Spider-Man: Homecoming 2017 * * * Stars

Director: Jon Watts
Year: 2017
Rated PG-13
Rating: * * * Stars
Cast: Tom Holland, Michael Keaton, Jon Favreau

Peter Parker wants to be part of the Avengers. And under the eyeing supervision of Tony Stark, he may get his chance assuming the identity of Spider-Man, the web-shooting NYC victor. That's the gist of Spider-Man: Homecoming, my latest review.

Looking like a cross between a young Tony Goldwyn and a teenage Eric Bana, Tom Holland plays Mr. Parker. He's decent in the role but there's a certain amount of guilelessness in his performance. When Pete defeats a bad guy, he spouts off stuff like "yippee" or "woohoo". It feels a little grating at times but hey, the dude portrays an undeveloped fifteen-year-old so I guess it's you know, predicted.

Anyway, I'm not an aficionado on superhero films nor am I a fanatic when it comes the character of Spider-Man (or the Spider-Man franchise). I did however, enjoy Spider-Man: Homecoming. It's a sort of "you can tell" way of rebooting the yesteryear of Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield.

Now I was hesitant on taking in a screening seeing that "Homecoming's" trailer readily misleads you. I initially thought of something low budget, with a kiddie feel, a cartooning palate, and yet another change in the lead actor department. Heck, for all I know this could've been the next Home Alone 3. Thankfully that wasn't the case.

Lushly directed by Colorado native Jon Watts, Spider-Man: Homecoming allows Johnny boy to generate stupendous action sequences at breakneck speed. His camera, which gives the film a more comic book look see, is always hastily roving around. My favorite sequence is one in which Spider-Man saves his buddies from an elevator crash via the Washington Monument. It's pretty invigorating stuff and if you're afraid of heights, you might have to look away.

All in all, "Homecoming's" budget is still healthy at $175 million. It's $118 million below the last Spidey-sense installment (2014's The Amazing Spider-Man 2) but so what. The vibe with Spider-Man: Homecoming is less dark, more fancy-free, more cheery, and more whimsy than anything else in the Spider-Man canon. It's like superhero fanaticism meets Pretty in Pink or She's All That. Add a creepy malefactor in Michael Keaton (he plays Adrian Toomes aka Vulture) and the result is a stony mixture of cutesy high schooling, deadpan humor, and intimidating villainy. What can I say, it just works. Rating: 3 stars.

Written by Jesse Burleson