"Spider-Man" Goes Back to High School
By Skip Sheffield
There is a new Spider-Man in New York City, though he is
more like a Spider-Boy.
British actor Tom Holland, 21, quite believably plays Peter
Parker as a 15-year-old sophomore from the Borough of Queens at Midtown School
of Science and Technology.
Director Jon Watts (“Cop Car”) and a team of six writers have
gone back to square one to recast Peter Parker as a bumbling high school
student who doesn’t quite understand his newfound powers as Spider-Man. This
isn’t a regular high school. It is one for over-achievers. There are no jock
bullies as in previous incarnations of Spider-Man with Tobey Maguire 2002-2007
and Andrew Garfield 2012 and 2014. Instead of a football team they have an
Academic Decathlon. The closest thing to a rival for Peter is a guy named Flash
(Tony Revolori) who is jealous of Peter’s superior intellect.
Peter has two mentors; Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.) whom
he met in “Captain America: Civil War” as Iron Man, and Aunt May, played by the
younger and much more attractive Marisa Tomei.
Michael Keaton, who once played Batman in the super hero
universe, has gone rogue as Adrian Toomes, who transforms into The Vulture in a
magic flying suit. Toomes has stolen some high-tech weapons and is willing to
sell them to the highest bidder.
Meanwhile the homecoming of the title is approaching, and
like any 15-year-old, Peter is nervous about asking his crush Liz (Laura
Harrier) to the prom. Cheering Peter on is his best buddy Ned (Jacob Batalon)
who has accidentally discovered Peter’s secret identity. Providing a one-woman
Greek chorus is Peter’s brainy friend Michelle (Zendaya), who is always
dropping droll observations.
“Spider-Man Homecoming” is like a travelogue of New York
City, culminating with an epic battle aboard the Staten Island Ferry. Being a
knowledgeable New Yorker is a plus. As a nod to the past, Gwyneth Paltrow makes
a cameo appearance as Pepper Potts.
“Spider-Man” has moved on to a new generation. A sequel is
already in the works. Never mind that the whole premise of the story that first
appeared in a 1963 Marvel comic is absurd, it’s a lot of good harmless fun with
plenty of decent laughs.
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