Homecoming succeeds in many areas where the last few Spider-Man films have failed; likable characters, villains who actually have personality and feel like people, a fun story that never jumps the shark, and a hero who reminds us why it's fun to root for an underdog.
I know a lot of people still had doubts about Holland as Peter, but he really nails it. He really comes across as someone who loves being Spider-Man; he plays the character with an eagerness and spryness, but he also gets the serious scenes right. He's immensely likable, and feels like a kid you wouldn't have minded hanging out with.
The rest of the large cast are almost all pretty cool and handled with care. Favreau is a delight as Happy Hogan, Marisa Tomei gets to play Aunt May as realistic as possible (no overly ditzy aunt here!), Zendaya has some impact as one of the weirder classmates, and Jacob Batalon is surprisingly good as Peter's friend; I thought he'd be annoying, but he had some really good lines. Donald Glover, who only really has some cameos, still manages to own his scenes.
Michael Keaton wil leave many people relieved; he's surprisingly menacing as the Vulture, but also has enough humanity that some people may be tempted to root for him. One of the MCU's more layered villains.
Finally, I love how many people have to eat crow regarding Downey Jr's presence; he literally has less than six scenes, and whole Downey does elevate each one, he never gets in the way of Peter's character arc. Heck, I'd say the scene with him and Peter after the ferry incidents is one of the best scenes in the film; no teenage boy wants to disappoint their father figure.
They also addressed the complaints that the villains always die, and that they don't set up villains enough.
The film moves at a brisk pace, many of the jokes land and don't feel forced (sorry, Guardians 2), the teen dialogue actually does feel realistic (a rarity), and there is genuine diversity within the student body.
This film will also remind people why they loved Spidey in the first place: he isn't perfect. He screw up. He gets beat up by some villains. He doesn't always make the right call.
But no matter how many times he gets pushed down, he always gets back up.
I also loved how the film could feel so standalonish even with lots of MCU references. In this case, it just made the world feel more...real. Small moments, like when Glover's character complains that he doesn't want to buy some over-the-top alien weapon are some things that bigger films don't have time to show.
Anyway, some minor gripes aside (inconsistent power level, slightly underwhelming climax) this was a very fun film filled with youthful energy that a Spider-Man film should have. There will also be some fan-favorite scenes near the end.
But man, end credit stinger will be so divided among fans...
