The MCU’s Spider-Man (Tom Holland) is back with a brand new adventure, with a different director and a set of writers who seem to have a better handle on the character than previous attempts at the character’s development. That is not to say that I did not enjoy the previous installments of the character’s franchise. I enjoyed every single episode of this character’s approach, which was previously directed by Jon Watts, along with the “official” MCU depictions of Spidey in Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War, and Avengers: Endgame, but I always felt that something was missing where Sam Raimi’s approach to the character mostly hit the nail on the head. This time, Destin Daniel Cretton is in charge, and not only has he mostly nailed the pathos of Peter Parker trying to be the hero he aspires to be, he manages to deliver a movie that is visually gorgeous and mostly true to the character that not only intrigued comic book readers, but also kept us invested in him.
Since the events of Spider-Man: No Way Home, Peter Parker/Spider-man has taken up the mantle of hero pretty much full-time. He has an app on his phone which alerts him to police crime activity, so that he knows exactly where he is needed. He even works with police detective Jean DeWolff (Liza Colón-Zayas), an officer who encourages and promotes Spider-Man’s good deeds. However, Spider-Man faces a very difficult challenge when he discovers that a young woman with telepathic abilities (Sadie Sink) uses her powers to get to what she wants, even if it means committing crimes. Meanwhile, Peter is still sad and depressed that his friend Ned Leeds (Jacob Batalon) and his ex-girlfriend M.J. (Zendaya) have no memory of him.
I have to hand it to director Destin Daniel Cretton and his screenwriters Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers, because their work here is simply the closest installment to what Peter Parker/Spider-Man is all about, with all of his troubles and stresses of being a superhero. Everything that happens here feels ripped from the pages of multiple comic book stories, and also feels very akin to what Raimi did with his first two movies. Spidey faces not only the challenges of being a superhero but also the struggles of a working-class, street-level hero, facing more challenges that take a toll on his psyche. To make matters worse, Spidey is also undergoing some mutations that are messing further with his head, along with a villain who uses mind tricks to mess with her opponents. This is classic Spider-Man, through and through, and I was blown away in both emotional and entertaining ways.
I do have one minor complaint: Peter Parker, in the comics and in previous movies, has struggled with financial woes. One of the character’s struggles is making ends meet, and there is no mention whatsoever of how he maintains an income or pays rent for a rough-and-tumble apartment in New York City. It is a minor concern, but I wish they had offered me a simple explanation of how he can live and survive in NYC.
That said, I just about love everything about this movie. The stakes are high for Peter, both on a more personal level and as a hero. The action and detective work are intriguing, as are all of the stakes for most of the important characters involved. I absolutely love the performances by the cast. Obviously, Tom Holland now has a perfect handle on the character and all his complex emotions. I also marveled at the performance of Sadie Sink, who portrays the main villain, but someone in need of the right guidance. Jon Bernthal is an absolute riot as Frank Castle/The Punisher, portraying the character as a mean big brother/bad cop to Spidey’s good cop. I also loved Zendaya as M.J., who has some genuinely emotional and poignant moments in the movie.
As I stated in my headline, this is the best Spider-Man movie of the MCU, but it still doesn’t come quite as close to Sam Raimi’s first two Spider-Man entries. I truly believe that fans of the character will certainly love this story and movie experience.