Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017): One of Marvel's most heartwarming, funny, exciting, entertaining films! Spider-Man has returned in arguably his best outing.
In the last 15 years, we have had 6 Spider-Man films, with 3 different actors portraying the iconic web-slinger. Many people enjoyed Tobey Maguire's portrayal of Spider-Man's traditional, cheesy nerd personality, while others liked Andrew Garfield for his more realistic + darker interpretation. After seeing Homecoming, I can say that Tom Holland has given the best representation Spider-Man I've seen yet. 
There is a lot to love about Spider-Man: Homecoming. The movie separates itself from what viewers are used to seeing from previous Spider-Man iterations (and MCU films) by providing a simple look at what Peter Parker faces in his daily life. He is trying to balance his high school priorities and adapt to his newfound abilities of being a superhero, while also being a little kid trying to become an Avenger.
In Captain America: Civil War, we were able see a brief but wonderful exposure of Tom Holland's portrayal when Tony Stark (Iron Man) brought him into the conflict against Captain America. In this movie, Holland is excellent since he shows a perfect blend of both the awkward teen side of Peter Parker and the charismatic amusing character of Spider-Man.
The supporting characters were also really good. Peter has a best friend named Ned who serves as the comic relief character for the audience to relate with. There are some well-written interactions between Peter and his (diversely cast) science Decathlon team, which added to the modern high-school atmosphere and the John Hughes-esque tone the filmmakers are trying to establish.
The movie was also surprisingly funny (on the level of the Guardians films) as it pokes fun at current high school norms and the peculiar nature of the other Avengers (resulting in a very entertaining post-credits scene). But it also had proper dramatic character-building moments, especially in one great scene leading up to the film's climax.
One of my favorite things about the film involved the motivations behind the actions of the main characters. Tony Stark is sparingly used in this movie, mainly to serve as a form of inspiration for Peter since he wants to escape his teenage life and be a part of the Avengers. If you have seen the previous MCU films, Tony's character progresses as well because he really cares for Peter, but he sees that Peter's still growing as a kid and is ultimately responsible for what happens to him since Tony recruited Peter in the first place.
The motivations also factor in the villain (the Vulture played by Michael Keaton) who, by the way, was a standout character and is one the better Marvel villains I've seen. Compared to most movie villains, the audience can actually relate to what this villain is going through since he was forced out of his job as a result of the Avengers' previous battles (it makes more sense when watching the movie). He was menacing, but actually had a purpose to be angry. Other noteworthy elements were of the exciting action setpieces in New York + Washington DC and Michael Giacchino's uplifting musical score.
My rating: 4.75/5 stars
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