Spider-Man: Homecoming - Blu-ray

Film: After fighting alongside Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) against Captain America (Chris Evans), Peter Parker aka Spider-Man (Tom Holland) has tasted blood. He now wants to fight the really big bad guys as an Avenger, too. But Tony Stark has made it clear to him that he is nowhere near ready. And so he has to continue his life between school and preventing trivialities like bicycle thefts. But when he foils a bank robbery in which a mysterious weapon is used, Peter sees his chance has come. He follows the heels of the crooks and comes across the mysterious Vulture (Michael Keaton), who doesn't like to be messed with. And suddenly, it's not just Peter who finds himself in grave danger. And he has to ask himself if he is really ready to be a real superhero.

His cameo appearance in the last Captain America movie foreshadowed that this latest Spider-Man to date would be closer to the popular comic book hero than his predecessors. The fact that Tony Stark was introduced here as a mentor to Peter Parker also heightened anticipation for a new solo appearance by Spidy. And after the last films starring Andrew Garfield, while not really bad, somehow seemed too overstuffed and couldn't find their own tone, Spider-Man: Homecoming seems to have recognized and avoided all those flaws. First things first: the audience isn't bored with yet another origin story here. Except for a small scene where Peter tells us he was bitten by a radioactive spider, the backstory isn't elaborated on at all. His parents also go unmentioned.

Instead, director Jon Watts (Cop Car) focuses on a Peter Parker who is torn between his normal school routine and his superhero ambitions. He's plagued by normal teenage worries, but he'd also like to be in league with the Avengers so he can help not just old ladies in his neighborhood, but all of humanity. Of course, that brings all sorts of turmoil, trouble, and danger. And that's exactly what Watts has done perfectly. His film is a coherent mix of humor and action, of high school comedy and fantasy thriller.

Tom Holland plays Spider-Man between awestruck nervousness - especially in the presence of Tony Stark - and youthful hubris really perfectly. As the film progresses, Peter Parker realizes more and more what he's capable of and where he needs to learn a lot more before he's really ready to take on the responsibility that comes with being a superhero. You really buy into all of that with Tom Holland, which is precisely why he's so convincing not only as Peter Parker, but also as Spider-Man. And that's where the weaknesses were in his predecessors - as much as I liked Tobey Maguire as Spidy.

Spider-Man: Homecoming has realized that it's not just great special effects - and they're really successful here - or lots of action that are needed for a superhero movie to work well. Humor, a recognizable story, and interesting characters are also part of the equation. Vulture, played very well by Michael Keaton, is a good antagonist precisely because he's not out for world domination, but because he has goals that you as a viewer can definitely relate to - even if his methods have to be questioned, of course. And Peter Parker also has a bit more facets than in previous incarnations, because behind the mask he's just still an insecure nerd with everyday worries and problems.

This movie is just fun. It's exciting, funny, rousing and entertaining. And also the scene in or the wonderful gag at the end of the credits underline the very positive overall impression. If you like superhero action with a self-deprecating wink and very likeable characters, you should definitely not miss this movie. Absolutely recommended!

Picture + Sound: The picture is superbly realized. The sharpness of detail is at a very high level and there is a pleasant depth of image detectable. Contrasts are coherently mixed and coloration is pleasingly punchy. The German DTS 5.1 mix can definitely keep up. Especially in the action scenes, there is a tremendous rumble in the multi-channel area. But not only the many sound effects, also the dialogues and the music are very well coordinated and sound powerful from the speakers. Very good!

Extras: Around an hour of bonus material has the Blu-ray to offer. Starting off is an amusing pop-up trivia track during the movie called Spidey for Dummies. If you're a repeat viewer of the film, you should definitely turn this feature on. It continues with a gag reel (approx. 2:17 min.), as well as some cut and extended scenes (approx. 16:17 min.), partly without finished special effects. Very amusing is the extended version of Peter's home video from Berlin. How he gets excited about German sweets like Maoam, Milka & Co. or how he learns that he saved a famous German politician is really funny to watch. Also worth watching are dropped moments of Peter's teacher Mr. Harrington, edited together here in a special way.

A tangled web (approx. 6:11 min.) then shows how the film fits into the Marvel Universe. Searching for Spider-Man (approx. 8:04 min.) brings casting to the forefront, while the epilogue (approx. 4:47 min.) cuts to the Avengers' battle for New York. Michael Keaton and his Vulture is the subject of another featurette (approx. 6:01 min.). And director Jon Watts gets his own short documentary as well (approx. 5:29 min.).

After that, Tom Holland and Jacob Batalon (Ned) discuss the pros and cons of being Spider-Man (approx. 3:28 min.). More amusing instructional videos of Captain America (approx. 2:26 min.), trailers, glimpses of the PS4 game, and a photo gallery round out the good supplemental offerings.

Conclusion: Spider-Man: Homecoming perfectly integrates Peter Parker into the Marvel cinematic universe. The movie doesn't reinvent the genre, but it's just plain fun. It is exciting, funny, rousing and entertaining - and with Tom Holland also really well cast. The Blu-ray is technically very well done. Some of the bonus material is absolutely worth seeing and entertaining, but could have been a bit more extensive. The bottom line is a very clear: Absolutely recommendable!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp