Common Sense Media Review
By Betsy Bozdech , based on child development research. How do we rate?
age 10+
Diverse, entertaining reboot has some language, violence.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 10+?
Any Positive Content?
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Violence & Scariness
some
Frequent peril and explosive action violence; the bad guys make, sell, and use extremely destructive weapons to blow things up and abruptly disintegrate a character. Peter and Toomes confront each other several times; Peter is dropped from heights, bashed around, and buried in rubble; Toomes threatens Peter and everyone he loves. Teens in peril in a damaged elevator atop the Washington Monument. Ferry splits in half; passengers panic, scream, and are in danger. A plane crashes, narrowly avoiding buildings; fiery debris is scattered on a beach. Peter is dragged by a van; later, a wild car ride ends in a crash. Fights/tense stand-offs; some punching. Guns brandished in anger/as threats. Peter gets in skirmishes with petty crooks. Aftermath of the Battle of New York (from The Avengers) includes crumbled, damaged buildings. Behind-the-scenes glimpses of fights from Captain America: Civil War.
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Language
some
Regular but not constant use of words including "s--t," "bulls--t," "damn," "bastard," "hell," "a--hole," "bada--," "friggin'," "screwed," "dumbass," "jerk," "crap," "penis," "lame," "loser," "idiot," "stupid," "sucks," "oh my God" (as an exclamation). One memorable exclamation of "What the fu--" (the word isn't completed). Middle-finger gesture.
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Sex, Romance & Nudity
a little
Teenage crushes/flirting. One joking reference to p*rn. A few suggestive comments made to/about May (i.e. "hot Italian woman"). Peter shown shirtless/in his boxers a couple of times. Some form-fitting outfits/swimsuits. Teen girls play a round of "F, marry, kill." Crude reference to "screwing the pooch." Adult characters kiss.
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Products & Purchases
a little
Smartphones used. Car brands, including Jaguar and Audi. NASA logo. YouTube. Lots of merchandising tie-ins offscreen.
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Drinking, Drugs & Smoking
very little
Party where underage teens hold red Solo cups; never clear exactly what's in them, but drinking is implied. May has a beer at dinner. Peter is offered a drink but refuses because he's not old enough.
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Positive Messages
a lot
Spider-Man's core message has always been, "With great power comes great responsibility"; Peter takes that seriously, looking for ways to help his community and putting himself in danger to save others. Friends and family are always there for you, but you shouldn't do the wrong thing in their name. Your true character/measure of worth is who you are on the inside, not what you wear/use on the outside. Communication is important to avoid misunderstanding and even danger. Courage and perseverance are themes.
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Positive Role Models
some
Peter wants nothing more than to use his powers to help people; that said, he can be impatient, getting into danger before thinking things through. Tony means well and wants to keep Peter safe, but for a long time he doesn't listen to his young protege, which contributes to much of the trouble Peter finds himself in. May loves Peter, but she does drive him and his friend to a big party where it's implied that teens drink. Peter's Queens, NY, high school is realistically diverse; his friends, classmates, and teachers represent a wide range of races and body types. Cool kids are members of Academic Decathlon. Female characters are in supporting roles; they're portrayed positively but don't do a whole lot.
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Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Spider-Man: Homecoming is a fun, tween-friendly take on one of Marvel's most enduringly popular characters. Starring an actual teen (Tom Holland) as web-slinging high schooler Peter Parker, its spirit is very much in line with the original comics. While there's no shortage of peril and action violence, it's not as unrelenting or large-scale as in many of the other Marvel movies. Death is minimal (a supporting character is disintegrated), and even sequences like that in which a ferry boat splits in half, causing panic and mayhem, aren't too scary. Spidey does get in brawls with the main villain in which he's bashed, buried in rubble, and dropped from heights, and there are some explosions and fiery crashes (including a plane strewn along a beach). There's a bit more salty language than you might expect (including "s--t," "bastard," "dumba--," and more), but it's not constant. Teens flirt, and adults kiss and make a few suggestive comments. There's one jokey reference to p*rn, and Peter is shown shirtless a couple of times. A house party scene shows teens holding red cups (the contents are unspecified). As always with Spider-Man, there are messages about power and responsibility, finding strength within yourself, being brave, and persevering. And the cast is impressively, realistically diverse; Peter's friends, classmates, and teachers represent a wide range of races and body types. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails.
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
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Spider-Man: Homecoming
Parent and Kid Reviews
See all
- Parents say (128)
- Kids say (362)
age 12+
Based on 128 parent reviews
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!
iro_r Adult
October 14, 2019
age 18+
not totally a kids movie
Way too many inappropriate references. Other than the cursing , the worst part was the tween making a reference to "f ing" Thor. My 13 yr old girl shouldn't be exposed to that!
Rate movie
See all 128 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 (128):
Kids say (362):
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?
Movie Details
- In theaters: July 7, 2017
- On DVD or streaming: October 17, 2017
- Cast: Tom Holland, Robert Downey Jr., Marisa Tomei, Michael Keaton
- Director: Jon Watts
- Inclusion Information: Female actors
- Studio: Sony Pictures Entertainment
- Genre: Action/Adventure
- Topics: Superheroes, High School
- Character Strengths: Courage, Perseverance
- Run time: 130 minutes
- MPAA rating: PG-13
- MPAA explanation: sci-fi action violence, some language and brief suggestive comments
- Award: Common Sense Selection
- Last updated: August 31, 2024
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Spider-Man: Homecoming
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