Parents' Guide to

Spider-Man: Homecoming

By Betsy Bozdech, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 10+

Diverse, entertaining reboot has some language, violence.

Movie PG-13 2017 130 minutes
Spider-Man: Homecoming Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

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age 12+

Based on 125 parent reviews

Chris_Feher
Chris_Feher Adult
April 28, 2020
age 11+

Hilarious To See Parents Freaking Out

I am really enjoying seeing adult reviews on this. I see parents rating this at 16+, and complaining that the word porn is referenced. I think that parents need to get a couple things straight here. 1) Parents in general, as I have seen many times, are way too overprotective. Kids will not necessarily start cursing at home just because a movie has the S word in it. 2) I have said this a million times, and I will say it again. Just because a movie is about superheroes, does NOT mean it is suitable for young children. Superheroes are not all perfect, and if any of these "overprotective" parents were ever to read some Marvel comics, they would probably die from a heart attack. Ironically, the thing here is that this movie is ABSOLUTELY for kids. Or at least, the closest Marvel movies will get to being kid friendly. If your kid can't handle a little action and light language, don't take them! And 3) Parents need to stop acting like the word porn is something their children should not ever hear. Chances are, they have already heard the word, and even if they haven't, its better they learn what it means now from a parent, than later from their friends at school. As for the movie itself though, I would say it was simply alright. Homecoming is funny, has good effects, and has a decent cast too. Personally, I always liked Garfield the best, but I will admit that Holland is the most comic-accurate Spidey. I would say this movie is for 11+ only because it does have light language and lots of comic style action/violence. But overall, it is a family movie for sure. I would recommend this film, especially to Marvel fans.
Doc Taylor
Doc Taylor Adult
December 20, 2021
age 15+

Bad Language. Unsuitable for young kids.

I took my kids to see this movie . I was extremely upset to say the least. This is supposed to be a Spiderman movie for the whole family. Plenty of cursing in the movie, which was extremely disappointing. The movie itself is really good, and would've been better without the bad language. I don't understand Hollywood. I can't even take my kids to see Marvel movies anymore. What a crying shame!
See all 125 parent reviews

What's the Story?

In SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING, 15-year-old Peter Parker (Tom Holland) can't wait to help his new mentor, Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.), with any superhero work the latter might have available. But Stark wants to keep his young protege safe at home in Queens, living with his Aunt May (Marisa Tomei) and going to high school with friends like his good buddy Ned (Jacob Batalon). Peter chafes at being sidelined, so every night he goes out looking for crime to stop around the neighborhood. One evening he comes face to face (well, face to mask) with a group of ATM robbers armed with powerful, high-tech weapons. Eventually Peter traces the dangerous gear to a gang run by Adrian Toomes (Michael Keaton), who's long harbored a grudge against the Avengers and the secretive agencies that work with them. Peter's quest to put an end to Toomes' dangerous game leads to peril and surprising revelations, as well as one very annoyed Iron Man.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (125 ):
Kids say (358 ):

Clever, funny, and true to the Spider-Man spirit, this take on everyone's favorite web-slinger is thoroughly entertaining. The world was understandably skeptical of yet another Spidey reboot, but in this case, it was the right call. Even more than the Toby Maguire and Andrew Garfield takes on the wall crawler -- as good as those were -- Spider-Man: Homecoming really captures the tone of the original comics. A large part of that is thanks to the fact that, for the first time on the big screen, Peter is being played by an actual teenager. Holland is believably eager, gawky, and geeky as Peter, who's almost as excited to work on Ned's Lego Death Star as he is to fight bad guys. Also, because it's (mercifully) not an origin story, director Jon Watts can get right to the action.

It's not a perfect film; the plot doesn't always have a totally clear trajectory, and there's no real fall-out (other than Tony Stark's punishment) for the fact that half of the scrapes Peter/Spidey gets into are, frankly, his own fault. But it's so fresh and relatable that it doesn't matter. It's great to see such a diverse group of teens playing Peter's friends and classmates; in addition to Batalon, Laura Harrier and Zendaya are stand-outs as, respectively, Peter's crush and a laconic, enigmatic classmate. And while Tony and Peter's lack of communication/mutual frustration brings to mind Harry's relationship with Professor Dumbledore during some of the Harry Potter saga, their dynamic brings something new and powerful to the Marvel-verse as well: true mentorship.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the violence in Spider-Man: Homecoming. How does it compare to what you've seen in other superhero movies? In other kinds of movies? Do different types of violence have a different impact?

  • What does Tony mean when he tells Peter, "If you're nothing without the suit, then you shouldn't have it"? What does Peter learn from having to go without his suit for awhile?

  • What character strengths does Peter develop over the course of the movie? How does he demonstrate courage and perseverance?

  • How might the story have been different if Tony (or Happy) had listened to Peter better/sooner? Can you think of other movies in which beloved mentors have fallen short in a similar way? (Hint: Prof. Dumbledore/Harry Potter.)

  • Do Peter and his friends feel like genuine teenagers to you? How does that compare to previous versions of Spider-Man? How does his group of friends reflect the real-life diversity of Queens, NY? Why is that important?

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