Spider-Man: Homecoming: 8 Things It Must Learn From The Sam Raimi Originals
2. Less Is So Much More
Compared to the previous two instalments, Raimi's third entry in the Spider-Man trilogy is a bit of a disaster. Sure there are some good qualities to it, but there is just too much going on at once, and this winds up derailing the entire film.
As much as film studios are currently enamoured with shared universes and setting things up, each unnecessary bell and whistle hung on a narrative chips away at how fulfilling the movie in question can ultimately be as its own standalone story. In fairness to the MCU, they usually do a good job tying set-up into the main tale (even if that's not always the case), but with Homecoming coming so deep into Marvel's line-up it may be difficult to get find the balance. After all, Kevin Feige has already stated that it's possible for any of the MCU characters to show up alongside Spidey.
What Homecoming can learn from Raimi's Spider-Man 3, then, is that even when all the right pieces seem to be in place, sometimes less is more. Despite a great, established cast and a competent director, too many ideas in a single film brought the whole thing crashing down. If Marvel are looking back to Raimi's success for guidance, they should make sure to heed Spider-Man 3's warning and remember that some things are better left on the cutting room floor, even if that means a little less set-up.