Spider-Man: Homecoming Captures the Essence of Comics' Favorite Teenage Superhero

Spider-Man is one of those characters hard to find the essence of: he's one of the funniest and most well-liked heroes in the Marvel Universe, but he's also a down-on-his-luck kid struggling to fit in and find love as a civilian. The Spider-Man and Peter Parker balance is comparable to other comic book characters, like a certain Dark Knight, and Spider-Man: Homecoming, for the first time, manages to get both done right.

Spider-Man: Homecoming is a new genesis for Sony's Spider-Man franchise and Marvel's Cinematic Universe. Seeing Tom Holland come into his own as a full-fledged Spider-Man signals the Universe is ready to grow and develop new and younger characters to resonate with audiences. Holland manages to capture the essences of both Spider-Man and Peter Parker, showing an emotional journey from newly-minted superhero to an independent wall-crawler extraordinaire.

Although Holland is the main attraction, the entire cast forms an ensemble of lovable and root-able characters. Making the setting Midtown School, where Peter has to interact with his peers constantly made characters like Ned, Flash, Michelle, and Liz shine in their own right. Michael Keaton as Adrian Toomes turned Vulture makes Spider-Man: Homecoming one of the best superhero films of them all--he brings a cadence to his character, a maturity and ferocity that comes from his extensive experience.

Spider-Man: Homecoming is a triumph for comic book fans--it perfectly blends the core essence of Spider-Man as originally intended by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko and modernizes it for a new audience in the context of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It's definitely a film fans shouldn't miss.