Issue #16: Sandy's Reflections on Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)

Let me start by admitting that this movie is better than I originally thought. Honestly, I was so upset by the “MJ” reveal (I was not crazy about this version of Mary Jane) that I didn’t revisit the film at all after the initial premiere night. Even when we were getting together to watch this movie, I had Alex remind me to order it from Netflix DVD because it is one of the only Marvel films that I don’t own a copy of. 
 
Side note: I know what you’re thinking, dear reader, because if you’re at the sixteenth blog entry, you already know how I feel about Pepper Potts. And you’re mumbling to yourself, “But, Sandy, Pepper returns with an amazing cameo!” Yes, I know. And while volunteering at Pocono Cinema, I would sneak in to watch that scene each week while the film played. Ha. However, I had no desire to watch the actual film again. 
 
And I take it back.
 
One of my very favorite classes to teach is titled Writing About Young Adult Literature. I’ve structured the course around how to analyze an effective choice for a reading designed for the YA audience, allowing future teachers to learn how to deconstruct what makes a meaningful text and how to select beyond “I really like it” to books and stories that would hone in on middle school and high school students’ coming-of-age issues and offer samples of how to deal with the pains of growing up and becoming an adult. 
 
One of the first texts that I use to frame the course is Herz and Gallo’s From Hinton to Hamlet: Building Bridges Between Young Adult Literature and the Classics. (It’s available on Amazon, if you’re interested.) Within the text, the authors present numerous strategies for thinking about what makes a text work for teens. Most importantly, they present four characteristics that separate a YA story from all others:
 

• the main character is a teenager who is the center of the plot
• the protagonist’s actions and decisions are major factors in the plot’s outcome
• the events/problems are related to teens and the dialogue reflects their speech
• the point of view is that of an adolescent and reflects an adolescent’s interpretation of events and people (pp. 8-9)

If we look at Homecoming through the lens of these characteristics, we can see it is a tight, meaningful story designed for a teen audience. 

First, of course, we know Peter is the main character. The film opens with his exuberant video of his experience in Captain America: Civil War. By filming on his cellphone, it is definitely teen behavior, but more importantly, this format reveals his perception of the events. He is eager, open, and so, so, so excited to work with Tony. He idolizes Tony Stark, and he has so much energy that it’s only when we see him in a frame without all the other Avengers—just Tony and Peter and Happy—that we can really feel how young he is. He thinks he wants to be a grown up, and that’s the thread of the storyline here: He wants to be a grown up, but to do so, he has to give up being a kid. And, in the beginning—even the middle—of the movie, I think he doesn’t really know all that that choice would mean.
 
Second, his actions and decisions are the major elements of the plot. He tries to be a “neighborhood” hero, and he does pretty good at it, all on his own. But when he makes the decision to stop the Vulture and his crew, he is in over his head. And it isn’t rosy. The Staten Island Ferry scene—where he is trying his best to hold together the boat on his own—shows that he’s trying, metaphorically, to hold together the two halves of his life: being a teen and being a hero, and he is not doing either very well. 
 
Third, the next criteria is that the problems are related to teens. What could be more of the quintessential teen experience other than a homecoming dance? Or asking out the girl you like? Or trying to fit in at school? The thread of Peter’s crush on Liz, and the montage of him asking Aunt May for help learning how to dance and put on a tie is not only emotional but specifically designed to show that Peter’s issues are universal to the teen experience. Even the idea of meeting your date’s father—and getting “the talk” in the car—is a rite of teen passage.
 
Last, the final characteristic of a YA text is that the point of view is from a teen. I already mentioned the opening video—it’s adorable and shows how Peter is young and innocent and filled with excitement for life. But the best scene that illustrates Peter’s teen perspective is when he is sitting on the top of a building, perched on the edge to see the world below, eating a sandwich and telling Happy about his day. His perception of helping people, leaving a note about a bike, is adorable and sweet. He believes in the good, and it shows.
 
So how do I wrap up this entry? What have I learned? I still am not crazy about Mary Jane. Ha!
 
But the movie was far better than I gave it credit for, and by analyzing it critically, I can conclude that it fits all the criteria of what makes a useful, meaningful text for teens. It shows Peter struggling—he wants to be grown up, and he wants to be an Avenger, but as a result of the events of the film, he realizes that he also still is, truly, young. Instead of taking Tony up on his offer of a new suit, Peter declines becoming a member of the Avengers, knowing his time will come to be an adult in the future. However, for now, Peter will pause, allowing himself to enjoy a few more moments of being a teenager with young adult worries, rather than the worries of the world. As he walks away from Tony, Peter smiles. And so do we.
 
Maybe that’s what I missed the first time. I was so busy being mad at painting Mary Jane as a sarcastic, rebellious loner—that I missed that this version wasn’t designed for me. It was designed for the teenagers, like Peter, who could relate.
 
I’m buying a copy of the film, I guess. I think I might even use it in class!