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Tech Support Tech Support does whatever a Tech can do. Fix a computer, any size. Cleans the viruses just in time. Look out! Here comes Tech Suppoooort... with another review! Welcome home Spider-man! Spider-man Homecoming is the best Spider-man film to date! If you are sitting there thinking oh no not another Spider-man reboot, I'm done well hold on and come back because we finally get a good version of Spidey and he is in the Marvel Cinematic Universe; the MCU!
Before you read on, if you haven't already go see this movie! Spoilers after the Spidey singing video.
Still here? Ready for some spoilers? Ok then, Going to start off with the good, the bad, and the Tech Worthy!
The Good
The Cast
Tom Holland was born to play Peter Parker/Spider-man! We finally get to see Peter Parker struggle with high school life and trying to be the best Spidey he can be. We see his genius, his heroism, charm, and charisma (No mopey or crying emo dancing Peter like we have seen before) Can't wait to see more from Him.
Michael Keaton also kills it with Adrian Tombs aka the Vulture which was pretty much expected. The MCU is known for its lack luster villains, but the Vulture did not disappoint. And loved the Vulture Suite.
Marisa Tomei as the young and hot Aunt May. Seems it most recent media writers have been making May either younger or more vibrant. I like this version as the role she plays in Peter's life and also their relationship and dynamic. From the end scene it will be interesting how this goes forward. What the...
Robert Down Jr as Tony Stark aka Iron Man with John Favreau as Happy Hogan. Both were welcome additions that help bridge the gap between this and Civil War. And for those saying this is Iron Man 4 and that he would take over the movie can rest easy as if you have watched all the previews you have seen a piece of all his scenes. Here he is a mentor, role model, and father figure to Peter.
Jacob Batalon as Ned Peter's best friend. Yea, he seems to be based more off of Miles Morales best friend Ganky rather than the Ned from the 616 but he brings a joy and humor to the role as he knows Peter and his secret.
Tony Revlori as Flash Thompson. People complained when he was cast as he was not the big jock that terrorized Peter in high school who would later become his friend and then Agent Venom, but I like his take on the character in making Flash a more modern day bully and almost rival to Peter. He didn't use physical prowess, but he was smart, rich and popular. Peter was smarter, but not popular or rich.
Laura Harrie as Liz the love interest. A senior and Peter's crush who was not just the pretty girl in school, but was intelligent and head of the decathlon team and admired Peter for his intelligence and even agreed to go to the homecoming dance.
Just have to add i love the diversity of this cast and how Peter's school looked like a school would in Queens, NY.
Spider-man
We finally get the care free, optimistic, quipping Spider-man and he is in the MCU.
We see him in chemistry secretly making his web fluid
Hiding his suit under the lockers where only he can lift and get to it.
Seeing Spider-man web through the neighborhood and not the big city was fun as we even see him run out of things to swing on instead of hitting something imaginary as he does in the video games and some old cartoons.
Being the kid in Iron man 2 now it makes sense why he would look up to Tony and want to be like him.
Captain America's PSA's
These were funny as they were used through out the film from Peter's school. The gym teacher even jokes that I am sure this guy is a War Criminal now...
Stay till the end - credits to get another one that explains itself and you waiting to the last credit to roll...
The Score
Love the music and how it weaved the old Spider-man theme throughout... Yea i had it in my had for a while... Spider-man Spider-man, does whatever a spider can...
The Twist
Wow, this was truly a twist for me, because I did not expect it. From the beginning with Adrian Tombs looking at the picture his daughter drew of the Avengers to then seeing through out the movie Michelle drawing everyone made me go ok, she is the Vulture's daughter that's easy to see, but when Peter went to pick up Liz for the Homecoming dance and Adrian Tombs opened the door me along with the whole theater gasped. Yea not Michelle, but Liz is the Vulture's daughter. This makes for some comedic scenes with Peter's expressions during the whole meet the parents thing until as they talk on the car ride you see Adrian start to realize that Peter is Spider-man (Thanks to Liz not shutting up about him not showing up when Spider-man around and his Peter's voice)
So, then who is Michelle? People were up in arms when it was rumored that Zendaya would be playing Mary Jane. Then it came out from the novelization that she was Michelle Tombs, daughter of the Vulture, but as i said before this that was not the case. So who is she? Well we do get a Batman The Dark Knight Rises moment (My friends call me Robin) when Michelle says my friends call me MJ. So, is she in fact Mary Jane or Michelle Jane or Mary Michelle Jane... Seems that a lot of these scenes were cut, but there are plenty of pictures of Michelle looking at Peter with affection, we only get it once in the movie in this scene when Peter is called away by Happy, but even still its obvious that she likes him.
If you look at all the characters in this movie none of them are a carbon copy of the comic book counterpart as many are combinations or amalgams of them. Ned is not a reporter at the daily bugle who fought with Peter over Betty Brant's love who would later become the hobgoblin. Speaking of Betty she is also in the movie as a classmate and school reporter. Liz is not the girl friend of Flash who at first looks down on Peter. So, who is to say that Michelle is or is not Mary Jane...
The Bad
Trying to be too different from the past 2 Spider-man Franchises.
No Spidey-Sense. The Director, Jon Watts, said that he didnt want to focus on it, but said it was there and something that would be developed. I'm fine with that as in Civil War Peter said he needed the goggles to focus his senses and maybe that is hindering him from tapping into his power, but with that said it should have been at least hinted at in the movie so these Nay sayers wouldn't be crying over it.
No mention of Uncle Ben or With Great Power comes Great Responsibility
Again I am cool with not showing the origin, but I think we could have gotten a picture and or mention of him. We here that May went through a tough time, but not about what.
Its understandable they didn't want that weight to be Peter's drive to be a hero, but a short flash back or him looking at a picture with the words echoing would have been enough.
I understand trying to distinguish it from the previous franchises, but as the saying goes if it aint broke dont fix it.
Sony aka Hydra is still a part of this.
Yea I said it! Sony is Hydra. All they care about is money and how the can use the rights to spidey to make it. Making Spider-man three and the reboot made them realize that they couldn't do it so they finally struck a deal and we get a good movie. Oh but no they are not done, they plan on still making their own universe without Spider man. A Venom movie along with a Black Cat and Silver Sable movie are on the way... Why i ask why? Venom without Spidey? Can't they just let Marvel have it? Why must they do this? You know they even thought of a young spy Aunt May movie? Then the head of Hydra Amy Pascal says their moves are part of Marvel's universe causing Kevin Feige to have the what now look to then retract it.
Sony also put to much in their previews. The got so excited that Marvel had made them a good Spider man movie they had to show clip after clip after clip....
The Tech Worthy
Donald Glover as Aaron Davis
We see him trying to buy future tech from both Shockers but he doesn't want the big loud guns he wants something more discreet because if you don't know Aaron Davis is also known as the cat burglar the Prowler. He perks up when he hears them talking about "climbers".
He helps Spider-man by giving him info on finding the bad guys hideout and even some advice on being a hero
The kicker comes when he tells Spidey that he doesn't want those weapons on the street because he has a nephew that lives there. His nephew is non other than Miles Morales aka Ultimate Spider-man. So officially Miles is in the MCU! So we may get Prowler stealing that spider from Scorpio and bringing it to the Morales house... One can only hope.
The Mid-Credit Scene
I am glad the Vulture did not die like most villains seem to in Super Hero movies as we see him in jail and he is then approached by non other than Mac Gargan. Mac was seen earlier in the film trying to by tech from the Vulture and if that name sounds familiar, Mac is none other than Spidey villain The Scorpion. In Jail, he says he learned that Adrian might know who Spider-man is. He does, but he does not divulge the info and goes on to see his family. Nice set up for future villain and the start of the Sinister 6 perhaps? I hope so, keep it out of Sony hands...
Jennifer Connelly as Karen Spider-man's suite AI
Its cool because if you didn't know Jennifer is married to Paul Bethany who was Iron man's AI before eh became the Vision.
She was also Betty in Ang Lee's Hulk movie, but we will forget about that...
An almost upside down Kiss
After Spider-man saves his classmates in the elevator, he is upside down in front of Liz and Karen his A.I says this is your chance to kiss her. A nice call back to Sam Raimi's Spider-man.
Stan Lee's Cameo
Stan is one of the people living in the apartment where Spider-man thinks he has stopped a guy from breaking into a car when it was his own car and the alarm goes off causing people to yell at Spidey. Stan yells out
The Iron Spider Suite?
At the end Tony is prepared to make Spidey an Avenger allowing him to live in the new Avengers facility. He even presents a new suite that looks shiny and more armored, but Peter turns it down vowing to stay with being the friendly neighborhood Spider-man.
Missed opportunity to use the actual Iron Spider suite here, would have been a nice Easter Egg.
Tech's Final Thoughts
This movie was awesome and a welcome joy to the MCU. Kid friendly? Yes, but it was a fun romp and what I think Spider-man should be. Different from the other movies but still in the same universe. So yes this is a definite must see! We may see this Spider-man for years to come as rumor has it he is set to be the Iron man of phase 4.
Spider-man movies rated from best to least:
Spider-man Homecoming Spider-man 2 Spider-man The Amazing Spider-man 2 The Amazing Spider-man Spider-man 3 (Dancing Toby, you are to blame)
And my thoughts and prayers are with Stan Lee as his wife of 70 years passed away at the age of 93.
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