Film Name:蜘蛛俠：英雄歸來 / Spider-Man: Homecoming
[Warning: This article contains major spoilers.]
This weekend undoubtedly belongs to the new Spider-Man.
Like many others, I believe most people first encountered American superhero films with the new millennium’s Spider-Man—which served as a proper introduction. Back in the late 1990s, Marvel sold the film rights to Spider-Man to Sony, allowing us to witness Sam Raimi and Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man trilogy. But with Disney and Marvel Studios’ MCU rising to dominance, Sony’s reboot The Amazing Spider-Man—despite Andrew Garfield’s solid performance—felt like a lone voice in the wilderness…
And so, a truly historic moment has arrived.
Sony, Disney, and Marvel Studios announced in 2015 that they would co-produce the Spider-Man franchise within the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Last year, Tom Holland’s Peter Parker made his debut in Captain America: Civil War, showcasing his skills in the Avengers’ civil war and receiving overwhelmingly positive reviews.
This year, Spider-Man: Homecoming capitalized on that momentum to launch his new MCU journey.
—Yet no accolade fades faster than the novelty of yesterday. Whether audiences buy into this venture hinges entirely on the standalone film’s quality.
Compared to action sequences, dramatic scenes are the primary factor in judging a superhero film’s success. The most valuable aspect of this new Spider-Man is its effort to authentically recreate the everyday life of an ordinary high school student.
The opening sequence features extended, visually striking handheld footage that concisely and effectively recaps the story’s background and timeline while capturing the indescribable excitement of a 15-year-old boy. Being “recruited” by Iron Man feels like a temporary assignment—after returning home, Peter still has to attend school, take exams, and participate in competitions. His best friend Ned, upon learning Peter’s Spider-Man identity, is starry-eyed and chatters nonstop. Unsurprisingly, Peter also has a crush on Liz, alongside the annoying rich kid Flash…
Compared to his predecessors, “Tom Holland’s” portrayal of a 15-year-old high schooler achieves the highest fidelity to the character’s origins. Crucially, his school life isn’t mere window dressing—it’s an integral part of Peter’s growth journey.
Among Peter’s group of friends, Michelle is my personal favorite.
In some ways, Michelle shares traits with Peter: a quiet intelligence, effortless academic prowess, a tendency to be an outsider, and a maturity beyond her years that allows her to see deeper into things.
This quirky girl serves as a mirror image to Peter, offering a parallel perspective that completes our view of high school life. Through this authentic and endearing lens, Peter Parker’s daily existence feels all the more flesh-and-blood.
With such solid foundational characterization, the new Spider-Man’s story becomes all the more compelling. The film’s core narrative follows a boy’s journey to adulthood. After receiving the Spider-Man suit from Tony Stark, Peter obsesses over becoming a powerful, reliable superhero who fights injustice and earns Iron Man’s approval—yet reality collides with his youthful overconfidence and restlessness.
Back in New York, Tony treats Peter merely as a raw talent with potential. Iron Man’s expectations for Spider-Man are limited to “keeping the peace in the neighborhood”—catching petty thieves, helping old ladies cross the street. But for Peter, fresh from the Avengers Civil War, these tasks feel utterly uncool!
So Peter constantly craved a grand gesture to prove himself—stopping armed robbers, hunting down criminal gangs wielding alien tech. This determination (or naivety) only intensified once he unlocked the full capabilities of his Spider-Suit.
And you know how it goes: Spider-Man wanted to be a hero, but the damage he caused far outweighed any good he did. He failed to catch the arms dealer, but destroyed tons of civilian property. He missed the criminals he was supposed to apprehend, disrupted an FBI operation, and accidentally sliced a cruise ship in half…
Finally, after cleaning up his mess yet again, Tony decided to discipline this brat—by confiscating the Spider-Suit.
For Peter, Tony Stark is a figure akin to an idol, mentor, older brother, and father figure—someone he holds in special regard and must respect. The film uses this dynamic to deliver its core thematic line:
—Without this suit, I’m nothing.
—If you’re nothing without it, then you don’t deserve it.
Tony certainly has the authority to say this. While he appears to dominate the world through his Iron Man suit, he also hit rock bottom in Iron Man 3, stripped of his armor, support, and wealth. From his geeky “secret lair,” he built a makeshift suit to confront the Mandarin.
Even penniless, Tony remains a genius.
In the superhero world, there’s an unwritten “law”: The rich rely on technology; the poor rely on mutation. Iron Man undoubtedly falls into the former category, while Spider-Man represents the latter—yet being bitten by a spider doesn’t mean Peter doesn’t yearn for the boost of high-tech gear. After “unlocking” Karen, he gradually lost himself in the overwhelming power the suit granted him (young people always lack self-control, after all). So when Tony snatched it back, Peter instantly felt stripped bare and helpless… Wake up, kid—you didn’t become Spider-Man just because you had a badass, debt-ridden suit.
Like countless coming-of-age tales, this film simply portrays Peter Parker’s growth: only through loss do we learn to cherish, only by starting from scratch can we rediscover our true purpose.
Thus, in the climactic battle of Spider-Man: Homecoming, Peter dons his homemade, utterly basic “sleepwear suit” and fires only the most basic form of web-slinging. Yet this stark contrast between heaven and earth only serves to highlight the precious sincerity of a boy’s dream to become a superhero.
Of course, the film’s climactic showdown is truly “terrible”: Peter had hoped to dance with his long-admired crush at the high school homecoming dance. But when he arrives at her house, the door is opened by a crime boss he’d nearly beaten to death earlier. This boss happens to be the girl’s father—her uncle. The uncle insists on driving them to the dance, revealing his entire criminal background along the way. After telling his daughter to get out first, Uncle doesn’t offer advice like “Don’t take advantage of my girl” or “Remember to use protection.” Instead, he points a gun and warns, “Mess with me again, and I’ll kill your whole family.” Heartbroken, Mike dumps his crush, only to get beaten up by “Doomsday Fist” as soon as he steps outside. Uncle plans to steal Tony Stark’s stuff, and Mike’s only backup is his easily startled best friend Ned…
It’s slightly disappointing that while the film excels in dialogue, world-building, and details, its action sequences feel somewhat lackluster. Michael Keaton, from Batman to Birdman to Vulture, seems perpetually linked to avian themes… Compared to thrilling fights, the concept of contributing villains feels more significant.
By the film’s end, Peter—having safeguarded vital Avengers assets and made outstanding contributions—finally gains recognition. Tony prepares to fulfill his “wish,” gifting him a new Spider-Man suit and planning to introduce the new Avenger “Spider-Man” to the public (echoing Tony’s post-Civil War intent in Iron Man 3 post-Civil War, where Tony sought to prove that public superheroes weren’t monsters). But Peter, unusually, declines.
“I’m still just a 15-year-old high schooler. I’m nowhere near ready. Let me live a normal life for a while longer, gain some real experience.” Only now does Peter’s phase of growth feel truly complete.
After that, Tony changed his mind at the last minute and decided to share some sweet moments with Pepper—but that’s another story…
Overall, this new Spider-Man movie is satisfying. though it lacks major surprises, it delivers commendably in all crucial aspects. Even when viewed within the broader Marvel Cinematic Universe, this “younger sibling” who unexpectedly joined the MCU holds its own—especially in an era where complaints about “aesthetic fatigue” in Marvel films are rampant. Having such a distinctive, youthful new entry is truly a welcome addition.
Tips1: The film has two post-credits scenes, with the one after all credits roll being particularly entertaining.
Tips2: Numerous Marvel-related Easter eggs appear throughout. While I’m not a hardcore Marvel fan, enthusiasts should keep an eye out for them.
Tips3: The Aunt May you’ve been waiting for… This film feels incomplete without mentioning this sassy elder—it’s like something’s missing without her…
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