Spiderman: Homecoming
Director: Jon Watts
Cast: Tom Holland, Robert Downey Jr. Michael Keaton, Marisa Tomei, John Favreau
Thrilled by his experience with the Avengers in Captain America: Civil War, young Peter Parker (Tom Holland) returns home to Queens to live with his Aunt May. Under the watchful eye of mentor Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.), Peter starts to embrace his newfound identity as Spider-Man, while also trying to return to his normal daily routine and struggling to prove himself to be more than just a friendly neighborhood superhero. Peter must soon put his powers to the ultimate test when the evil Vulture (Michael Keaton) emerges to threaten everything that he holds dear.
One of the strongest themes in this film is the unspoken mantra that has remained at the core of Spiderman’s character from the beginning and that is “with great power comes great responsibility.” Nowhere is this mantra more perfectly illustrated than in young Peter Parker as he struggles to understand his new power as Spiderman.
Peter is literally given this extraordinary power when Tony gifts him the new, high-tech Spiderman suit and he has NO idea how to respect this new identity that he has been given or the responsibility that accompanies that power. He wants to be the hero and emulate the Avengers, but he is still just a child; a clumsy, passionate, reckless child who is so desperate to prove to Tony that he is worthy of joining his elite team, that he fails to understand what being a hero really means. He sees Tony as this wise and noble father-figure who he wants to earn respect from, but at the same time, he really struggles with that relationship because Tony still regards him as a child in need of protection and guidance rather than a hero who is worthy of adulation.
Identity also plays a role in this film where Peter is concerned. When his identity as Spiderman begins to overshadow his identity as Peter, Tony takes back his suit saying, "If the suit is all that matters…you shouldn't have it". I think Tony saw in Peter a reflection of who he was when he first became Iron Man. He wanted Peter to be more than just Spiderman because Tony himself had seen the price one has to pay when that identity consumes them and he didn’t want Peter to have to pay that price. In the end, when Tony offers to make Peter an Avenger, rather than pursue his dream, Peter instead chooses to cast it aside. I do think Peter wanted to be the “friendly neighborhood Spiderman” rather than a fully fledged Avenger, but I also think in his heart, Peter wasn’t ready to shoulder the responsibility of being a hero yet. That is what made him worthy of being Spiderman again.
I have seen all three versions of Spiderman now, and while I can appreciate the unique spin on Spiderman’s story that this film tried by having Peter be mentored by Iron Man rather than Uncle Ben and having him be connected with the Avengers rather than just being a dorky high school teenager, this Spiderman didn't completely wow me as much as other great Marvel characters. The casting for this film is stellar with Robert Downey Jr. playing the stern father figure and Michael Keaton embodying a very chilling portrayal of the Vulture, but I finally realized that this movie, despite all of its uniqueness is utterly shallow when it comes to Spiderman himself. I have no idea what is driving Peter as a character or what his back-story is. He wants to join the Avengers. OK....WHY does he want to join the Avengers? I get that he had a taste of real power in Civil War and he wants more, but honestly, the only time I really took him seriously was when Tony took the suit away from him and he had to learn to be more than just Spiderman.
© 2013 – 2018 Keriane Kellogg. All rights reserved.
Director: Jon Watts
Cast: Tom Holland, Robert Downey Jr. Michael Keaton, Marisa Tomei, John Favreau
Thrilled by his experience with the Avengers in Captain America: Civil War, young Peter Parker (Tom Holland) returns home to Queens to live with his Aunt May. Under the watchful eye of mentor Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.), Peter starts to embrace his newfound identity as Spider-Man, while also trying to return to his normal daily routine and struggling to prove himself to be more than just a friendly neighborhood superhero. Peter must soon put his powers to the ultimate test when the evil Vulture (Michael Keaton) emerges to threaten everything that he holds dear.
One of the strongest themes in this film is the unspoken mantra that has remained at the core of Spiderman’s character from the beginning and that is “with great power comes great responsibility.” Nowhere is this mantra more perfectly illustrated than in young Peter Parker as he struggles to understand his new power as Spiderman.
Peter is literally given this extraordinary power when Tony gifts him the new, high-tech Spiderman suit and he has NO idea how to respect this new identity that he has been given or the responsibility that accompanies that power. He wants to be the hero and emulate the Avengers, but he is still just a child; a clumsy, passionate, reckless child who is so desperate to prove to Tony that he is worthy of joining his elite team, that he fails to understand what being a hero really means. He sees Tony as this wise and noble father-figure who he wants to earn respect from, but at the same time, he really struggles with that relationship because Tony still regards him as a child in need of protection and guidance rather than a hero who is worthy of adulation.
Identity also plays a role in this film where Peter is concerned. When his identity as Spiderman begins to overshadow his identity as Peter, Tony takes back his suit saying, "If the suit is all that matters…you shouldn't have it". I think Tony saw in Peter a reflection of who he was when he first became Iron Man. He wanted Peter to be more than just Spiderman because Tony himself had seen the price one has to pay when that identity consumes them and he didn’t want Peter to have to pay that price. In the end, when Tony offers to make Peter an Avenger, rather than pursue his dream, Peter instead chooses to cast it aside. I do think Peter wanted to be the “friendly neighborhood Spiderman” rather than a fully fledged Avenger, but I also think in his heart, Peter wasn’t ready to shoulder the responsibility of being a hero yet. That is what made him worthy of being Spiderman again.
I have seen all three versions of Spiderman now, and while I can appreciate the unique spin on Spiderman’s story that this film tried by having Peter be mentored by Iron Man rather than Uncle Ben and having him be connected with the Avengers rather than just being a dorky high school teenager, this Spiderman didn't completely wow me as much as other great Marvel characters. The casting for this film is stellar with Robert Downey Jr. playing the stern father figure and Michael Keaton embodying a very chilling portrayal of the Vulture, but I finally realized that this movie, despite all of its uniqueness is utterly shallow when it comes to Spiderman himself. I have no idea what is driving Peter as a character or what his back-story is. He wants to join the Avengers. OK....WHY does he want to join the Avengers? I get that he had a taste of real power in Civil War and he wants more, but honestly, the only time I really took him seriously was when Tony took the suit away from him and he had to learn to be more than just Spiderman.
© 2013 – 2018 Keriane Kellogg. All rights reserved.