Spider-Man: Homecoming Reviews - 11 Critical Reactions You Need To Know

7. The MCU Connections Are A Bit Mixed

One of the big questions going into this movie is just how it'd fit into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Would it largely be allowed to stand on its own, given Spidey isn't an Avenger (yet) and it's a co-production with Sony, or would they go all out with the references and such like?

As it turns out, it's really a bit of both.

"The movie works when the Avengers noise is a means, not an end, but Watts (and / or his corporate overlords) aren’t entirely comfortable with that, and so - like the overeager teenager at its heart - trips over itself as it tries to be all things to all people... The MCU-ness of it all still can’t help but distract this movie from the story it so desperately wants to tell." - IndieWire

"The movie works very hard to place Spider-Man into the larger Marvel Cinematic Universe, and all of those connections make sense thematically... But the film does very little with Tony and Happy, and their superfluous scenes come at the expense of the more interesting supporting characters." - ScreenCrush.

Others are more praiseful of the part the MCU plays though, with /Film, Collider, and Verge all noting how the larger world naturally blends with the smaller stakes of Peter's own, the Collider stating: "For most of the MCU, we’ve been in the middle of what’s happening, but Homecoming is the first film that’s able to take a step back and provide an outsider’s view of how these superheroes have changed the world."

The Guardian writes that "a finely crafted script builds the bridges with care"; Vanity Fair says: "It allows Spidey access to the Avengers house tone, which proves a natural fit for his quippy moxie. But Watts is careful not to overly rely on the Avengers of it all."