Spider-Man: Homecoming Blu-ray Review

By: Lynn Barker

In Spider-Man: Homecoming, it’s after events in Captain America: Civil War where a teen Spider-Man swung suddenly into action and was impressive enough to make the superheroes wonder “Who is that masked kid?’. Nerdy high schooler Peter Parker (Tom Holland) is learning to develop and control his skills with the help of Tony Stark/Ironman (Robert Downey Jr.) but not fast enough for Peter who is longing to be a full-fledged Avenger.  He sees his chance when ex-salvage expert Adrian Toomes (Michael Keaton) starts stealing and selling alien tech left over from the Avengers’ various battles on Earth. Will busting “The Vulture” be Peter’s ride to full superhero status?

Your friendly neighborhood Spider-ManCourtesy of Sony Pictures Entertainment

Department of Damage Control

After the New York City battle between Avengers and Loki and his army, Tony Stark and the federal government created the U.S. Department of Damage Control (D.O.D.C.). Enraged over being driven out of business by this new department, former salvage company owner Adrian Toomes decides he and his team will keep the alien Chitauri technology they already scavenged, develop it and sell it in a new criminal agenda.

Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) instructs Peter Parker (Tom Holland)Courtesy of Sony Pictures Entertainment

Friendly Neighborhood Spidey

After appearing as Spidey at the Avengers’ big internal battle, Peter Parker goes back to school while stopping petty crime in his neighborhood as Spider-Man. Under Tony Stark’s guidance and baby-sat by Avenger cohort Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau), Peter impatiently awaits that “Avengers assemble” call. With his Aunt May (Marisa Tomei) objecting, Peter quits his high school science and tech decathlon team so he can spend more time on his “Stark Internship”, a cover for his Spidey antics.

Liz asks Peter to go to the decathalon in D.C.Courtesy of Sony Pictures Entertainment

Rescued and Exposed

Spidey prevents Toomes' associates from robbing an ATM using an alien weapon but he returns to his Queens apartment only for his best friend Ned (Jacob Batalon) to see him as Spider-Man. Ned, who longs to support his hero by being “the guy in the chair” using computer tech to aid him, swears he won’t tell. At school, Peter likes Liz (Laura Harrier) but every time he gets close, Spider-Man duties intervene. Wondering about the alien “gun” he intercepted, Peter later finds Toomes' thugs selling Chitauri weaponry and tries to stop them, nearly getting killed. He’s rescued by Iron Man who tells him he’s not ready to be an Avenger.

Peter and pal Ned work on the alien techCourtesy of Sony Pictures Entertainment

Alien Tech and the Supersuit

Peter and Ned remove the power core from the alien gun and place a tracking device on one of the thugs’ cars to track him to the HQ of his boss Toomes. Learning it leads to Maryland, Peter rejoins the academic decathlon team  because they are going to a championship match in nearby Washington, D.C.  He and Ned disable a tracker in his Spider-Man suit and then unlock all kinds of special features. Cool! Spider-Man sneaks aboard a D.O.D.C. truck that Toomes, as Vulture, is stealing weapons from but is trapped and misses his tournament.

The Vulture (Michael Keaton) in actionCourtesy of Sony Pictures Entertainment

Washington Monument

Learning that the Chitauri power core Ned is now carrying is unstable, Peter tracks Ned to the Washington Monument, where Ned, Liz and others are trapped in the elevator. As Spider-Man, Peter is able to save his friends, including acerbic but cool Michelle (Zendaya), before the elevator falls. Later, in New York, Peter tracks Toomes and gang to the Staten Island Ferry where the criminal is about to make a new alien arms deal. When a malfunctioning weapon tears the ferry in two, Spider-Man tries desperately to save it but Iron Man has to help. Afterwards, as a lesson, Stark takes the suit away.

Zendaya as Michelle in classCourtesy of Sony Pictures Entertainment

A “Normal” Homecoming

Taking Liz as his date for the big homecoming dance, Peter learns a secret and Toomes figures out that Peter is Spider-Man. He threatens him to back off but Peter has learned that Toomes plans to hijack a plane full of sophisticated Avengers weaponry enroute from Avengers Tower to their new H.Q. He leaves Liz at the dance, dons his own home-made Spidey suit and tries to stop the heist.  Will he succeed? Will he get his good Spider-Man suit back? Will Stark and the Avengers let him join sooner…or later?

Toomes (Michael Keaton) in his salvage HQCourtesy of Sony Pictures Entertainment

Special Extra Features

There is about an hour of extras on the Blu-ray disc. All are interesting, fun or both.

• The Spidey Study Guide is a series of pop up info tidbits that you can refer to throughout the movie. They include comic book connections and are well worth a run through after you have seen the movie first without them.
• Gag Reel is the usual bloopers with line flubs, giggling on set, prop and stunt malfunctions and Michael Keaton sneezing during a serious take. Always fun and I always wish there were more.

Spider-Man on the jobCourtesy of Sony Pictures Entertainment

• Deleted and Extended Scenes is unusual in that there are not only short scenes that have reason to have been cut but the entire little home video that Peter makes on his trip with Happy, his first plane ride, impressions of a posh hotel room, etc. It’s very “real” and cute. You also get a high school video newscast with the usual, inept “anchor” team messing up while describing happenings at school. Funny. Teacher Mr. Harrington gets a section in which he laments his love life.  Overall, a hoot.
• Featurettes – 7 of them – I would have liked to have seen an exploration of the Spidey super suit but everything else you want from behind-the-scenes features are here:
• A Tangled Web explores all the various Spidey movies and the filmmakers’ desire to start over not with an origin story but with teen Peter in school and coping with his emerging and developing skills. Sony and Marvel’s combining to make the film is explored.
• Searching for Spider-Man features Tom Holland and why he got the part over 200 other auditioning guys. Robert Downey Jr. talks about reading early Spidey comics and identifying with the high school character. We see Tom’s audition video and his tests in scenes with Robert and Chris Evans. We learn that his dance and gym background really helped him do many of his own stunts. Really like this extra.

Spidey (Tom Holland) with director Jon Watts on setCourtesy of Sony Pictures Entertainment

• Spidey Stunts features Tom suited up and on wires doing flips, climbing up a wall and wearing a motion capture suit so that he could transition from real life stunts to those that would be finished in computer. Really interesting!
• Aftermath explains the creation of the Damage Control Department and the development of the Vulture bad guy character. We hear how the Department might play a part in future Marvel Universe films.
• Jon Watts: Head of the Class explores director Watts’ contributions to the story and working with the various actors. He wanted Peter and friends to be “real” kids and make sure he retained respect for Spidey fans. Why he’s a good choice for the film.
• Pros and Cons of Spider-Man is a chat between Tom Holland and buddy/fellow actor Jacob Batalon who plays Peter’s buddy Ned. They list what would be so cool about being Spider-Man and what sucks. Mentioned are responsibility stress, chafing in the suit, the fact that he can’t brag or even reveal who he is, epic sports skills are good. A fun little extra.
• Rappin’ with Cap is a series of very lame public service announcements that Captain America had to do. You can just see Chris Evans cracking up while trying to do them. Short but sweet.
• The Photo Gallery is very good with costume and set renderings and lots of behind-the-scenes photos. Worth a run-through.

Spidey between classesCourtesy of Sony Pictures Entertainment

Wrapping Up

Overall, extras are very enjoyable. There is no audio commentary and it would have been nice if Tom Holland could have done one. Love to have heard about the Spidey scenes from his perspective but all the extras will be great for fans.

Peter wants to be a true AvengerCourtesy of Sony Pictures Entertainment

Like we did for the film in theaters, we can go five stars. This one is a must for your Marvel hero collection or as a holiday gift.

Spider-Man: Homecoming Blu-ray Rating: 

Spider-Man: Homecoming Blu-rayCourtesy of Sony Pictures Entertainment

Spider-Man Homecoming: is in stores now!

Have Your Say

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