Spider-Man: Homecoming Review - 9 Ups & 3 Downs

6. The Humour & The Tone

Homecoming actually feels a little like an Archie comic. The characters are similarly constructed (aside from the more traditional MCU elements anyway), and there's a similar comedic spirit.

The majority of the gags come courtesy of Jacob Batalon (who might well be the supporting character MVP) who occupies the same sort of narrative space as Michael Pena's Luis from Ant-Man, but he's not the only funny guy. Peter has his moments, Zendaya's Michelle is a dead-pan, odd-ball marvel and both Martin Starr's Mr Harrington and Hannibal Buress' Coach Wilson are hysterical.

Crucially, none of the gags feel particularly shoe-horned in, because of the way Watts balances tone. Even though the marketing made it look like Homecoming was essentially two films smushed together, the spectacle of Peter's secret life sits comfortably with his school life (and any friction actually serves the narrative). And you really have to admire how organically Watts managed to knit his John Hughes-like high school movie into the edges of the MCU without it feeling like an imposter.