The long awaited Marvel Studios Spider-Man movie is out! But, how does it rate? Here’s my review being a long time Spider-Man fan.
Story
I’ll admit though I’m a big Marvel Studios fan and enjoy every movie, some of the films are getting repetitive. I was a little afraid of Spider-Man being just another super hero film with a generic super villain. This was not one of those films. The story felt like they were trying to make a high school coming of age movie that happens to have super heroes in it. It’s about Peter Parker’s struggle as a teen, not about a super hero beating up bad guys.
As for general plot movement, the movie tied together fairly well. Predictable moments were put as comedy. And there were some twists that caught me by surprise and done very well. It made characters fit very well together. I think, in all, this was one of the strongest stories in Marvel Studios’ library.
Characters and Acting
Being a Spider-Man fan, I want Peter Parker and Spider-Man to as if he leapt off the pages of my comics. Tom Holland did an amazing job as the early teen Peter Parker. Peter in the comics started off as fairly ambitious and cocky. It led him to early trouble, but he’s always had a heart of gold. This was Peter in the movie. And Holland had the innocent, nerdy, and good hearted Peter wrapped up well.
Michael Keaton was a great complex villain. He wasn’t an evil guy, but still a bad guy. And with Spider-Man being about New York City and the neighborhoods around, Keaton as the Vulture was a neighborhood super villain. He was a New York tough bad guy.
Jacob Batalon was a great comedic sidekick to Spider-Man. His character, Ned, even helped give more depth to Holland’s Parker. They made a great duo in the film.
Everyone did a great job in the movie. I didn’t feel like anyone was over the top, yet they all had distinct characterizations to them. And, I think, none of these types of characters are ones we’ve seen in other Marvel films. My one complaint was with May Parker, Peter’s aunt. Marisa Tomei is a wonderful actress, but I couldn’t tell if she was playing May as more naive and innocent, or that she’s aware of her appeal to those around her. It bothered me that it was hard to tell, but maybe just me.
Music
Michael Giacchino helmed the score for the film. His soundtracks are hit and miss for me. Some of them sound too much like other film scores he’s done. For the most part, I enjoyed the score he came up with. It had undertones of the television Spider-Man theme and some cues from other Marvel films. But, it had some distinct themes to it. I don’t think it was the strongest Marvel soundtrack, or had any huge songs from it, but still a good soundtrack.
Anything Else?
Here’s where my fandom kicks in. Spider-Man was one of the first comics I read thirty years ago. Well sort of read because I could barely read, but I liked the pictures of Spidey. Spider-Man is an everyman hero. He needs to have that personality. Though we’ve seen origin web slinger movies before, this was more about his coming into being Spider-Man. It was focused on his early exploits, but with the Iron Man mentor twist. It was great to see this twist and a new way of conveying the classic “With great powers comes great responsibility.” This was all about Spider-Man becoming the friendly neighborhood hero with huge connections to the greater super hero community. This was about how a hero learns and grows. This was about why Spider-Man is one of the greats. That’s what this film is about.
Conclusion
I know I sound biased being a Spider-Man film, but this was the one I’ve waited for. The Tobey Maguire movie was good. I even liked the first Amazing one. But, this was rich with comic awareness, and took it all to a new level. There are some things that don’t line up with the comics, but I was ok with it. It’s because Spider-Man himself was spot on. This movie was about his being a good guy, and that’s why I loved it.
From a more critical point of view, I think it’s one of the more fun and solid Marvel Studios ventures thus far. It’s different from the others. It was fresh and inspiring. So, I highly recommend seeing it if you’re looking for that new Marvel film. In general, it’s just fun. It’s something the family can enjoy, though I don’t recommend it for fairly young kids. There’s some teenage stuff going on that older kids to adults are going to understand and enjoy.
I give it two thumbs way up, even with some webbing to elevate them! This was a great Marvel movie and worth seeing as soon as possible!
