When the new Spider-Man/Peter Parker (played by Tom Holland) first showed up in last year's Captain America: Civil War, fans were rendered giddy by the deep understanding shown for the character's traditional strengths.
Spider-Man: Homecoming is a joyous, confident extrapolation of that understanding, which leans heavily into the aspects thatset Spidey apart from other superheroes: his youth, his humour and his social life.
The teen angst driven films of writer/director John Hughes (Pretty In Pink, The Breakfast Club) were cited early on as a major influence and that comes to pass in a significant way - Ferris Bueller even has an on-screen cameo during a sequence that apes the 1986 classic's climactic backyard chase.
The plot has Spider-Man struggling with the comedown of returning to high school after participating in the events of Civil War, then squaring off against a weapons-dealing flying bad guy known as the Vulture (Michael Keaton).
Greatly aided in its mission by Holland's agile, impetuous performance, Spider-Man: Homecoming really gets you to care about Peter Parker's problems, and that intimacy results in a superhero movie that is more personal than most.
That doesn't mean they skimp on the epic action though, of which there is plenty. The three large-scale set pieces do the trick but aren't as creatively impressive as some of the smaller action moments that involve Spidey coming up against the limits of his powers.
Robert Downey Jr. shows up periodically to scold or encourage the young Spider-Man, a connection slightly overplayed by the film for what feels like commercial-minded reasons. Keaton brings effortless weight to the villain role, a character that would be difficult to take seriously in anybody else's hands.
A thoughtful, nimble argument for a more character-focused superhero movie, Spider-Man: Homecoming demonstrates what can be gained when the fate of the planet isn't at stake.
Cast: Tom Holland, Robert Downey Jr., Michael Keaton Director: Jon Watts Rating: TBC Running time: 133mins Verdict: Finally, an amazing Spider-Man movie.
DID YOU KNOW... 21-year-old Tom Holland is the third actor to bring Peter Parker to life on the big screen and the youngest to take on the role. Tobey Maguire was 27 when he first donned Spidey's mask, while Andrew Garfield was 29.
