OMG! What a fun, exhilarating movie! Spider-Man: Homecoming is everything I want and have wanted out of a Spider-Man movie. From the very first shot to the last, I was completely sucked in and hooked. There is a lot to like here. You want Big FX Sets to thrill you, it's here. But if you want something that's a bit more grounded in reality in characterizations, that too is readily available. For starters, they actually got a teenager to play a teenager! Shocking! Tom Holland is fantastic as Peter Parker / Spidey. Even though there are a couple of previous Spider-Man, I've never enjoyed the character of Peter Parker because he has always been portrayed as whiny, annoying and just not fun to watch. Holland is a joy here and giving him a sidekick in the form of Ned was a great way to go.

The other thing that struck me while watching the movie was just how much influence I was seeing from John Hughes here. As you know, I'm a HUGE Hughes fan, so for me, this was a Big Plus for me. There are a few scenes that were pulled directly from a number of his films, the most blatant being Ferris Bueller's Day Off. As soon as you see the scene in question, you immediately know. But rather than trying to conceal it as something else...they literally show the very same scene from Bueller which had me grinning ear to ear. And yes, The Breakfast Club and Sixteen Candles' influence can also be felt too.

Now what about the cameos that make up Homecoming? Well, if you've seen the Trailer, it's no secret that Iron Man / Tony Stark plays a big part. Robert Downey Jr. is great as Peter's mentor. But it was the inclusion of Happy that really got it right. I wasn't expecting to see Jon Favreau have so much screen time. It felt like this was more than we ever get from him in any of the Iron Man flicks. Pepper Pots and Captain America also make their presences known in their respective cameos. But it's Michael Keaton as Adrian Toomes / Vulture that finally gets it right when it come to creating a believable Villain that actually matters. Ironically enough, the only other Spidey movie to get the Villain right is of course Spider-Man 2.

I remember after watching the first Trailer for Homecoming that I declared that this would be the best Spider-Man movie of all time, but that was hyperbole. Having just watched the movie, that statement pretty much lived up to it because as I said, there is so much to like about this one. There are a ton of small inside jokes that will make you laugh. The pacing, acting, FX, plot all kept me engaged and begging for more. I love how in this movie, it's Tony Stark that creates the Spidey Suit and with that, all the bells and whistles you find in Iron Man are here. Yes, for purist of the Comic Book as sure to hate this. But I thought it was fun to see and gives Peter more options in what to do. This could have been a bad thing because essentially the Suit does all the work for Peter, but the plot takes the suit away from him, giving him the chance to actually become "Spider-man" without the suit. With this new suit and everything there is to too learn about it, it reminded me a great deal about The Greatest American Hero, where that too was all about learning to control a Superhero suit leading to lots of laughs.


I'll say one last thing, there is a Big Twist that comes 2/3rds of the way in the movie that changes everything and it was a major surprise for me and I'm sure most people that avoid spoilers. I won't say what it is. But when it reveals itself, it's a Holy Sh*t moment. I can't wait for the next Spider-Man movie to get here, which is something I have NEVER said about any of the previous flicks. This is definitely a Buy, which I intend to add to my DVD collection.

The addition of 'Karen' as the Suit voice was a stroke of genius, allowing Spidey the ability to have his "inner monologue" which is one of the main reasons why reading Spider-Man comics has always been fun. Speaking of voices.....one of the funniest moments in the movie was pairing up Spidey with his own "Batman" voice during his "interrogation" scene. HILARIOUS!