Sony is aiming to make Spidey movies great again.
Fortunately, Sony — having stumbled with its second Andrew Garfield outing — now has Marvel Studios on its side. Which for promotional purposes also means having mighty Disney (parent of ABC and Marvel) on its side, as the first full trailer for next summer’s “Spider-Man: Homecoming” debuted Thursday night on the network’s “Jimmy Kimmel Show.”
More important creatively, though, Marvel’s knowing touch is evident throughout the two-minute-plus sneak peek — from Spider-Man’s modern yet Steve Ditko-inspired suit (those smaller white lenses on the mask and the web wings are retro-stylish) to the presence of Marvel Studios’s biggest star, Robert Downey Jr., as Tony Stark/Iron Man. Here, Stark continues his mentorship of Tom Holland’s Peter Parker (as introduced in May’s “Captain America: Civil War”), which means that “Homecoming,” gratefully, won’t be another origin story.
We do see Peter going through growing pains, as he balances the pressure of his secret superhero life with his humdrum high-school existence.
The trailer ends with Iron Man and Spider-Man flying/web-slinging in midair, so we can presume they’ll be taking on bad guys together — giving the movie a Marvel team-up feel.
Speaking of villains, we also glimpse Michael (“Birdman”) Keaton as the Vulture — Spider-Man’s main nemesis in “Homecoming.” Keaton — aka The Man Who Launched the Modern Bat-Franchise — just might give Marvel Studios something it has rarely had: a compelling villain. (Tom Hiddleston’s Loki remains its villain pinnacle so far.)
Meanwhile, the trailer offered no hints as to whether Zendaya will indeed be famed love interest Mary Jane Watson (we might not even get a clear answer until “Homecoming’s” release). For now, we know that Peter has eyes for Liz Allan (Laura Harrier).
“Homecoming” may be Sony’s sixth Spider-Man feature film, but somehow, with Marvel’s help, the franchise feels fresh again.
Welcome to the big-boy table, Tom Holland.
“Spider-Man: Homecoming,” directed by Jon Watts (“Cop Car”), opens July 17.