Tom Holland in Spider-Man: Homecoming, photo courtesy Sony
6. Spider-Man: Homecoming
Some Christians say that one scene ruined this movie. I disagree. Sure, there were some unfortunate moments in Homecoming, as there are in most every film. But when you look at the product overall, this was a gratifying return to form for our favorite web-slinger—and one that illustrates the superhero genre’s surprising malleability.
Homecoming stars Tom Holland as the titular hero—playing an insecure teen who looks like one, too. Like many teens, he’s still feeling his way toward adulthood—soldiering through the tedium of high school with an imperfect step. And while high school isn’t all bad—he kinda likes a girl on his science team—mostly he’s just ready to be done with it all. He’s got dreams, man. Big dreams—not of becoming a rock star or a pro basketball player, he dreams of joining the Avengers. And frankly, he feels like he’s more than ready. But is he?
Homecoming is part action flick, part John Hughes comedy and all coming-of-age story. It’s a fun, thrilling flick anchored by two great performances: That of Holland and of Michael Keaton, who plays Spidey’s nemesis du jour, Adrian Toomes. And, as the best Spider-Man movies do, it explores what it really means to be a hero. We never hear the famous “with great power comes great responsibility” line, but pretty much everything in the movie points to its importance.