see that initially it was a big risk to bring Robert Downey Jr. onto the project but it is probably one of the best decisions Marvel has ever made. Terrence Howard is enjoyable as Colonel Rhodes but I personally prefer Don Cheadle in the role as Don Cheadle who replaced Howard in future Marvel films. Gwenyth Paltrow also is enjoyable in the role of Pepper Potts, Tony's love interest, and she and Robert Downey Jr. worked well in their scenes together. Jeff Bridges portrays an evil corporate villain who still remains a great villain for Marvel today although not quite the best. Iron Man is a great movie and for awhile was one of my favorite Marvel movies but I have found that it doesn't quite have as great of a rewatchability factor that some of the more recent Marvel Cinematic Universe films possess. I really enjoy watching Tony Stark's origin story and can still watch it multiple times and enjoy it! If you haven't seen Iron Man, I highly recommend that you check it out and if you enjoy it I would recommend that you watch the other Marvel films.

Film Assessment: B