The first look at "Spider-Man: Homecoming" has dropped, and the fanfare is in full swing. Although it is annoying to hear the hype for big blockbusters at times, this one feels warranted. What should be a film to irritate audiences in being another rushed reboot for the Webhead is instead a surprisingly refreshing take, not just on the franchise,but superhero films themselves.
The name of the game for the genre these days seems to be expanding the lore and interweaving storylines and characters across different films to create one grand narrative. This is the blueprint that has brought Marvel Studios much fame and acclaim as well as power, the power to convince Spider-Man movie rights holder Sony to lend out Peter Parker to their storytelling sandbox. Hence his glorified cameo alongside the Avengers in this year’s "Captain America: Civil War" and the 2017 film serving as his “Homecoming” to the large scale Marvel Universe, but are audiences ready for yet another outing?
The first trailer for the film suggests a much more lighthearted and quirky take on the character with him taking on a team of would-be criminals donning Avengers masks, before cutting to snippets of a young Peter Parker (Tom Holland) during his high school years. Instead of pitching him as a loner like the Andrew Garfield films or a textbook definition nerd like the Toby McGuire take, Peter comes across as more as a modern awkward teenager. The characterization and setting heavily evoke John Hughes, the tone Marvel is aiming for, with the addition of MGMT’s “Time to Pretend” feeling like a contemporary substitute for the soundtrack to “The Breakfast Club.” It gives the film a surprisingly grounded appeal that flirts with indie. comedy. For the first half of the trailer, it refreshingly doesn’t feel like a Marvel movie, even with Tony Stark himself showboating the screen. Iron Man’s presence looks to introduce an interesting character arch following Civil War, where Spider-Man will have to prove his worth to be an Avenger as well as deal with the yin and yang of Stark’s mentorship.
That being said, there are still some minor hesitations to consider with the trailer. The casting of Michael Keaton as first-time on-screen villain The Vulture is enticing, however, he could very well fall into the lineup of underwhelming Marvel movie villains. Here’s hoping he is more of a Loki, but one cannot help but think of Corey Stoll’s passionate but underwritten role as Yellow Jacket in “Ant-Man” when looking at the costume. Also, despite having a strong burst out of the gate for its first the half, the second chooses to take a familiar pace for its final stretch, relying on the same drama and action that audiences have known from a Marvel film. This is not a bad thing, it is just a little griping to see the promo take a familiar approach when it started out so different. Although, it does end with a fun money shot of Spider-Man hoisting together a shattered boat with his best Samson impression.
Despite these nitpicks, the trailer looks great and provokes a lot of fun and fresh ideas into a franchise that seemed trotted out. Here’s hoping Marvel can pull off three home runs with this film, "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2" and "Thor: Ragnarok."
