MCU Spider-Man Duology
With Spider-Man: No Way Home being released this week, I decided to take a look back at the live-action Spider-Man movies we have seen thus far. This upcoming entry into the franchise is slated to be something HUGE as it will have characters from different film universes crossing over to interact with each other. So why not take a look at each of those franchises and discuss what made them good and bad? So this week for three days I will look at the individual franchises and review them as a whole and give individual rankings for each film. Today we look at Spider-Man: Homecoming and Spider-Man: Far From Home. These are the first two Spider-Man solo movies in the MCU, even though Spidey has plenty of other heroes who show up to help him out. Are you ready to meet a Spider-Man who actually looks like a teenager? Me too! Let’s take a look at it!
***
Director: Jon Watts
Writer: Johnathan Goldstein, John Francis Daley, Jon Watts, Christopher Ford, Erik Sommers, Chris McKenna, Erik Sommers, Stan Lee (original creator), Steve Ditko (original creator)
Starring: Tom Holland, Zendaya, Marisa Tomei, Jacob Batalon, Michael Keaton, Jake Gyllenhaal, Robert Downey Jr., Samuel L. Jackson, Jon Favreau, Donald Glover, Tony Revolori, Angourie Rice, Laura Harrier, Hanibal Buress, Kenneth Choi, Cobie Smoulders, Michael Mando, Jennifer Connelly
Reason for watching: Rewatching all the Spider-Man franchises before Spider-Man: No Way Home comes out this week
Number of times I’ve watched it: At three times each
***
Breathe a sigh of relief folks. Our friendly, neighborhood Spider-man is finally in the capable hands of the Mouse House with this franchise. I know that Disney should probably be broken up by some kind of class action lawsuit at this point with how huge they are, but they know how to make a good superhero movie. Aside from a few misses here and there, by the time they finally got Spider-Man in their hands in 2016 they had basically bested all other recent superhero franchises in terms of quality. Tom Holland’s appearance in Captain America: Civil War was one of the best parts of that movie. When Holland got the chance to lead the silver screen on his own, he delivered and delivered in a big way. Let’s jump right into the first movie, Spider-Man: Homecoming.
***
First of all, Holland is the best Spider-Man. I can hear arguments for Tobey Maguire, who has the awkward-nerd thing down and has the quiet strength too, but he does not have nearly as much charm as Holland. Holland can still pull off being an unconfident teen and a cocky superhero who is in way over his head in this movie. He has some nice comedic chops too. He is not your typical straight man getting made fun of by his buddies. Most of Spider-Man’s comedy comes from quipping at bad guys or having fun interactions and connections with friends like Ned (Jacob Batalon) and MJ (Zendaya). Plus when you have the athletic body and build of Holland, he looks way better in the suit than Maguire or Garfield ever did.
We have two strong parental figures hovering in this movie’s atmosphere that deliver strong supporting performances too. As our antagonist Adrian Toomes, Michael Keaton comes across as both menacing and understandable at the same time which is not something the usual MCU villain does. That scene in the car outside the dance between just Toomes and Peter shows the frightening edge that Toomes has that most MCU villians do not. On the flipside, Robert Downey Jr. continues to impress us all with the evolution of Tony Stark. Did he get a dump truck of cash backed up to his house to keep showing up as Iron Man? Yeah. But it is all worth it for that scene between him and Peter after the near-catastrophe at the ferry. His empathy and anger towards Peter show us how much Tony has grown since Iron Man way back in 2008.
The action scenes are not that interesting, especially compared to the sequel, but the Washington Monument scene does have some nice tension as Spidey has to be innovative when it comes to saving his friends. The special effects are solid and I do enjoy both costumes we see for Spider-Man and the vulture costume. The theme of becoming a hero of your own and relying on yourself is a strong one as well. The scene with Peter having to get himself out from under the rubble in the third act moves you in a way a lot of other superhero movies do not. All in all, it is a strong entry into the franchise and a great solo outing for the web head.
8/10
***
This movie had a lot cut out for it as it came out right on the heels of Avengers: Endgame. There was so much speculation as to where Spider-Man was going to go and who he was going to fight. While the addition of Mysterio made for a fun time, this movie drags you in by reminding us who our protagonist really is. Just a kid who wants to do the right thing, protect those in need, and have a semblance of a normal life. In a lot of ways, this movie reflects well on Spider-Man 2 as it gets into the difficulties Peter faces when his personal life and being Spider-Man conflict. That internal struggle for our protagonist is something difficult for him to work past, but seeing him work it out is awesome and motivating.
Another huge item this movie has going for it: a fun antagonist to take on our hero. Some of MCU villians can really be forgettable and boring as a majority of them see themselves as tyrants and conquerers. Mysterio/Quentin Beck (Jake Gylennhaal) goes against the grain by at first pulling off a great caper and convincing both Spidey and SHIELD to trust him and give him access to the late Tony Stark’s army of drones. Then his cruel turn reveals a sinister and conniving villain who plays right at Peter’s inner fear that he cannot live up to the legacy of Iron Man. His powers and abilities make for a unique foil as his illusions and planning capabilities are a challenge for a more combat-based hero like Spider-Man.
More great performances come from Samuel L. Jackson and Jacob Batalan with them returning to play Nick Fury and Ned Leeds, respectively. The real shining supporter is Zendaya as Michelle Jones or MJ. One of the few problems with Homecoming was that we did not get a fleshed-out love interest for Spidey. Here MJ is sarcastic, clever, and intelligent. Plus her revelation about Peter’s secret identity is hilarious; the way Zendaya plays the scene is a strong example of why she is one of the best young actresses working. Mind you, this movie came out during the first season of her Emmy-winning run on Euphoria. I do not know how many of you watched that show, but trust me if you watch an episode of it after Far From Home it is quite a shock to see how large Zendaya’s acting range is.
I have no major critiques of this movie. I wish we could have gotten more of Peter in his usual high school habitat, but I will take what I can get of his interactions with his classmates. All in all, the MCU has gone two for two with its Spider-Man entries.
7/10
Until I see another one