Running Time: 133 minutes; Cast: Tom Holland, Michael Keaton,
Robert Downey, Jr., Jon Favreau, Marisa Tomei; Direction: Jon Watts; Story: based on Spiderman by Stan Lee and Steve
Ditko; Screenplay: Jonathan
Goldstein, John Francis Daley, Jon Watts, etc; Cinematography: Salvatore Totino; Editing: Dan Lebental, Debbie Berman; Music: Michael Giacchino; Producers:
Kevin Feige, Amy Pascal; Genre: Action;
Location: New York; Distributor: Sony Pictures Releasing
Technical assessment: 3.5
Moral assessment: 3
CINEMA rating: V14
After
the victory of the Avengers against Loki and the Chitauri invasion, Adrian
Toomes (Michael Keaton) is initially commissioned to clean up the city.
However, their operation is taken over by Stark’s Department of Damage Control
(DODC) and in retaliation and to salvage his investments, Toomes keeps portion
of the Chitauri to create advance weapons to sell to petty crooks. Eight years
after, 15 year old Peter Parker (Tom Holland) is drafted by Starks (Robert
Downey, Jr.) to help them settle a dispute against Captain America (Chris
Evans) but is asked to return to his normal life as he is not yet ready to be a
full pledge Avenger. Peter, however, dreams to be an Avenger and devotes his
entire time and energy to stop petty crimes within his neighborhood. Accidentally,
he discovers Toomes—who has transformed himself into the metal-winged Vulture—and
his dealings, and attempts to end it himself, although unsuccessfully most of
the time. All the while, Tony Starks monitors his activities and intervenes
when necessary until he decides to confiscate the Spiderman suit. Peter, upon
learning both the true identity of Vulture and his ultimate plan, makes a final
attempt sans the Spiderman suit to thwart his plans and rescue DODC’s plane.
The
3rd reboot of Spiderman offers a fresh insight into Peter Parker’s
character—this time with an awkwardly fun and colorful coming of age passion to
initially belong to a prestigious team and eventually to do what is right. It is frustrating, though, how the movie
tried too much to integrate his storyline into the Marvel Universe, ultimately
giving too much screen time to Iron Man. The computer generated visuals balance
the narrative and humor well. With three different treatments of three Peter
Parker/Spiderman, the movie might appeal to some and bore others, depending on
which personality they like better.
Adolescence is an
awkward stage of confused assimilation—on the one hand, teenagers are so ready
to be part of anything prestigious or popular, on the other hand, they do not
always have the maturity to grasp the responsibility nor the patience to learn
what is needed. However, if the heart and person of the young ones are formed
well, the desire would be less to be part of what is popular than to be part of
what is right and good. Here lies the role of mentors, role models and guides.
As adults, these are what we are expected to be for our young ones. To hold their hands until their steps are
sturdy and straight, to shape their minds until their reasons are clear and
righteous and to light their ways until their eyes can distinguish truth and
justice on their own. Beautifully, Tony and Peter became poster children of
adult-young mentoring.
