“Spider-Man” Covers The Problems Of Being Both Superhero And Teenager
Starring Tom Holland, Samuel L. Jackson, Jake Gyllenhaal, Marisa Tomei, Jon Favreau, Zendaya
Rated PG-13
Action, Adventure
Run time: 2 hr, 9 min
Directed by Jon Watts
In theaters July 2, 2019
Being in high school is hard. Being in high school when you’re secretly a superhero, have just come back after missing five years due to the Snapture (TM Glen Weldon), have a crush on a girl and also may have to save the world again when you just want to go on vacation is even harder. And unsurprisingly, yet another Marvel installment tackles both the human issue and the superhuman issue at hand. What do you do when you know you need to save the world, but you also just want to kiss the cute girl from your science club? And what do you do when nothing you know is seemingly the right thing to do? And how to you step into shoes that you aren’t sure were left behind for you to fill?
In the first post-Endgame Marvel movie, it all seems calm and Peter Parker is hoping to hang up his suit for a little bit to enjoy a trip to Europe with his class - specifically his best friend, Ned, and his crush, MJ (both of whom seem to have also vanished for the five year snap) - but of course, in any superhero movie, it’s not going to go as planned. Trouble seems to follow him in the form of Elementals, giant creatures that seem hell-bent on tearing major cities to shreds, and in the form of an otherworldly guy named Mysterio who is attempting to keep them under control. Suddenly, his friends are in danger and there’s more on Peter’s plate than just taking the ultimate Paris selfie and buying MJ a gift he hopes she loves.
Tom Holland’s Spider-Man is the epitome of a confused teen who is just trying his best (impressive, too, as Holland is 23 years old - the baby face helps a bit). He’s earnest, endearing and the perfect amount of awkward that makes you root for him - while still remembering he’s supposed to be just a 16 year old with a lot of weight put upon him, and that would make even the strongest man stumble. Zendaya as MJ gets a lot more dimension and screen time in this one, perfectly balancing out the amount of time spent on other plots, like the potential love affair that Peter’s best friend Ned may be enthralled in. Gyllenhaal is fun to watch as he interacts with the grumpy Nick Fury and plays off good-guy Peter.
The twists and turns of this film make it fresh and interesting, exactly what is needed after the be-all, end-all of the Avengers two-parter. There needed to be something new about this one, to show how Marvel will be going on to this next phase of their movies. Some of it seems a bit much at times, as the audience becomes just as confused as the film’s hero, but it’s unique, so I have to give Marvel that. All the actors are a joy to see, and the two hour movie seems short in comparison to the marathon length of Endgame. And after leaving this film, I immediately had to search for when the next one was coming because this ending will make you desperate to see how it’s all going to play out.