Marvel's Most Influential Reboot Is Dominating the Streaming Charts (and It's Free to Watch)

5 days ago 14

Collier Jennings is an entertainment journalist with a substantial amount of experience under his belt. Collier, or "CJ" to his friends and family, is a dedicated fan of genre films - particularly science fiction, fantasy and comic book adaptations, not to mention all forms of animation animation. This stems from a close bond with his father, who introduced him to these genres via copies of X-Men comics and reruns of the original Ultraman series. Using his near-encyclopedic knowledge and bottomless love of genre, he's been able to tackle a wide variety of articles.

Despite seemingly endless discussions on "superhero fatigue" and the merit of the comic book movie, one thing remains for certain: Spider-Man will always appeal to audiences. Look no further than Spider-Man: Homecoming, which is currently free to stream on Pluto TV. Currently, Spider-Man: Homecoming ranks at the #1 spot on Pluto's Top 10 charts, according to Pluto TV. While this can be chalked up to the fact that Tom Holland is set to reprise his role as Peter Parker in Spider-Man: Brand New Day later this year, Spider-Man: Homecoming is still an entertaining reboot of the web-slinger's cinematic adventures.

Spider-Man: Homecoming features Holland's Peter Parker wanting to prove he's Avengers material after helping Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) in a climactic battle during Captain America: Civil War. Stark, on the other hand, wants Peter to be a "friendly neighborhood Spider-Man," which eventually leads Peter into conflict with Adrian Toomes (Michael Keaton). Toomes has been scavenging the wreckage of superhero battles and crafting hi-tech weaponry, which Peter tries to stop. Spider-Man: Homecoming features some of the best elements of Spider-Man, including heart, humor, and a genuinely fresh take.

'Spider-Man: Homecoming' Wisely Avoids a Reboot Trap

Spider-Man: Homecoming was born out of a landmark deal between Sony Pictures and Marvel Studios, as the less-than-stellar reception to The Amazing Spider-Man 2 and Marvel's seemingly endless box-office domination led Sony to rethink its approach to the Spider-Man movies. This also came with its own set of problems: how do you make a third reboot of Spider-Man stand out, especially when there's only a three year gap between Holland and Andrew Garfield's incarnations of Spider-Man? The answer lay in skipping Spider-Man's origin entirely, as Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige revealed during a press junket for Avengers: Age of Ultron:

"In Spider-Man’s very specific case, where there have been two retellings of that origin in the last whatever it’s been – [thirteen] years – for us we are going to take it for granted that people know that, and the specifics...It will not be an origin story,"

Feige's instincts proved correct, as having an already active Spider-Man allows Spider-Man: Homecoming to spend more time exploring how Peter Parker fits into the MCU while avoiding an origin story that had already been told twice. It did so by introducing a unique element in which Peter would interact with previous MCU heroes, starting with Tony Stark in Homecoming, then with Nick Fury in Spider-Man: Far From Home, and finally withDoctor Strange in Spider-Man: No Way Home. By having Spider-Man interact with these different heroes, director Jon Watts was able to match the thrill of Spider-Man joining forces with other Marvel heroes in the comics, while showcasing Peter's growth as a character.

'Spider-Man: Homecoming' Captures The Best Elements of Spider-Man

The best part about Spider-Man: Homecoming, other than Holland's excellent performance as Peter Parker, is how it captures Peter's struggle to balance his personal and superhero lives. The best Spider-Man stories often show how Peter's Spidey activities affect his civilian life, and vice versa; Homecoming excels at this aspect in spades, as Peter's desire to be an Avenger affects his schoolwork and his relationship with his Aunt May (Marisa Tomei). Both halves of Peter's life collide when he asks his crush, Liz (Laura Harrier), to the Homecoming dance, and learns that Adrian Toomes is her father! This is where Jon Watts excels, as he brings the tension that fueled his approach to Cop Car to Homecoming's final act, resulting in a homage to an iconic Spider-Man storyline and a scene that perfectly captures Spidey's mantra of "with great power, there must also come great responsibility."

Spider-Man: Homecoming also features a cast stacked full of talent, including comedy superstars and young up-and-coming actors. This includes Martin Starr and Hannibal Buress as two of Peter's teachers, Jacob Batalon as his best friend Ned Leeds, Zendaya as Peter's classmate/future love interest Michelle Jones-Watson (or "MJ" for short), and Donald Glover as Aaron Davis, the uncle of future Spider-Man Miles Morales. Thanks to its unique approach to Spider-Man's mythos and a talented cast led by Tom Holland, Spider-Man: Homecoming helped secure the web-slinger's future on the big screen.