Spider-Man: Homecoming appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 2.39:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. This became a positive presentation.
Sharpness looked strong. Virtually no softness interfered with the image, so the flick came across as accurate and tight. Neither jagged edges nor moiré effects created concerns, and I witnessed no signs of edge haloes or print flaws.
Like most modern action flicks, Homecoming opted for a teal and orange orientation. These tendencies didn’t overwhelm, but they dominated, and the movie displayed them in an appropriate manner.
Blacks came across as deep and firm, while low-light shots presented clear imagery. The movie brought us a solid transfer.
As for the movie’s DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack, it delivered the expected dynamic material. With tons of action, the soundscape used all the channels on a frequent basis. This led us to an exciting sonic experience from start to finish.
The various speakers provided lots of information that filled out the movie and blended together in a seamless manner. Bullets, explosions, vehicles, flying elements – you name it and it blasted all around us. This formed a dynamic soundfield with a lot to offer.
In addition, audio quality seemed strong. Music was bold and full, and even with a lot of looped lines, dialogue remained crisp and natural. Effects appeared lively and vivid, with clear highs and deep lows. I felt pleased with this impressive soundtrack.
Given the movie’s high profile, its collection of extras seems a little modest. We start with the Spidey Study Guide, a text track.
The “Guide” gives us trivia about characters and story, with an emphasis on connections to the comics. Some movie notes appear as well, and these add up to a fairly interesting track, though the information pops up a little less frequently than I’d like.
A Gag Reel lasts two minutes, 17 seconds. Most of this gives us the usual goofs and silliness, but we get some ad-libbed lines that amuse.
10 Extended/Deleted Scenes fill a total of 16 minutes, 17 seconds. At five minutes, 30 seconds, the “Director’s Cut” of Peter’s “home movie” takes up the longest segment. It’s cute to see more of his Avengers-related adventures, but it’s good they didn’t include it all in the final film, as the “DC” goes way too long.
The remaining clips tend toward quirky tidbits, with an emphasis on comedy. We get a couple of minor expansions but little special, though we do learn the identity of the girl who does the high school’s public videos.
After this, we get a slew of featurettes. A Tangled Web runs six minutes, 11 seconds and offers notes from executive producers Jeremy Latcham and Stan Lee, producers Amy Pascal and Kevin Feige, co-writer/director Jon Watts, co-producer Eric Hauserman Carroll, co-producer Rachel O’Connor, and actors Robert Downey Jr. and Tom Holland.
“Web” examines the introduction and integration of Spidey into the Marvel Cinematic Universe as well as Holland’s take on the role. It’s a decent synopsis, though it leans toward happy talk.
With the eight-minute, four-second Searching for Spider-Man, we hear from Watts, Holland, Downey, Feige, Carroll, Latcham, Pascal, Lee, and actors Laura Harrier, Jacob Batalon, Michael Keaton, Zendaya and Tony Revolori. “Searching” looks at Holland’s casting and performance. Again, the featurette mixes good insights with fluffy praise.
Action dominates Spidey Stunts. It fills five minutes, 48 seconds with info from Holland, Carroll, Latcham, Watts, executive producer Victoria Alonso and stunt coordinator George Cottle. This one examines attempts to bring Spidey to life, with an emphasis on Holland’s performance. It’s another mixed bag.
Next comes Aftermath, a four-minute, 47-second show with Feige, Carroll, Pascal, Latcham, Watts, O’Connor, and actors Michael Chernus and Bokeem Woodbine. “Aftermath” discusses the story’s supporting baddies and the related technology. It doesn’t tell us much of value.
We focus on the movie’s villain via The Vulture Takes Flight. In this six-minute, one-second reel, we hear from Keaton, Chernus, Lee, Carroll, Watts, Latcham, Pascal, O’Connor, Holland, Downey, Woodbine, and actor Logan Marshall-Green. “Flight” tells us about the film’s adaptation of the Vulture character and how Keaton brought him to life. This becomes a fairly involving take on the role’s reinvention.
The director comes to the fore in Jon Watts: Head of the Class. It goes for five minutes, 29 seconds and includes Watts, Latcham, Downey, Feige, Holland, Pascal, O’Connor, Carroll, Harrier, Zendaya, Batalon, Marshall-Green, Woodbine, Chernus, Keaton, and actor Jon Favreau. As expected, “Class” looks at Watts’ impact on the production. It mostly provides a lot of praise for the director.
Pros and Cons of Spider-Man takes up three minutes, 28 seconds with comments from Batalon and Holland. They offer a lighthearted look at the ups and downs of life as Spidey. It’s a goofy and moderately entertaining promo piece.
Finally, Rappin’ with Cap spans two minutes, 26 seconds. It splits into four areas and lets us see the Captain America public service announcements briefly glimpsed in the film. These offer amusement and become a fun addition.
A Photo Gallery offers 81 images. These mix promo elements, shots from the set, movie snippets and concept art. It becomes a surprisingly satisfying collection.
The disc opens with ads for Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, The Dark Tower, Only the Brave, The Goldbergs, the Spider-Man videogame and November Criminals. No theatrical trailer for Homecoming appears, but we do get a look at a related VR program.
As a semi-reboot, Spider-Man: Homecoming comes with ups and downs. Though it entertains, it proves more erratic than I’d like, partly due to an overcaffeinated lead performance. The Blu-ray boasts excellent picture and audio along with a decent set of supplements. Homecoming turns into a good but not great Spider-Man film.