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SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING

Marvel's witty web-slinger is back in this offbeat comedy-action flick.

If you know me, you know I LOVE Spider-Man.

Andrew Garfield's Spider-Man that is.

Months ago, when Tom Holland's version of the character was featured in Captain America: Civil War, I was heartbroken that Andrew Garfield - an incredibly talented and charismatic actor - was not going to be returning to Marvel.

Even as I walked into the theater to watch Spider-Man: Homecoming, I was nervous that I wouldn't react well to a new actor taking on the role of my favorite superhero.

Ladies & gentleman, meet our new web-slinger, Tom Holland:

He's a much younger Spider-Man, which actually makes him a better fit for the character.

While Andrew Garfield's sly, hipster vibes were giving me life, Tom Holland's youthful, pitchy-voice awkwardness makes him a much more believable high-schooler.

The basic premise of this new Marvel film follows Spider-Man (aka Peter Parker) who, under the mentorship of Tony Stark (Iron Man), aims to prove his worthiness as a hero. Picking up immediately after Civil War, the city of New York is still recovering (the Avenger's Tower is being moved). Peter's efforts as a hero are often stifled by Tony Stark, who doesn't believe he's ready to be an Avenger. It's understandable, as Peter, although brilliant, is often overpowered by immaturity and clumsiness.

While most of us can't relate to being able to shoot webs out of our palms, we can connect to the struggle of high school. He and his best friend Ned (Jacob Batalon) are a rag-tag team of nerdy underdogs. Ned is freaking hilarious, and most of the best scenes were in the beginning when Ned is asking all sorts of crazy questions about his best friend's newfound superhuman abilities.

Let's get to the meat of the story.

Peter has a crush on Liz Allan (Laura Harrier), the most popular girl in school, who also happens to be the captain of Peter's academic decathlon team. Of course we can understand Peter's attraction to both beauty and brains.

Things get tricky, however, when Peter discovers that Liz's father is Vulture - a salvager turned arms tracker (wiki) who is the villain of the story. After all, it's pretty hard to get away with stuff when you there's a curious, web-slinging teen in the city.

The title of this film is Spider-Man: Homecoming.

Our favorite nerd doesn't even make it to the school dance.

Don't worry, it's not because he chickened out. Let's just say, the city needed saving.

(I've already dropped spoilers, so...).

This movie is extreeemely long.

Not gonna lie, I did doze off a couple times following the action sequence when Peter & Vulture battle.

When this film comes out on DVD I'll watch it again. I'm hoping that the reason I dozed off has more to do with my lack of sleep than it does with the quality of the film.

I want to talk about where Spider-Man: Homecoming succeeded and where it, in my opinion, missed the mark.

I have to applaud this film for it's super-talented & super diverse cast.

Ned is played by Jacob Batalon, a Pacific Islander.

Liz & Michelle "MJ" are portrayed by Laura Harrier and Zendaya - two beautiful black women.

Thank you, Marvel, for celebrating women of color.

Usually with Hollywood, we're lucky to see a black woman in the lead in major blockbusters such as this. Spider-Man: Homecoming gives us not one but TWO black beauties. Round of applause for Marvel.

Let's talk about Zendaya for a moment.

She's come a loooong way from her days on the Disney Channel show Shake it up.

Nowadays she's one of our youngest black feminists and activists, and I think it's great that she uses her platform of super-stardom to elevate issues like Black Lives Matter.

In this film, Zendaya strays from her typical portrayals of the classic "good girl" characters.

In fact, her character Michelle is perhaps the most complex figure in the story.

According to Wikipedia, "Zendaya called her awkward but intellectual, 'she just feels like she doesn't need to talk to people'. She added that it was 'refreshing' that Michelle was weird and different, feeling that 'a lot of young people—especially young women—can relate to that'."

Personally, I can't relate to Michelle's nonchalant sarcasm, but Zendaya had me thoroughly entertained.

Good for her for stretching her creative muscle and portraying such a different type of role.

Michelle actually has one of the best lines from the film.

A member of the academic decathlon team, Michelle decides to forego a trip to the top of the Washington Monument by saying that she refuses to support something that was "built by slaves."

More power to you, sis.

So all in all, Spider-Man is pretty good.

I'm trying my best not to compare it to previous Spider-Man films *cough* Andrew Garfield *cough*.

But in all honesty, this film really stands apart, so much so that it can't compare to the others.

Where this film missed the mark for me was its off-beat humor.

Ever feel like certain jokes just fly over your head or feel out of place? There was a lot of that in this movie. I sometimes felt like I was on the outside of a big inside joke- and as a fan of Spider-Man, that wasn't a good feeling. Maybe I'm just not as nerdy as I thought.

Also, the opening sequence is about five minutes of a home video by Peter- a unique opening for a Marvel film, but a bit off-putting.

Is Spider-Man: Homecoming worth the watch?

Yes.

It's clever, layered and boasts a wonderfully diverse cast.

I was looking for a hint, a mention, or any small bit about Black Panther, scheduled to come out this February, but there was absolutely NOTHING about him in this film.

Oh, well, I'll hang tight and try to catch up on the comics until Black History Month.

P.S. I can't wait for Black Panther!

P.S. I'll always love you Andrew Garfield :)

I give this film a B.

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