Tom Holland is the Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man We Needed

Image+courtesy+of+Marvel+Studios

Image courtesy of Marvel Studios

Tom Holland first swung into our hearts during his appearance in Marvel’s “Captain America: Civil War” in 2016 and now stars in “Spider-Man: Homecoming” as Queens’ friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.

Although some  Marvel fans were initially upset with the casting decision of Holland as Peter Parker, he pulled his weight through this Spider-Man reboot and offered his own youthful, modern twist for the role.

Set in Queens, New York, 2 months after the events of “Captain America: Civil War,” “Spider-Man: Homecoming” shows the life of 15 year-old Peter Parker, who is eager to fight crime prove himself worthy of being an Avenger.

After the opportunity to fight alongside Tony Stark, played by Robert Downey Jr., Parker is forced back into his normal, mostly uneventful life as a high school student, only to fight petty crimes throughout the borough of Queens once school is out.

Parker consistently reports his trivial daily roundup to Happy Hogan, played by John Favreau, in hopes of being recruited once again to fight alongside The Avengers, but is largely ignored by both Hogan and Stark.

Because of this, when Parker discovers a crime scheme that is worthy of attention he is still brushed aside and instead takes matters into his own hands; yet the consequences turn out to be more than he can handle.

The true star of this movie is upcoming actor Jacob Batalon, who plays Parker’s best friend Ned Leeds. There was enough comedic relief provided by Holland and Batalon to offset the intense action found in any Marvel movie; the two young actors portray exactly what it’s like to be an average teenager without overdoing the tired Hollywood nerd trope.

The only upsetting aspect of the movie is the seemingly insignificant role Zendaya plays as Michelle; though a lot of promotion for the movie involved Zendaya, her character got minimal screen time and a mere handful of lines. However, this may be to set up for the sequel announced for 2019.

“Spider-Man: Homecoming” reminds us to “stay close to the ground” and rekindles the love for yet another Spider-Man reboot; Hopefully we’ll be seeing a lot more of Tom Holland in the Marvel Universe in the years to come.