IHGB Movie Review: Spider-Man Homecoming
Rated: PG-13
Starring: Tom Holland, Robert Downey Jr., and Michael Keaton

The Trailer:

The Gist: It’s your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man!

Here’s what I wrote in my 2017 Summer Movie Preview:

Spider-Man Homecoming : Other than Captain America, Spidey has always been on of my favorite superheroes. Erase all of the Tobey Maguire images you’re conjuring up in your head right now. Keep a few of the Andrew Garfield ones, because he’s adorable with Emma Stone, and go watch this movie with fresh eyes. Bonus: Robert Downey, Jr. is a co-star. Hello Tony Stark!

• I stand behind what I said above about Tobey Maguire.
• From the moment the opening credits played the original Spider-Man theme from the ‘60s, I knew I was in all the way.
• Tom Holland is A-D-O-R-A-B-L-E. I guarantee you that he is the screensaver for hundreds of young high school girls around the globe. I refrained from making him my home screen because that would be creepy. Plus, no one can ever replace Cap in my heart.
• Which brings me to this: Hooray to Marvel for choosing a Spider-Man actor who is actually a kid himself. And kudos to Mr. Holland for playing the role exactly how I imagine Spider-Man to be. Peter Parker is funny, a bit nerdy, and full of spunk without being obnoxious.
• I consider it a smart move that writers transitioned Peter’s artistic interests from photography to YouTube videographer. #millennials4-evah
• You will love Peter’s best friend Ned.
• I believe Zendaya steals the show every time she’s in a scene. And I applaud her for that!
• I consider Tony Stark (read: Iron Man) (read: Robert Downey Jr.) to be a legitimate co-star of the movie. He brings the perfect blend of sarcasm and fatherly wisdom to a young superhero trying to figure out where he belongs in a world full of Avengers.
• Note: Sarcasm is my love language, therefore, I have a crush on Tony Stark.
• Note #2: CAPTAIN AMERICA WILL FOREVER BE MY BOY!
• Michael Keaton is the bad guy. What I liked about his character is that he wasn’t born from some weird mutation. He didn’t fall into a vat of boiling acid or lose an arm, which was replaced by a bionic one. He simply fashions himself a pair of metal wings and vulture claws so he can fly and pluck things from the sky. He’s a normal bad guy with zero super powers.
• Many times I hear Betelgeuse when I listen to some of the voice inflictions Michael Keaton chooses to use. When he’s wearing his flying goggles, and all I see are his lips and chin, I am immediately thrown back to 1989 when he played Batman.
• 1989 Batman was a great movie with an incredible soundtrack.
• Marisa Tomei plays Peter’s Aunt May who has been an old lady in all Spider-Man adaptations before this one. In this rendition, May is young, smart, witty, and manages to rock the worst pair of mom jeans I’ve ever seen on any screen, big or small. You go, Aunt May.
• The Spidey suit is phenomenal. It has a female navigator inside of it played by Jennifer Connolly, who just happens to be the wife of Paul Bethany who plays the male navigator in the Iron Man suit. Isn’t that so cool? Can you imagine their dinner conversations?
• The one issue I have with the movie is that it felt about twenty minutes too long. That doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy myself immensely, but I did look at my watch once. Only once. At that’s because I thought the bad guy had been defeated, but I was wrong. (That’s not a spoiler.)

Survey Says:
I think this movie is the perfect blend of teenage angst and superhero. In other words, everyone in your family should get something out of it. And since it made $21.9 million over the weekend, I think most people will agree with me. It’s a comedy, a tween movie, and an action-packed ride. You’ll laugh. Then you’ll feel sorry for Peter. Then you’ll cheer that something heroic happened. At times you’ll be a little nervous, but never scared. I even gasped at one point. It’s entertaining, summer fun and I would recommend you go Spider-Man Homecoming for sure!

REQUEST: My friend Amy wants to know the name of the song that is playing when Aunt May helps Peter get ready for the dance. If anyone knows, please e-mail me! We can’t figure it out!