Spider-Man had a decent beginning on the big screen. I was one of the many people who enjoyed Tobey Maguire’s first two turns as Spider-Man. I didn’t particularly enjoy Spider-Man 3 and while parts of both Amazing Spider-Man movies were enjoyable, I didn’t like the universe they were setting up. Spider-Man seemed a little lost until Sony finally came to its senses and agreed to make Spider-Man a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Tom Holland was great with his limited screen time in Civil War and absolutely seals his place as the best Spider-Man in Spider-Man: Homecoming. Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield never portrayed all the aspects of Spider-Man. While Tom Holland can’t capture everything about a 55-year-old character, he does a pretty great job.
Here are some other thoughts I had while watching Spider-Man: Homecoming.
Peter Parker
Enough can’t be said about Tom Holland’s performance. My favorite part about his portrayal of Peter Parker and Spider-Man is that I was really pulling for him. I cared about Peter and I wanted everything to work out for him. Tobey Maguire was a little too whiny and Andrew Garfield was a little too cool; Tom Holland was perfect. My affinity for Peter was also helped because he actually looks like he could be a sophomore in high school, an older sophomore, but still a sophomore. This wasn’t just graduated from college Peter getting ready to be a man, this was still high school Peter, just trying to figure out his place in the world.
The Suit
All of the technology upgrades to Spider-Man’s suit were impressive; it was like Iron Man with web shooters. However, I did like that there were some scenes with Peter just being Spider-Man without all of the tech. One of the best parts about Spider-Man is that he is just a regular kid from Queens. Obviously he’s got super powers, but he also starts his super hero career in a homemade costume. Spider-Man didn’t need a suit to be a super hero and God loves us even if we don’t think we’re that special. We have intrinsic value as God’s creation and that is enough. We don’t need a fancy suit to prove our worth.
Growth
Spider-Man: Homecoming really is a tale about growing up. Peter flies to Germany and fights Captain America, but then he has to go back home and sit in class. He wants to be an Avenger, he wants to go on missions, but he still needs to grow up. We all know what it’s like to have to grow up and then wait until longer until we actually can grow up. Growth is a process, for super heroes and followers of Jesus. Peter wanted it to happen overnight and I often want the same thing in my life with God. I just wish that I could be the finished product, get my glorious body and get on with it. But, if I didn’t go through the journey then I wouldn’t appreciate the destination.
I’ve only seen Spider-Man: Homecoming once but, at this point, it’s near the top of my favorite MCU movies. I wouldn’t say it’s as good as The Avengers or Captain America: The Winter Soldier, but I’d probably place it alongside the original Guardians of the Galaxy. If you’re a fan of the MCU and enjoyed Tom Holland in Civil War, then I can’t imagine you won’t enjoy Spider-Man: Homecoming.
What did you think of Spider-Man: Homecoming?
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