We’ve seen enough Spider-Man origin stories to last a lifetime, and luckily Spider-Man: Homecoming doesn’t give us another one. In fact, if you've seen Captain America: Civil War, you know Spidey (Tom Holland) already has the cool suit, made by Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.), because he was recruited to help the Avengers, basically, fight each other.
With Homecoming, Spider-Man is already fighting small crimes and has his web slingers, but wants to prove he is good enough to be a part of the Avengers team. The villain in this film -- the Vulture -- is played by Michael Keaton, who was Batman, Birdman, and now Vulture, all of which are winged and or caped. Not a coincidence, or is it? Either way, Vulture and his criminal gang are trying to steal all of the Avenger technology so they can sell it on the open market, but Spider-Man’s going to stop them alone. Because, like most teenagers, he thinks he knows everything and doesn't need any help. This is Peter Parker’s downfall -- he does more harm than good when catching criminals. Tony Stark tries to teach him this throughout the film, warning Peter not to inherit Tony's worst qualities.
When not donning the Spidey Suit, we get perfectly awkward nerdy high school student Peter and his big best friend, who are into LEGO Star Wars. It's here we get a ton of awkward teenage moments and great witty dialogue.
As a whole, Homecoming feels completely like how the previous Spider-Man movies should have been (for instance, it's a breath of fresh air not to have Spider-Man constantly swinging through skyscrapers). Instead, we get funny montages of Spidey figuring out all of the different uses for his web-slinging, including a grenade web sling. There's an honest emotional quality to the piece, plus surprises and cameos for long-time Spider-fans.
Tom Holland as Peter Parker/Spider-Man might just be the best Spider-Man we’ve ever had. He has the Spidey-wit, and we easily empathize with him, whether he's excited to be a part of the Avengers, or just trying to be a normal kid. He’s my favorite for sure. Michael Keaton, of course, always turns in a great performance and makes you angry, scared, and love him all in one scene. He’s that good as Vulture.
Spider-Man: Homecoming is the start of something special in the Marvel universe and I have no doubt you will love this version because, most of all, it's FUN. Be sure to stick around for two credit sequences at the end of the film.
Vital Disc Stats: The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray
Spider-Man: Homecoming comes with a dual-layered UHD66 Disc and a Region A locked Blu-ray Disc. There is an insert for a Digital HD copy. The discs are housed in an eco-friendly, hard, black plastic case with a cardboard sleeve too.
Spider-Man: Homecoming swings into action on 4K UHD with HDR10 and Dolby Vision with a 2.39:1 aspect ratio and looks simply gorgeous despite its 2K master origins.
The Dolby Vision grading enhances the color spectrum quite a bit, which makes way for some better detail. It also showcases a wide dynamic range of colors in all lighting conditions that don't show up on other releases, giving this a more realistic and richer palette. For example, when Iron Man come into frame during night time shots, you can see the little intricate lights shining out through his super suit, reflecting off various objects and Spider-Man. Each color is different and vibrant here and just shines brightly in every scene. Also, the Spidey suit is complex with blue and red colors that reflect very well in different lighting conditions. Even the neon green eye lights of Vulture pop off screen in a sea of darkness and fire.
The warmer colors of Peter Parker's New York apartment showcase some great shades of browns and yellows, while Vulture's lair and other darker locations display a cooler and somewhat blue-ish and purple look that really contrasts nicely with a good vs evil vibe. The shadows and light reflections look natural and perfect as well, even in the bigger CGI scenes. Detail is also improved, with the individual Spider suit fibers easily seen in close-ups that give the movie some good texture and depth. Other details, such as freckles, acne, individual hairs, and beads of sweat all look enhanced here too.
CGI effects, which can suffer in HDR, never look soft, even smoke and debris from explosions. The Dolby Vision version really adds that extra mile to flesh tones and the signature blue-and-red suit, bringing out each nuanced color more vibrantly and with more detail, even in darker scenes. Speaking of which, black levels are very deep and inky and there were no major issues with banding, aliasing, or noise, which makes this 4K Dolby Vision Ultra HD Blu-ray the ultimate way to enjoy Spider-Man Homecoming.
This 4K UHD release comes with an excellent Dolby Atmos track that utilizes the full soundscape as Spider-Man flies through the air and dodges his enemy's attacks. There's a strong force behind each sound that puts you in the center of the action, but also allows for the more intimate and suspenseful situations play out nicely.
The scene on top of the Washington Monument perfectly captures such intense soundscapes with ease. The cracking of the stone, debris falling, birds, faint screams from below, wind blowing, and the inner workings of the monument are all perfectly timed and delivered, that you feel that you're outside the structure itself. Those minor sound details really make this audio track top notch.
Bigger action sequences, with alien-like blasts and explosions, all pack a strong punch and fill the height speakers nicely with great fluid motion. Slinging webs have amazing directionality and precision and all sound full. The score always adds to the entertainment value of the film while the ambient noises pack the rears quite often and add to the overall immersive point of view of each character. Dialogue is clear and easy to follow and free of any pops, cracks, hiss, and shrills. This is a top notch audio track.
Spider-Man: Homecoming is a great superhero film and perhaps the best Spidey film to date. It's a good thing that Marvel and Sony could finally come together and bring the web-slinger into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The emotional tone is spot on throughout, has a good message, and is packed with some great action sequences. The villains are layered, while the hero struggles with his own demons, and the script is polished with great jokes and heartfelt conversations. The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray with Dolby Vision is a worthy upgrade over the Blu-ray, and the Dolby Atmos track packs a big punch. The extras are all worth watching, as well, but feel a bit lacking at times. Still, this release comes Highly Recommended!
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