PLEASE NOTE: Michael D's is currently in READ ONLY MODE. Anything submitted will simply not be written to the database.
Lots of stuff is still broken, but at least reviews can now be looked up and read.
PLEASE NOTE: Michael D's is currently in READ ONLY MODE. Anything submitted will simply not be written to the database.
Lots of stuff is still broken, but at least reviews can now be looked up and read.
Spider-Man: Homecoming (3D Blu-ray) (2017)

Spider-Man: Homecoming (3D Blu-ray) (2017)

If you create a user account, you can add your own review of this DVD
Released 18-Oct-2017
Cover Art

This review is sponsored by

BUY IT

Details At A Glance

General		Extras
Category	Action Adventure	On-Screen Information Track-The Spidey Study Guide Outtakes-Gag Reel Deleted Scenes Featurette-A Tangled Web Featurette-Behind The Scenes-Searching for Spider-Man Featurette-Behind The Scenes-Spidey Stunts Featurette-Aftermath Featurette-Behind The Scenes-The Vulture Takes Flight Featurette-Jon Watts: Head of the Class Featurette-Pros and Cons of Spider-Man Additional Footage-Rappin' with Cap Gallery-Photo Theatrical Trailer
Rating
Year Of Production	2017
Running Time	133:28
RSDL / Flipper	Dual Layered Dual Disc Set	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Ads Then Menu	Cast & Crew
Region Coding	1,2,3,4,5,6	Directed By	Jon Watts
Studio Distributor	SONY Pictures Sony Pictures Home Entertain	Starring	Tom Holland Michael Keaton Robert Downey Jr. Marisa Tomei Jon Favreau Zendaya Jacob Batalon Laura Harrier Tony Revolori
Case	Standard Blu-ray	Starring
RPI	$29.95	Music	Michael Giacchino

Video		Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame	None	English DTS HD Master Audio 5.1 English Descriptive Audio Dolby Digital 5.1 Czech Dolby Digital 5.1 Hungarian Dolby Digital 5.1 Polish Dolby Digital 5.1 Turkish Dolby Digital 5.1
Widescreen Aspect Ratio	2.40:1
16x9 Enhancement
Video Format	1080p
Original Aspect Ratio	2.40:1	Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures	No	Miscellaneous
Subtitles	English English for the Hearing Impaired Arabic Bulgarian Croatian Czech Greek Hebrew Hungarian Icelandic Latvian Lithuanian Polish Portuguese Romanian Serbian Slovak Slovenian Turkish	Smoking	No
		Annoying Product Placement	Yes
		Action In or After Credits	Yes, Mid and post-credits scenes

NOTE: The Profanity Filter is ON. Turn it off here.

Plot Synopsis

    2017’s Spider-Man: Homecoming represents the second reboot of the titular Marvel character in just a decade, which may seem excessive and even unnecessary a mere three years following the release of The Amazing Spider-Man 2. But Sony have done it right this time, collaborating with the good folks over at Marvel Studios to create the best possible cinematic rendering of the popular web-slinging superhero, at last. Although this introductory picture is less than perfect, Homecoming nails both the characters and the world that they inhabit, which is what matters the most going forward into the inevitable sequels. Of course, for more involved film-goers, the title does ostensibly hold dual meaning - the story takes place in the lead-up to the school homecoming dance, but the movie also sees the character finally joining the expansive Marvel Cinematic Universe after his introduction in 2016’s Captain America: Civil War. And what a homecoming this truly is, with director Jon Watts (Cop Car) paying attention to both colourful action sequences as well as the high school drama. And perhaps best of all, unlike the dire Amazing Spider-Man pictures, it feels like you’re watching an actual self-contained story here, rather than an extended trailer for future movies.

    Picking up a few months following the events of Civil War, Peter Parker (Tom Holland) spends his afternoons prowling the streets of New York City as Spider-Man, desperately waiting for a phone call from Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) about his next mission. However, the 15-year-old must still tend to his high school studies, hanging around with his best friend Ned (Jacob Batalon) and harbouring a crush on sweet senior student Liz (Laura Harrier). Peter keeps his crime-fighting activities a secret from Aunt May (Maria Tomei), who believes that he’s taking part in a Stark Industries internship program. Peter’s patrols are typically unexciting, until he spots and thwarts an ATM robbery being carried out by criminals using powerful weapons. Further investigating the matter, Peter discovers that Adrian Toomes (Michael Keaton) is using alien tech recovered from the New York Chitauri invasion to manufacture weaponry to sell on the black market, and turn himself into airborne threat The Vulture. Anxious to prove himself, Peter takes it upon himself to foil Toomes’ plans, despite outside pressure and his own inexperience.

    Thankfully, Spider-Man: Homecoming eschews rehashing the well-worn origin story of Spider-Man yet again, catching up with Peter who has already been bitten by a radioactive spider, and who’s already using his Stark-manufactured suit to keep the streets of NYC safe. The approach pays off, particularly since origin stories generally aren’t as fun and the formula is now stale. It’s certainly what we needed right now, though it might not make full sense to newcomers in a few decades - there is a brief aside in which Peter mentions the radioactive spider, but perhaps something more concrete would have more staying power. With a script credited to six writers, Homecoming is as much about adolescence and high school life as it is about saving the world. This is the first time a Spider-Man movie actually feels authentic in its depiction of high school life. All previous attempts felt too Hollywood, but the characters look their age here, and Peter isn’t so much a social outcast but just a regular teen who seems well-liked enough, if not exactly popular due to his intelligence and meekness. Little touches help to solidify the sense of authenticity, such as his fondness for building Star Wars LEGO with Ned.

    Homecoming allows Peter to use his intellect as much as his strength - this is a detective story in some respects, and he calls upon Ned to provide some technological support along the way. What’s also refreshing is that Homecoming provides a different perspective to the MCU, since it’s set outside Avengers HQ and shows high school life within this universe. One especially amusing touch is that, even though Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) is now considered a criminal, school teachers are still obligated to play fluffy educational videos featuring Captain America. Homecoming is frequently amusing, adding levity to the proceedings and making it feel closer to a John Hughes teen comedy rather than just another blockbuster. This is slyly solidified in a sequence that pays homage to Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (complete with people actually watching the scene being referenced). Whereas the Amazing Spider-Man films were sullen and dark, Homecoming is enjoyable and bubbly. It helps that comedy writers were involved in the screenwriting process, including Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley (Horrible Bosses, Vacation). Homecoming should play fine for the uninitiated as it isn’t burdened by extensive world-building, though there are subtle references to the MCU that long-time fans will pick up. The script even makes a shrewd reference to the first Sam Raimi Spider-Man movie, and there appears to be a very cheeky underlying metaphor about Peter begging to be part of the Avengers...

    This is Watts’ first time overseeing a big-budget blockbuster, and even though he seems like an odd choice considering his previous credits, he handles the responsibility with assuredness and grace. It’s certainly refreshing to watch a more grounded and smaller-scale superhero movie, as Peter does for the most part function as the “friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man,” stopping mundane crimes as he craves tackling something bigger. The climax set in and around a large cargo plane up in the air is certainly vast in scale, but Watts keeps the film on a tight leash. In fact, all of the action set-pieces are armrest-clenching, thanks to taut direction and enormously convincing visual effects. Watts also proves to be adept at cinematic tension - when a twist of sorts is revealed, the subsequent couple of scenes dealing with said twist are almost too intense to bear. In fact, one particular scene set in a car could be the most nail-biting, gripping moment in the entire MCU canon. Homecoming is backed by an enjoyable selection of vintage songs, including tunes from the Ramones and The Rolling Stones, while Michael Giacchino’s original score is superb, opening with a brilliant rendition of the classic Spider-Man theme song to set the scene.

    After making such a positive impression in Civil War, Holland continues to delight as the titular hero, emerging as arguably the best cinematic Peter Parker/Spider-Man to date. The young Brit offers a real take on the character, making him feel lived-in and real, and giving him an authentic-sounding Queens accent. Holland is a believable smartarse, but you can also believe him as an intelligent student and a young man in love. Downey, meanwhile, is a valuable presence as Stark, scoring a few laughs and providing some meaty moments of drama. Added to this, he still shares magical chemistry with Holland. Surprisingly, Downey really shows up to play here - this is far more than just a “phoned in” cameo. It’s also a treat to see the return of Jon Favreau as Happy Hogan, and there’s an excellent scene towards the end of the movie that makes Homecoming well worth seeing for fans of the Iron Man trilogy.

    Another huge win is Toomes, played to perfection by Keaton. Toomes is not a monster who’s simply determined to kill innocents, but rather a blue-collar worker who’s screwed over by the system, and who just wants to make a living to protect his family and his workers. Keaton (who was, of course, seen in 2014’s Birdman, making him a fun pick for The Vulture) ensures the character remains human, but he’s also sinister when he wants to be. Another aspect that really works is Peter’s suit A.I., voiced by Jennifer Connolly. (Who’s married to Paul Bettany, otherwise known as Jarvis/Vision, which is just a f***ing adorable touch.) Zendaya is a downright treat as one of Peter’s classmates, delivering some of the biggest laughs in the movie, while you can truly believe that Batalon’s Ned is best friends with Peter, and Tomei proves to once again be an endearing Aunt May.

    The only thing that’s lacking in Homecoming is the emotional resonance we usually see in the MCU (and which made Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 such a standout). The whole Uncle Ben storyline has been thoroughly played out, and while it’s wise that the movie avoids rehashing it a third time, there’s no emotional reference point to replace the function it has previously served in Spider-Man movies. Nevertheless, Spider-Man: Homecoming is a delightfully fun, eminently rewatchable superhero blockbuster, and it seems that this modern reimagining of the web-slinger is thankfully here to stay this time, leaving the previous reboot dead in the water. This one ranks behind Raimi’s Spider-Man and Spider-Man 2 (both of which still hold up), but it’s superior to Spider-Man 3 and the two (less-than)Amazing movies. In typical Marvel fashion, there are two additional scenes after the movie - one midway through the credits, and another at the end of the credits. Stick around for both.

Don't wish to see plot synopses in the future? Change your configuration.

Transfer Quality

Video

    3D televisions are no longer being manufactured as of 2017, and it's therefore fortunate that Sony Pictures Home Entertainment chose to release Spider-Man: Homecoming on 3D Blu-ray for those interested. The resulting MVC-encoded three-dimensional presentation is another winner for the Marvel Cinematic Universe which should please those who enjoy the format, though it's not quite up there with the upper echelon of 3D titles. Despite being a post-conversion like most contemporary blockbusters, depth and object delineation is as strong as a native 3D presentation, and the overall transfer looks better on my LG OLED television than it did when projected at the cinema. Sony presents Homecoming in its original aspect ratio of 2.39:1 on the disc, though Peter's vlogs at the beginning are framed at 1.33:1 as per the original source. (Don't expect anything in the way of 3D effects during Peter's vlogs, for obvious reasons.)

    From the very first frame, the quality of the conversion is on full display, with the Sony logo appearing to be deep within the TV, and that's just the beginning. In the opening scene of Toomes and his team salvaging the alien artefacts, the vast set stretches out in front of you, and each visual element appears to be separate. Indeed, the transfer doesn't look to feature 2D cardboard cut-outs at different depths - each character looks full and thoroughly three-dimensional. The 3D effects also excel in the major set-pieces; certain shots at the Washington Monument may induce vertigo whenever Peter looks down, elevating the sense of peril and suspense. The vastness of the cargo plane during the movie's climax is also emphasised in 3D, while long shots and cityscape shots are enormously impressive. Also see the astonishing shot of Peter eating on a balcony while the city stretches out behind him. If you didn't know any better, you would believe that the movie was shot in 3D.

    Detail and texturing thankfully remains solid throughout, rendering the finest intricacies of Peter's suit and of the faces of the performers. Close-ups of Keaton's face during a pivotal scene in a car are richly-detailed, bringing out every last wrinkle. The sole drawback is that the presentation is not as stable or as sharp as perhaps it should, with weak contrast and blacks that aren't deep enough. In addition, shots here and there look a touch rough, including the night-time outside shot of The Vulture flying towards his HQ at the beginning of the movie which struggles with brightness and noise. Also see the moment when Peter is carrying Toomes away from the flames after the plane crash at the end. But such moments are few and far between. Thankfully, the transfer is free of bothersome encoding anomalies and artefacts; no ghosting, aliasing or banding was visible on my display.

    Multiple subtitle options are available.

*Video Ratings Summary*
Sharpness
Shadow Detail
Colour
Grain/Pixelization
Film-To-Video Artefacts
Film Artefacts
Overall

Audio

    Whereas Homecoming's 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray comes with a superior Dolby Atmos mix, this 3D Blu-ray only gets a lossless DTS-HD MA 5.1 track, which is destined to make audiophiles cry foul, especially if they enjoy watching movies in 3D. Nevertheless, this 5.1 mix is extremely good, consistently making use of both the surround channels and the subwoofer to terrific effect. Despite being a loud blockbuster, there are no issues with dialogue - it's always properly prioritised and easy to comprehend, even despite the slight muffle of Peter talking from behind his Spider-Man mask.

    Surround channels are constantly put to good use, with ambience and Giacchino's original score coming through the rear channels with real crispness and precision. This is a professionally-mixed track, and a faithful recreation of the cinema experience. When Peter stops a bicycle thief, the sound of his web-shooting comes from the rear channels, and whenever Spidey swings towards the camera, subtle panning moves the sound effects to the rear channels, amplifying the illusion and sense of immersion. During Peter's battle with The Vulture on top of a moving truck, panning effects are employed whenever Toomes flies around. When Peter is trying to escape Damage Control and shoots webs towards both sides of the screen, each web has its own sonic trajectory. Subwoofer is equally excellent, with real impact throughout the movie's many action sequences. The loud climactic mid-air battle will make you believe you're in the air with a cargo plane, and wind is suitably loud when Peter stands at the top of the Washington Monument, nearly 200 metres off the ground.

    As ever, I am deducting a star for the loss of channels, but this 5.1 mix is better than expected, with superlative dynamic range and pristine encoding. Free of any encoding flaws like drop-outs or sync issues, Spider-Man: Homecoming sounds great on Blu-ray, complementing the top-flight visual presentation. The disc also includes several additional lossy audio options in other languages, but I was only interested in sampling the primary English track.

*Audio Ratings Summary*
Dialogue
Audio Sync
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts
Surround Channel Use
Subwoofer
Overall

Extras

The 2D edition is also included on this set, which features a variety of supplemental material.

The Spidey Study Guide

Instead of an audio commentary, we get this pop-up trivia track that provides pieces of information about hidden easter eggs, the production, the actors, and the movie's relationship with the comic books. These tidbits are interesting for the most part, but I would have much preferred a director's commentary track.

Gag Reel (HD; 2:17)

No surprises here - this collection of line flubs and goofing around is highly amusing. Keaton even sneezes during a take.

Deleted & Extended Scenes (HD; 16:17)

Here we have a selection of deleted and extended scenes, which can either be watched individually or via a "Play All" function. Some of these moments are worth watching (including seeing Peter partying in Berlin with his suit on), but it's clear why other material was excised. Naturally, some of these scenes feature incomplete digital effects. Here's what's included:

A Film By Peter Parker (Director's Cut)
Cafeteria
Return from ATM
Triskelion Cleanup
Anxious Toomes
Aaron Still Stuck
Go It Alone
Happy Calls His Mom
Midtown News Final Segment
Mr. Harrington Lessons in Love

A Tangled Web (HD; 6:11)

This first featurette explores the history of Spider-Man in the comics, and bringing him into the long-running Marvel Cinematic Universe at long last. His appearance in Captain America: Civil War is touched upon, and it's interesting to hear many of the key players talk about the collaboration between Sony and Marvel to bring Homecoming to life.

Searching For Spider-Man (HD; 8:04)

As implied by the title, this featurette is solely concerned with the casting of Holland, who really is the best Peter Parker/Spider-Man we could have possibly wished for. Many members of the cast and crew speak nothing but praise for Holland, and we get to see some of his casting tapes, including chemistry tests opposite Chris Evans and Downey. Holland has a dancing background, and was able to do a lot of his own stunts despite being so young. Stan Lee even chimes in to sing Holland's praises.

Spidey Stunts (HD; 5:48)

Many of the stunts were specifically designed to ensure Holland could do them, and he was also called upon to provide motion capture for the more perilous moments. In this segment we get to see behind-the-scenes footage of many of the live-action stunts, intercut with interviews from cast and crew.

Aftermath (HD; 4:47)

Next up is a short featurette about Homecoming's many connections to the MCU. The aftermath of The Battle of New York is discussed, as well as the idea that Peter grew up seeing these events take place around him. Another interesting touch is inventing the Department of Damage Control, who are responsible for cleaning up after destructive Avengers battles.

The Vulture Takes Flight (HD; 6:01)

Stan Lee pops in again to talk about the comic book origins of The Vulture, which was one of Spider-Man's first villains in the comics. Watts and co. talk about the design of The Vulture, while many of the cast talk highly about the perpetually-amazing Keaton in the role.

Jon Watts: Head of the Class (HD; 5:29)

This particular segment focuses on director Watts, who cut his teeth making low-budget indies. The crew talk about his unique vision for the movie, while the cast discuss his enthusiasm and sense of fun as a director.

Pros and Cons of Spider-Man (HD; 3:28)

The last featurette on the disc is a fun piece in which actors Holland and Jacob Batalon point out the good and bad points about being Spider-Man. It's clear that the pair get along as they banter, making for an enjoyable segment.

Rappin' with Cap (HD; 2:26)

Four Captain America PSAs are included here, which can either be watched individually or via a "Play All" function. These are suitably cheesy and fun, and it's certainly nice to see Evans loosen up and have a bit of fun after recent events in the MCU.

Safety First
Food For Thought
Brain Power
Your Changing Body

Photo Gallery (HD)

A collection of behind-the-scenes photos, official stills and concept artwork images. For those with the patience to sit through the slideshow or manually navigate through the gallery, this is a nice inclusion to the disc.

Spider-Man: Homecoming VR Trailer (HD; 1:38)

A trailer for the Spider-Man: Homecoming Virtual Reality Experience, complete with comments from Holland.

An Inside Look at Marvel's Spider-Man | PS4 (HD; 2:45)

Those involved in making the new Spider-Man game chime in to give their thoughts on what they have created, and explain their various production decisions.

R4 vs R1

NOTE: To view non-R4 releases, your equipment needs to be multi-zone compatible and usually also NTSC compatible.

The local 3D release appears to be very close to the U.S. disc, though our set features more language options. It's a draw. Buy local.

Summary

Thank goodness that Sony decided to kill its terrible Amazing Spider-Man franchise and collaborate with Marvel to bring him into the MCU. Spider-Man: Homecoming is an ideal beginning of a new franchise, and I already cannot wait for the inevitable sequels. Spider-Man is finally in good hands.

Sony's 3D presentation is excellent for the most part; the conversion is state-of-the-art, and there isn't much in the way of encoding issues. The 5.1 audio is also very good, and the set also contains the 2D edition with an enjoyable slate of special features. Recommended.

Ratings (out of 5)

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall

Review Equipment
DVD	LG UP970 4K UHD HDR Blu-ray Player, using HDMI output
Display	LG OLED65E6T. This display device is 16x9 capable. This display device has a maximum native resolution of 2160p.
Audio Decoder	Built in to amplifier/receiver. This audio decoder/receiver has not been calibrated.
Amplification	Samsung Series 7 HT-J7750W
Speakers	Samsung Tall Boy speakers, 7.1 set-up

Other Reviews NONE