It has been over six months since I've written in my blog, but in my defense, it's been a busy six months. In that time I've written and directed a musical, hosted two school dances and two family movie nights, prepared and conducted two concerts, prepared and performed in additional concerts, planned and ran the school talent show, and also, ya know, taught. Me being me, I did see the occasional movie, but I just haven't had time to write about them.
Well, now summer's here, concerts are done, families have been reunited (which was awesome), and I find myself with a few hours on a Saturday to write about movies. I'm going to kick us off with a proper review of.......
Spider-Man: Homecoming/Dir. by Jon Watts/Sony Pictures/133 min./Rated PG-13 (for sci-fi action violence, some language and brief suggestive comments)
When it was announced that Sony was rebooting Spider-Men yet again, my wife paraphrased Stanley from the U.S. version of The Office when she remarked, "How many Spider-Men am I supposed to care about?!?" Her frustration is understandable. In the space of 15 years, we have had three different Spidey's, two different origin movies, two franchise-killing missteps, and one big battle over the film rights of the character. However, after leaving a screening of Spider-Man: Homecoming, my wife and I both joyously felt that the answer to her question is one. You only have to care about one Spider-Man, and Tom Holland's innocent, awkward, completely winning Peter Parker is that one. The earlier versions were fine, but this is THE Spider-Man.
With a title that works on multiple levels, Homecoming begins by firmly setting itself in the world of the MCU with two scenes that flashback to earlier Marvel events. One sets up the motivations of the film's villain, Adrian Toomes (a.k.a. The Vulture, menacingly, yet surprisingly warmly played by Michael Keaton), a city contractor who had his big payday of salvaging the wreckage of New York after the climactic battle in The Avengers taken from him by Tony Stark. The other intro scene shows the events of Captain America: Civil War from Peter's perspective, meaning the perspective of a teenage kid who has never even flown on a plane before, going to Berlin on a secret mission to battle some of the most powerful people on Earth. This scene could not be more perfect in establishing who this character is and where he fits in this universe.
Of course, after those events, Peter figures he's one of the Avengers. After all, he fought beside/against many of them, holding his own with instrumental contributions. Unfortunately, his mentor is Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.), a character who has never been known for his thoughtful altruism, and after Stark generously allows Peter to keep his super high-tech Spidey suit, he brings him home with a "don't call me, I'll call you" brush-off and leaving his right-hand man, Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau) as a go-between/guardian to keep Peter out of trouble.
Like a teenager being blown-off by their crush, Peter texts inquiries on his next mission and leaves voice messages detailing his neighborhood heroics (stopping bicycle thieves, giving directions to little old ladies, etc.) only to be met with complete silence from Stark and Hogan. So, he just continues to deal with life as a teenager. Tests, bullies (his iconic bully, Flash Thompson, has been transformed from the hulking jock of previous films into a verbally abusive, obviously jealous egghead, which makes sense given Peter attends a science magnet school), academic decathlons, and the awkwardness of school dances.
After accidentally revealing his identity to his best friend Ned (Jacob Batalon), Peter discovers that criminals in his neighborhood have obtained oddly high-tech weapons of possible alien origin and, against the wishes of Stark, decides to investigate and try to bring the criminals down alone, a decision that has unexpected consequences and leads him straight to Keaton's contractor turned arms dealer.
One of the most striking things about Homecoming is its light tone. Unquestionably the funniest Spidey movie to date, it keeps the stakes real while maintaining an almost frothy buoyancy, helped tremendously by Holland's emotionally real portrayal of an innocent teenager traversing the landmines of adolescence while trying to grow up too fast. Spider-Man's story has always been an allegory of the difficulties of being a teenager, but that allegory has never been this successfully shown on-screen. This may not be the "Uncle Ben" origin story, but it is about a boy learning to become a (Spider) man, and as such not only stands tall with films in the MCU, but with the best of John Hughes teen dramedies from the 80's
The acting is uniformly terrific, with Holland shining in every moment, Keaton giving us one of the strongest MCU villains, and Batalon stealing scenes left and right as Peter's best friend. While some people have balked at her casting, I thought Marisa Tomei was perfect as a younger, tougher Aunt May, and Zendaya, who jumps from her Disney Channel roots to the big screen, is ideal as the sardonic Michelle.
Director Jon Watts, who has only previously directed one film (the indy drama Cop Car) shows himself to be a perfect choice for bringing Peter Parker into the MCU. He deftly handles thrilling action scenes, while keeping the focus on character and motivation. He also contributed to the screenplay with five other writers. Usually, that many writers indicates a screenplay that is in trouble, but this team, which includes John Francis Daley of Freaks and Geeks and Bones fame, has done a smashing job creating instantly relatable characters, delightfully quotable lines, and iconic moments. In addition, composer Michael Giacchino continues to show himself at one with MCU sensibilities, following up his wonderfully trippy score to Doctor Strange with a effortlessly bouncy effort reminiscent of his scores to The Incredibles and Sky High.
In a summer that has been beset by franchise fatigue, Spider-Man: Homecoming does the opposite, breathing new life into not only the MCU, but into the entire genre of comic book films. It is, quite simply, a blast from beginning to end and one of the best films of the summer.
Grade: A
Now, I'll do a quick chronological summary of the films of the summer thus far.....
Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2
Fun, action-packed, with interesting ideas and a strong villain, but not as consistent or endearing as the original.
Grade: B+
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales
Better than Pirates 4, with a nice connection to the original trilogy. Not great, but an enjoyable improvement.
Grade: C+
Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie
Far more enjoyable and creative than a movie entitled Captain Underpants should be. As a teacher, I've been pretty annoyed by this character's inescapable presence at book fairs, but after seeing the film, I get it. Not so much a potty-humor delivery system, but a celebration of friendship and silliness itself. An out-of-left-field surprise.
Grade: B+
Wonder Woman
Everything the DCEU needed and more. A rare film that entertains and inspires in equal measure with a star-making performance from Gal Gadot. The film of the summer.
Grade: A
The Mummy
Not the disaster some reviews made it out to be, but certainly not the energizing kick-off that Universal's "Dark Universe" franchise needed. Trading in the fun, gonzo energy of the Brendan Fraser series, this movie feels more like a horror movie that won't fully commit to the scares and occasionally throws in oddly out-of-place humor (although Jake Johnson's comic presence is always welcome).
Grade: C
Cars 3
A definite improvement on the disjointed Cars 2, the third go-around returns the focus to Lightning McQueen and his racing career. If the first Cars was a riff on Doc Hollywood, then this one is a take-off on Rocky III, and given the difference in quality between those sources of inspiration, it should come as no surprise that Cars 3 might be the best film in the weakest of Pixar's franchises.
Grade: B+
Transformers: The Last Knight
The special effects are still special, but the writing, especially the attempts at "humor", is still painful. I laughed once, almost fell asleep twice, and mourned for the career of Sir Anthony Hopkins repeatedly. The only thing that elevates this above the equally painful Revenge of the Fallen is the blessed lack of jokes about alien robot genitalia.
Grade: D
Despicable Me 3
Somewhat scattershot, but still perfectly enjoyable, Despicable Me 3 is a huge improvement over the stand-alone Minions and nicely continues the story of formerly villainous Gru and his increasing appreciation of love and family. Funny, light, and a nice couple hours at the movies.
Grade: B
And that's all I've seen. Next week, I'll be back with a review of War for the Planet of the Apes!
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