Even among Marvel’s roster of superheroes, Spider-Man is the stand-out that people recognise and love. But he has not been part of the famed Marvel Cinematic Universe until now – and it has been worth the wait.
After a soft (and rapturously received) intro in the shared universe in last year’s Captain America: Civil War, the webslinger gets a solo outing starring Kingston-born and Wimbledon-school Tom Holland as Peter Parker/Spider-Man.
The action takes place a few weeks after the events of Civil War and kicks off with a hilarious mobile phone footage montage which gives the Peter Parker/Spider-Man’s-eye view of his part in the action.
It’s a start that sets the tone for what is without doubt the funniest Marvel movie so far…at least until we see Taika Waititi’s Thor: Ragnarok.
But after the highs of hanging with the Avengers and being taken under the wing of Tony Stark/Iron Man, Parker finds himself a loser back at high school and frustrated at having to use his superpowers for helping lost old ladies with directions.
But soon he finds himself up against a bigger foe when he stumbles across bad guys – led by Michael Keaton’s Adrian Toomes - making and trading weapons from alien tech.
As the title suggests, the Spider-Man is set against a high school backdrop with Holland, now 21, playing Parker as a 15-year-old misfit. This contrasts with the other, older Spider-men we have been used to since 2002 (Toby Maguire was 27 and Andrew Garfield 26 when they first pulled on the lycra) and it’s a refreshing change.
Holland is perfect as the awkward teenager finding his feet as a superhero conflicted and shows great range in a role that requires him to swing between comedy, acrobatic action and something more emotional.
He has great support, especially from Jacob Batalon as Parker’s even more geeky and permanently hilarious best mate Ned, and Keaton’s villain Adrian Toomes/Vulture.
Keaton’s bad guy in particular comes with relatable motivations but that kind of edgy intensity that only Keaton can do. He’s been an iconic Batman, a stand-out Birdman and now he’s a top class Vulture.
Fans may have been concerned the trailers for Spider-Man: Homecoming featured rather a lot or Robert Downey Jnr’s Tony Stark/Iron Man and, yes, his star power is generously sprinkled but in the finished movie we get just the right amount, plus a dusting of other Marvel references and cameos to keep franchise fans happy.
Tightly scripted, Homecoming zips along with snappy dialogue and a rug-pull two-thirds of the way through that is so well played it drew a round of applause from the screening audience.
While it is funny and, being mostly high school and New York based, lower key than the globe smashing antics of the grown-up Avengers, this film is not short on spectacle – whether it is bringing down a plane, splitting a ferry in two or a high-stakes lift rescue.
As with all Marvel, and in fact all superhero movies generally, the ending is left nicely poised for a follow-up and on this form you imagine Tom Holland will be asked to suit up again very soon, and not just for the Avengers group outing.
Spider-Man: Homecoming (12A) is out Wednesday (July 5).
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