The first solo Spiderman movie that takes place within the Marvel Universe continuity is a good Spidey film. However, it could have been so much better if it didn't rely so much on those other movies. It's basically a continuation of Peter Parker's life since CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR.
When the film opens we see Peter Parker's video diary of him fighting alongside the AVENGERS, then scenes of him waiting to get called by Tony Stark for his next mission-which never comes. So he goes about helping people in his neighborhood, from giving directions to helping an old lady across the street. Things get a bit more exciting when he tries to prevent a group of thieves robbing an ATM with high tech devices. This gets people's attention-particularly that of "The Vulture", the villain he has to eventually battle. Tom Holland is perfectly cast as the fifteen-year-old Peter Parker and the storyline incorporates aspects from Stan Lee's original Spider-man to the most recent Ultimate Spider-man version, with him having an Asian friend who knows his secret. However, Spidey is too subservient to the other Marvel characters and far far too much time is spent with technology and gadgets, particularly his Tony Stark created suit which seems to have as many functions as the Iron Man armor. My favorite thing about Spider-man is that he's a kid with the proportional strength of a spider. I think by foregoing his origin story (which the other two versions relied on for emotional angst) it takes something away from the character. Here, he's basically a high schooler with a crush on a girl who wants to join the popular club (The Avengers). Eh. I'm not saying I wasn't entertained but I left with the feeling that this could have been so much more.
The first solo Spiderman movie that takes place within the Marvel Universe continuity is a good Spidey film. However, it could have been so much better if it didn't rely so much on those other movies. It's basically a continuation of Peter Parker's life since CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR.
