We’ve seen enough Spider-Man origin stories to last a lifetime, and luckily Spider-Man: Homecoming doesn’t give us another one. In fact, if you've seen Captain America: Civil War, you know Spidey (Tom Holland) already has the cool suit, made by Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.), because he was recruited to help the Avengers, basically, fight each other.
With Homecoming, Spider-Man is already fighting small crimes and has his web slingers, but wants to prove he is good enough to be a part of the Avengers team. The villain in this film -- the Vulture -- is played by Michael Keaton, who was Batman, Birdman, and now Vulture, all of which are winged and or caped. Not a coincidence, or is it? Either way, Vulture and his criminal gang are trying to steal all of the Avenger technology so they can sell it on the open market, but Spider-Man’s going to stop them alone. Because, like most teenagers, he thinks he knows everything and doesn't need any help. This is Peter Parker’s downfall -- he does more harm than good when catching criminals. Tony Stark tries to teach him this throughout the film, warning Peter not to inherit Tony's worst qualities.
When not donning the Spidey Suit, we get perfectly awkward nerdy high school student Peter and his big best friend, who are into LEGO Star Wars. It's here we get a ton of awkward teenage moments and great witty dialogue.
As a whole, Homecoming feels completely like how the previous Spider-Man movies should have been (for instance, it's a breath of fresh air not to have Spider-Man constantly swinging through skyscrapers). Instead, we get funny montages of Spidey figuring out all of the different uses for his web-slinging, including a grenade web sling. There's an honest emotional quality to the piece, plus surprises and cameos for long-time Spider-fans.
Tom Holland as Peter Parker/Spider-Man might just be the best Spider-Man we’ve ever had. He has the Spidey-wit, and we easily empathize with him, whether he's excited to be a part of the Avengers, or just trying to be a normal kid. He’s my favorite for sure. Michael Keaton, of course, always turns in a great performance and makes you angry, scared, and love him all in one scene. He’s that good as Vulture.
Spider-Man: Homecoming is the start of something special in the Marvel universe and I have no doubt you will love this version because, most of all, it's FUN. Be sure to stick around for two credit sequences at the end of the film.
Vital Disc Stats: The Blu-ray
Spider-Man: Homecoming comes with a Region A locked 50GB Blu-ray Disc and a Region 1 DVD. There is an insert for a Digital HD copy. The discs are housed in an eco-friendly, hard, blue plastic case with a cardboard sleeve too.
Spider-Man: Homecoming comes with a 1080p HD transfer and looks great on Blu-ray. This digitally shot image showcases sharp detail and impressive colors from start to finish. The detail is vivid, revealing facial features like sweat, scars, wrinkles, makeup blemishes, and pores. Spider-Man's suit also shows some great textures in close-ups as well, with certain threads of the spider outline emblem showing up easily. The harsh metal wings of Vulture also show scuff marks and dents as though it's been through the ringer a few times. Wider shots, which usually have a heavy amount of CGI effects, look impressive and never murky.
In fact, flying debris and sparks look excellent here and well-detailed. The colors are bright, bold, and contrast well in different lighting conditions that coincide with the tone of the film. The blue and red suit really shines in the daytime, while the green decaying look of Vulture boasts through the night time elements. Black levels are very deep and inky and the skin tones are natural. There were also no major issues with any compression problems here, leaving this video presentation looking great.
This Blu-ray release comes with only a lossless DTS-HD MA 5.1 mix, which sounds good, but the absence of the great 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray's Dolby Atmos track is unfortunate. The mix certainly is loud and powerful, but it lacks the fluid motion of sounds of Spider-Man flying through the air. Sound effects are robust and pack some heft behind each alien noise, gun blast, and web sling. Heavier action scenes really kick into gear with wire cables being destroyed, Iron Man's suite flying around, and people screaming in the background for help.
It's a busy track, but this disc handles it all well with great directionality and a wide dynamic range. Other ambient sounds, such as classroom noises, New York City life, and other automobiles zooming by all sound full. The score always adds to the suspense and thrills of the film without drowning out any other sound aspect. The dialogue is clear and easy to follow along with and free of any pops, cracks, hiss, and shrills, leaving this audio presentation with good marks.
Spider-Man: Homecoming is a great superhero film and perhaps the best Spidey film to date. It's a good thing that Marvel and Sony could finally come together and bring the web-slinger into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The emotional tone is spot on throughout, has a good message, and is packed with some great action sequences. The villains are layered, while the hero struggles with his own demons and the script is polished with great jokes and heartfelt conversations. The Blu-ray looks great, but the DTS-HD 5.1 track should have been the Dolby Atmos option instead. The extras are all worth watching, as well, but feel a bit lacking without a commentary. Still, this release comes Highly Recommended!
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