On Friday I took my 10 year old daughter and 12 year old son to see Spider-Man: Homecoming.

It was the best Spider-Man movie I have ever seen (and I have seen them all).

In the previous two iterations of Spider-Man, I enjoyed the first movie in each of the series. They both told Spider-Man's origin story and did a fine job. But they each had a crutch. The story was already written for them. The movie makers simply had to pick the right actors and put their own small spin on the movie.

I enjoyed both Toby McGuire's and Andrew Garfield's portrayal of the web-slinger. In addition, even though she was a bit too old for the role, I loved Emma Stone as Gwen Stacy. I felt she stole the entire first installment of that reboot.

The sequels to each of those movies got progressively worse. It seems that the production teams could not figure out how to tell a non-origin based Spider-Man story. This was a pity because he is my favorite super hero.

It looks like Spidey is Deadpool's favorite as well... but sadly Deadpool is not in this movie.

Spider-Man: Homecoming is not an origin story. The writers, Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley, assumed we already knew about that fateful day when a smart teenager had a spectacular encounter with a radioactive spider. Even without this crutch, Goldstein and Daley delivered a compelling story.

One of my favorite aspects of the film is that the writing duo took the time "flesh out" the main characters. You would think this is commonplace... but it is not. I have seen far too many comic book movies where I have no idea why the villain is so evil. This movie does an excellent job of explaining why "The Vulture" behaves the way he does. While on the subject, I was very impressed by Michael Keaton's performance as the villain. He had the right mix of humor and rage. I found his actions very believable (again not always commonplace is super hero movies).

How could someone with those incredible powers be scared and nervous... have you ever met a teenager?

I was most impressed by Tom Holland's portrayal of our hero. In the comic books I love, Spider-Man is a fun-loving, wisecracking, teenager. Unlike the previous versions, Homecoming gets it right. Holland plays Peter as an "ah shucks", wide-eyed, confused, eager and excited 15 years old. Would a 15 year old be conflicted about using Spider-Man as a way to be popular and get girls? Probably. Would a 15 year old with super powers desperately want to prove to the world (and his hero) that he is a "big boy"? Absolutely. Everything just "fit". Thanks to the writers and Holland's delivery, I understood every decision Peter made... including his many mistakes.

Most importantly, the movie is FUN!

You got my Spider-Man in your fun... you got your fun in my Spider-Man. Two great tastes that taste great together!!!

The decision by Sony (who owns Spider-Man) and Marvel Studios (who owns the Avengers) to work together in order to create one unified Marvel Universe is the best thing that could happen to the Spider-Man franchise. Sony has my favorite character (my daughter is named "MJ" for a reason...) and Marvel Studios has the "fun". Put them together and you end up with the best Spider-Man movie yet.

The special effects and sound are dazzling. I never once thought, "Oh that is dumb. That Spider-Man is clearly computer generated."

There is just the right amount of action. While DC's Wonder Woman seemed to come to a screeching halt at several points in the movie, Spider-Man never loses its momentum. It perfectly balances the desire to actually tell a story and develop characters with many action scenes involving Spider-man (and a splash of Ironman) fighting villains and saving innocent people.

My only criticism is that the writers did not include the most famous (and important) line of all things Spider-Man. No one ever said "With great power comes great responsibility." Luckily, my children already know that lesson. But for new audience members just being introduced to this amazing character, they were deprived of it.

One of the reasons I love the Spider-Man character is because he's really funny. The writers honored this trait by including many funny scenes and one-liners. They also remembered that Peter Parker is 15... so some of his one-liners will be cheesy. That is ok. They should be. Even the villains manage to add some humor without degenerating into the Three Stooges.

Unfortunately, I can't tell you about the funniest scenes in the movie. My mentioning them would spoil the surprise. I can't do that to anyone. Also, if you are looking to laugh, please remember to stay to the VERY END of the movie if you want one extra chuckle.

This is not the only John Hughes "shout out".

I felt like this movie was intended to be a Spider-Man for a new generation of fans. The writers nailed it. Although I thoroughly enjoyed this movie, it was nothing compared to how much my kids liked it. Why? Kids like seeing movies with characters they can connect with. Although my kids are still a few years away from High School, they can relate to it very well. They loved seeing "kids" on the screen. So please keep that in mind when you see this movie. It is aimed at 13 year olds. Any joy adults take from it is pure gravy. Luckily, there is plenty of gravy.

There were a few hidden Easter eggs in the movie. If you are a big fan, do yourself a favor and pay attention to who the villains are... and will become.

Finally, don't be an idiot like me.

THERE ARE TWO POST CREDIT SCENES.

Two. Not one like I read before seeing the movie. There are two. Unfortunately I relied on my research and left before the second stinger. My son just informed me what I missed. Luckily I found it on You-Tube so all is right in the world. It would have been better to see it in the theater though.

Geeky Dad's Movie Guide

Number of times I fell asleep: 0
Number of eye rolls: 0
Number of face palms: 0
Number of times my kids asked to go to the bathroom or get food out of sheer boredom: 0
Number of times I checked steemit: 0
Number of times I said "That's ridiculous": 0
Did my kids like it: Yes!!!! Both my 10 year old daughter MJ (yes she is named after that MJ) and my 12 years old son Timmy loved this movie. They would have immediately watched it again.
Would I see it without my kids: Yes!
Full price/Matinee/Rental/Free/Not worth the time: Full price (I would pay full price to see it a second time)