Spider-Man: Homecoming

Spider-Man: Homecoming is the third iteration of Spider-Man in the last 15 years, which is ridiculous and surprising and kind of sad. It’s also irrelevant to whether or not Homecoming is any good, and thankfully, because of a strong villain and a winning lead performance from Tom Holland, this is the best Spider-Man yet.

Far too often, superhero movie villains are underdeveloped, lack motivation, and are more caricature than character. Not so in Spider-Man: Homecoming.

The villain is Adrian Toomes (Michael Keaton), who eight years ago was tasked with cleaning up the mess of New York City left behind by The Avengers. That is, until a government bigwig (Tyne Daly) fired him and his staff, leaving them jobless with families to support. In the present, Toomes takes the alien technology found in the wreckage and makes black market munitions, which has led to a pretty comfortable life.

His motivation is clear: He needs to provide for his family, and there are few other jobs available. So he becomes the Vulcher, a winged creation that steals alien weaponry and combines it with human technology, then sells it to low-level hoods.

Every villain needs a hero, and it’s not long before 15-year-old Peter Parker/Spider-Man (Tom Holland) stumbles upon Toomes’ shady dealings. Peter has quite the long list of problems: There’s his guardian, Aunt May (Marisa Tomei), who is the protective and worrying type. His mentor, Tony Stark/Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), doesn’t think he’s ready for Avengers-style crime fighting. His worst, most debilitating and paralyzing problem, however, is that he has a crush on classmate Liz (Laura Harrier) and has no idea what to do about it. His friend Ned (Jacob Batalon) is the endearing big mouth type who thinks he has the answers and yet knows nothing.

Meanwhile, Peter himself is an outcast from his other peers, but not more so than Michelle (Zendaya), who hates everyone and everything – for no clear reason.

A quick look at the credits reveals six screenwriters, which is never a good sign. Usually more than two means the script was passed around multiple times and it’s a hodgepodge of ideas that will not mesh together. Thankfully, that never shows in director Jon Watts’ film (he’s one of those six writers), as the story is clear and flows well. All of the main characters are properly developed, everything as far as plot and character motivation is explained with clarity, and the pacing feels right at 133 minutes.

Just as importantly, the action is imaginative and never feels trite. When you couple Watts’ competence with Holland’s charmingly innocent turn as Peter, a positive audience reaction is inevitable.

Without reservation, Spider-Man: Homecoming is the best Spider-Man movie we’ve had. The humor, action, visual effects and how the story fits into the larger Marvel Cinematic Universe are exactly what they should be. If you’re a fan of Spider-Man and/or the MCU, this is a must-see.

SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING (3) Directed by Jon Watts • Starring Tom Holland, Michael Keaton, Robert Downey Jr. • Rated PG-13 • 133 min. • At Century Cinemas Del Monte, Century Marina, Maya Cinemas, Northridge Cinemas, Lighthouse Cinemas.