dir. by Jon Watts
One day, the Marvel Cinematic Universe will consume us all, but for now, it's an astonishingly consistent and frequently delightful if overly serialized blockbuster series which has yet to produce a proper failure. Its third phase, in particular, has achieved a sublimely even quality across its four entries so far, all of which are compelling in their own way. At this point, the Marvel stamp is commonly viewed as a stamp of quality, and although none of these films are high art, they're entertaining and intelligent blockbusters which deliver light thrills just as well as character drama.
Spider-Man: Homecoming, despite its peculiar release arrangement with Sony, is not only on par with its phase 3 brethren, but rises up to be quite possibly the best of the lot. It's a simpler story than many of the studio's other offerings, but that's to its advantage, as it avoids the increasingly oppressive seriousness of the universe's most significant entries while retaining a sharp wit and a low-scale intimacy. It's fun like Marvel films always are, but it's also charming and fresh to a degree which is less common in this franchise.
