Along Came A Brand New Spider

“Don’t mess with me. Because I will kill you and anyone you care about.” ~ Adrian Toomes

“You need to stop carrying the weight of the world around on your shoulders.” ~ May Parker

“Can’t you just be a friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man?” ~ Tony Stark

“Spider-Man is not a party trick!” ~ Peter Parker

Spider-Man Homecoming marks the third go-around in fifteen years with another actor taking on the role, but this time set squarely in the Marvel cinematic universe. After making a debut in Captain America: Civil War, Tom Holland gets a solo film of his own as the signature Marvel character pitting the teenaged neurotic character against a villain not entirely unsympathetic, and quite familiar to comic book readers. And the resulting film is a refreshing new take on the character with a light hearted tone, free of the hipster angst of the Andrew Garfield films, and the emo tone and cluttered writing of the third Tobey Maguire film.

The film opens in the past, in the wake of the Battle of New York, the first time the Avengers came together. We meet Adrian Toomes (Michael Keaton), a salvage company operator who finds himself losing business when Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) helps establish the Department of Damage Control to clean up the damage from the climactic battle (you wouldn’t see Superman do that, and frankly, his big battle in the end of Man of Steel did a lot more damage to Metropolis). Toomes is understandably irritated by losing business, but ends up salvaging some of the alien tech for himself.

In the present day, Peter Parker (Holland), having had served briefly as an Avenger, is busy dealing with school and stopping crimes in his spare time. A classmate and friend, Ned (Jacob Batalon) discovers his secret, while Peter’s time spent as a vigilante is something of a growing concern for Tony, who’s come to have something of a fatherly concern for the teenager. It doesn’t take long before the paths of the brash young superhero intersects with Toomes, who’s developed the tech he’s stolen and has turned himself into a criminal, the Vulture.

The two previous incarnations of Spider-Man on the big screen were their own entities, not in the Marvel cinematic universe. Sony set up a deal with Marvel Studios to place him into that Marvel universe after the Garfield films tended to meander too much, particularly after the second film underperformed. There are a total of seven people credited with the story and screenplay, including the director, Jon Watts. The story wisely refrains from re-telling the origin story yet again, instead simply having the character already established as a vigilante stopping crimes and helping people out around New York City. We’ve already met this version of Peter Parker, and as an audience, we’re already familiar with his origins anyway.

And the story successfully weaves him into that Marvel universe, giving us well established cinematic characters like Tony Stark and his driver Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau), and a couple of other cameos along the way from previously established characters. At the same time it establishes new characters we haven’t seen in film that will be familiar to readers- some of Toomes’ associates are well known villains in the Spider-Man rogues gallery. Characters like Herman Schultz, the Shocker, or Mac Gargan, who’s used more than one villainous name in his day, appear (I would love to see a cinematic version of Gargan’s Scorpion down the line). The story also tends to weave in the tone of high school dynamics as it goes along, which fits with where Peter is in his life, and how he relates to other students around him.

Watts has a rather limited background as a director- two features in recent years, Cop Cars and Clown, so he might seem an odd choice to helm a big budget superhero film. However, he turns out to be a good choice for the job, pacing the movie in just the right way. It never really slows down, even in the quiet spots, and he deftly handles both characterization and action in good ways. Of the older films, a sequence Sam Raimi did on an elevated train in Spider-Man 2 stands out as a breathtaking action scene, and well done. Watts does similar work with an airplane and a ferry in scenes here, raising the stakes in a big way and leaving the audience impressed with the result. So it turns out that a limited background as a director is not that bad a thing.

Production design looks good. The action moves between New York and Washington, as well as up in the air and on the water, and after all this time, the CGI involved in some of the more distant shots of Spider-Man look more natural. Compare this one to Raimi’s Spider-Man, where some of the CGI looked very artificial at times, but it’s come along through enough trial and error that it now looks considerably sleeker. The same applies to the plane sequence, which feels tense and unfolding right before you, as opposed to feeling like an effect.

I like the casting. Some of the characters are composites of those from the comics. Jacob Batalon as Ned is very loosely based on Ned Leeds, a workplace colleague rather than a buddy to Peter as is played out here, but the character gets a good deal of comic relief sort of work to do, really taken in a drastically different direction than the source material. More close to the original character is Laura Harrier as Liz, a strong willed senior at the high school, and based on Liz Allen. As is the case in the comics, Liz is Peter’s first crush. She is, however, somewhat in a different position in this film- she’s the daughter of Toomes, something that departs from the comics. Zendaya plays one of their classmates, Michelle “MJ” Jones- the initials have meaning, of course to the comics lore, but the character is a different creation; she's smart but awkward, something of an outsider.

Donald Glover, who in the not too distant future will be featured as a younger Lando Calrissian in the Star Wars universe, plays a character here named Aaron Davis, a crook looking for a weapons deal who is something more than he appears. I haven’t seen him in any film before, but look forward to more from him. Jon Favreau, who’s been in the Marvel Cinematic Universe from the beginning as a director with the first two Iron Man films, has also been a part of it all as Stark’s chauffeur Happy Hogan, the somewhat hapless and occasionally exasperated driver. Favreau gives the character a dry sense of humour.

When May Parker was first devised in the comics, she was written as past sixty, but looking thirty years older. It makes more sense, realistically speaking, to have someone who’s not knocking on heaven’s door with one foot in the grave as the guardian of a teenager instead of two generations ahead. Marisa Tomei made her debut as Peter’s aunt in Captain America Civil War, and the character returns as the wise widow, more of a big sister to Peter than a mother figure. She’s no-nonsense at times, but sympathetic at others, all while her nephew seems to spend time around a known Avenger and can’t quite account for how he spends his spare time.

Robert Downey Jr. has been at the core of the Marvel cinematic universe from the start as Tony Stark, who of course spends part of the time as Iron Man. He’s snarky and sarcastic, quick with a quip, and finds himself in something of a mentor role to Peter, filling a gap that’s been there for the teenager since his uncle’s death. He’s also influenced by the events in his life in the last few years, which provide him with a different perspective than the carefree Tony we first met- he considers the consequences of his actions and those around him. The actor has a ball playing the role, popping in and out of the movie on occasion, sparring with Holland, who nicely keeps up with the banter.

Michael Keaton has had a career renaissance as of late, which is a good thing. This is the second take at a comic book character (if you count his work in the acclaimed Birdman as part of the genre, maybe the third). His first take was as Batman in Tim Burton’s two films in that franchise, and he played it well. Here he gets the fun of playing the villain. Toomes is depicted as years younger than he is in the comics- the Vulture of the comics looks like a ninety year old rotting corpse in a flight suit. And his motivations are different. The Vulture of the comics is a crook, through and through, utterly ruthless. Toomes becomes a crook because of one bad turn- an opportunity missed that costs him his company and his line of work. It embitters him, drives him into crime and the world of arms trafficking, and at the same time, you can understand exactly where he’s coming from. He’s out for the good life, not a megalomaniac out to take over the world, and it creates a different point of view for the character. Keaton makes him formidable, and seems to be having fun chewing the scenery throughout the film.

Tom Holland gets to play Peter Parker again, this time as the lead in a solo film. He looks young enough to come off as a fifteen year old, fresh to the world of super heroics. The character doesn’t drift into the angst or hipster takes of Maguire and Garfield’s roles; Holland’s take balances between a light hearted tone and the sense of responsibility (driven by grief) that his powers have given him. He plays the character as smart, a bit socially awkward, dealing with all the issues that a teenager would usually cope with, while also dealing with crime on a super-human scale. It’s a fresh take on the character that fits well with the comics version.

What’s next for the cinematic friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man? Well, the character will be in upcoming Marvel films, as well as sequels to this one. The film offers tidbits of future threats and possible directions yet to come. By itself, the film is a whole lot of fun, mixing together the serious threat of a formidable foe, the comic book tone of a brash web-slinger, and the high school dynamics of a teenager just trying to get through school- all while setting it strongly in the Marvel cinematic universe. The director proves to be adept at handling the action and the cast, and the production design, and the film as a whole succeeds in establishing Spidey firmly in the Marvel cinematic universe.

Tony, You Could Do With Some Sleep

"Some people call me a terrorist. I consider myself a teacher." ~ The Mandarin, Iron Man 3

Robert Downey Jr. is back as Tony Stark, aka Iron Man, in the third solo film for the Marvel comics character, and the fourth after last year's Avengers. The film starts out in the past, on New Year's Eve 1999 in Switzerland, where Tony is in the midst of seducing a botanist, Maya Hansen (Rebecca Hall) and crosses paths with a bookish and socially inept businessman-scientist named Aldrich Killian (Guy Pearce), who has a business proposal for him. Both characters will figure prominently what follows.

Flash forward to the present, where Tony is dealing with anxiety attacks and nightmares in the wake of the alien invasion of New York during Avengers. This is added onto his usual obsessive compulsive disorder, and he spends much of his time in his workshop, building new armors, experimenting with ideas that include remote controlled armor. His girlfriend Pepper (Gwyneth Paltrow) is running his company, his friend Colonel Rhodes( Don Cheadle) is using the War Machine armor for the military, newly renamed the Iron Patriot, and his other friend and former bodyguard Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau) has moved up to head up security for the company. Tony is pouring his energy into work, avoiding issues. Pepper, on the other hand, is navigating the corporate side of things, including a meeting with Killian, much less bookish and socially inept now. His company is working on a new project called Extremis, that might well regenerate damaged bodies by recoding DNA; it's a concept that Pepper can't sign off on, due to ethical considerations. As it is, Extremis is unstable in some people... leading to very bad consequences.

Meanwhile, America is coming under threat from a mysterious terrorist calling himself the Mandarin (Ben Kingsley). He's capable of hijacking the airwaves, broadcasting apocalyptic videos and threats, carrying out attacks through his henchmen, challenging even the American President (William Sadler). These attacks include explosions with no trace of bomb debris, carried out by gunmen who are living weapons powered by Extremis, capable of regenerating from wounds, of transferring lethal heat to bystanders and turning them in effect into a walking bomb. One of the attacks wounds Hogan, and sets Tony on a collision course with the Mandarin, a course that threatens the people he loves and forces him to deal with the issues that he's been trying to avoid.

The director's chair has been taken over by Shane Black, a screenwriter from the Lethal Weapon series who has moved into directing, most recently working with Downey in the caper comedy Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. He mostly handles the film well, taking the reins from Favreau, who's one of the producers this time out. There's a bit off in a climactic scene with numerous Iron Man armors set at a dockworks; I found the camerawork a bit too close into the action at times, and thought it could have benefitted somewhat from having a more distant perspective. Essentially this is an editing issue that I would have preferred being done in a different fashion. These moments in that sequence were more than compensated for, however.

The action set pieces for the most part work very well, particularly one set at Tony's cliffside mansion and another involving a mid-air rescue. Black has assembled a good crew throughout, particularly in the designs of the armors. The Iron Patriot armor, a red white and blue design based on a comic book plotline (long story, don't ask, and it was written by a complete hack of a writer who I call He Who Loves The Sound Of His Own Voice... hi, Darth Bendis!) at least has the right guy in the armor this time out, and I do like the design. The CGI works well, particularly the Extremis-fuelled henchmen and the effects of the procedure on the body. Black and his crew keep the story moving along, taking Tony out of the armor for good portions of the film, putting him in a situation where he has to keep a low profile. The story is true to character, though the casual viewer might find the motivation of the villain needs a bit of fleshing out. I caught it, but it might pass by someone else.

I did appreciate the little details of the screenplay and the nods towards the comics. Killian's company as Advanced Idea Mechanics, or AIM, is one such example. AIM is an organization with a nefarious and long history in the comics and a tendency to have annoyed most every super-hero out there, and it's good to see the concept used here. And an executive being held hostage by the Mandarin at one point is identified as working for the Roxxon Corporation. Roxxon is a company with a shady reputation in the comics, one that makes Bernie Madoff look respectable. Even the Extremis procedure- adapted from a comics plotline- reminded me of other Iron Man villains, the Melter or Firebrand.

The film is cast very well indeed. Favreau has been something of the comic relief in his cameos in these films, and that's true here, though he's also a guy who takes his job seriously... and can be overzealous about it. Paul Bettany returns as the voice of the computer system JARVIS, and as ever has that dry British wit in his voiceovers. William Sadler as the President is an interesting turn for the actor. I'm more used to him playing the heavy or the villain (his ruthless Colonel Stuart in Die Hard 2 comes to mind) that it's unusual seeing him as a principled political leader. Rebecca Hall is one of those wonderfully expressive actors with great range. I first noticed her in The Prestige, and enjoy her work. As Maya, she's linked to Killian, and her work leads to the Extremis process. Hall plays her in a way that's quite enigmatic, but it makes the character work so well.

Guy Pearce has a history of playing flawed characters or villains, and he's so very compelling at it. He first got noticed for playing the ambitious cop in L.A. Confidential, and he's played many roles since, including my favourite role for him, the vindictive Fernand Mondeo in The Count Of Monte Cristo. He starts out here as something of a geek in the past, a charming and suave man in the present, and gradually we start to see the dark and malicious layers beneath. He makes for a formidable presence in the film.

Sir Ben Kingsley steps in as the Mandarin, and the character is a significant departure from the comics. There he was a Chinese man empowered by alien rings. Here he is something of an Osama bin Laden-like man, a dark threat from the shadows. His ethnicity is uncertain; he speaks in an American accent, though he wears ten rings and the robes of the Far East. His ominous threats via video mark him as a serious threat, and yet there is more to him. Of which I will say no more. I will say that Kingsley, one of those actors who's usually the most interesting part of a film, plays the various facets of this man very well indeed. Of his previous work, I've always had a fondness for his turn as Feste the Fool in Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, a version from the nineties (if you haven't seen it, look it up). There's a moment or two here where Feste doesn't seem that far off... 

The returning cast, of course, is exceptional. Don Cheadle is back for the second time as Rhodes, after being cast in the role in the second film to replace the underwhelming Terrence Howard from the first one. Cheadle carries himself like a soldier and an officer, a good touch for the character. He has something of a sense of humor, the occasional impatience with his friend Tony, and he gets plenty to do this time out, as himself and in the Iron Patriot armor. Even though he's not fond of the moniker.

Gwyneth Paltrow has been playing this role in four films now. Her take on Pepper suits the character's history: spirited and feisty, but smart and capable. She worries about Tony, conveying the long history the two have, and she's believable as someone running a company. And the way she and Downey work together comes across as very natural.

The film belongs to Robert Downey Jr. He has given the character such a signature interpretation that it's hard to visualize anyone else playing Tony Stark. He brings across the character's sleepless obsessive streak, and rightly conveys the symptoms of an anxiety attack, something that's understandable given what the character has been through. When he realizes a way to deal with the anxiety (with help, mind you), it's simple and direct... and at the right time. He spends much of this picture out of the armor, and it's a good thing. It reminds us that Tony's greatest weapon isn't that armor, it's his mind and his ingenuity. Downey conveys all of these qualities, gives Tony his motormouth sarcasm... and even empathy, which shows itself from time to time.

I had a lot of fun watching the film. There's a lot of action, but the characterization was true to itself, the pacing of the film kept things moving along nicely, and even the small details were very welcome. In closing, keep your eyes open for a couple of cameos. Stan Lee does one of his signature appearances here, but it's a blink and you will miss it sort of thing. And in the sequence set in the past, a character killed off in the first film turns up briefly. That was a surprise to me.

And don't leave until the credits are finished. The post-credit scene features another cameo, and is probably the best of these post-credit scenes in these films. You'll get a kick out of it.