SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING (12A, 133 mins)

Starring: Tom Holland, Michael Keaton, Robert Downey Jr, Marisa Tomei, Jacob Batalon, Zendaya, Laura Harrier, Tony Revolori. Director: Jon Watts.

JON Watts' slick reboot of the Marvel Comics superhero - the third iteration in 15 years - spins an impressive web of rites-of-passage drama, buddy comedy and bombastic spectacle.

There's a goofy, youthful vibe to this incarnation of Peter Parker, played by British actor Tom Holland, who recently turned 21 years old.

He certainly looks more convincing as a socially awkward high school student than his big screen predecessors - Tobey Maguire was 26 when he slipped on the spider suit, Andrew Garfield was 27.

Holland sparks a terrific on-screen double act with Jacob Batalon as Parker's best friend Ned, who discovers his buddy's secret identity by accident and almost self-combusts with fan boy questions.

"Can you spit venom?" he giggles. "Can you summon an army of spiders?"

A cute homage to arguably the greatest coming-of-age comedy of all time - Ferris Bueller's Day Off - is affectionately tossed into an origin story that doesn't feel the need to replay Peter's encounter with a radioactive spider.

Instead, six screenwriters reference events from Captain America: Civil War and position Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr) as a surrogate father figure and mentor to 15-year-old Parker while the boy grapples with his burgeoning powers and responsibility.

Several months have passed since the destruction of the Avengers headquarters and Peter has managed to conceal his crime-fighting alter ego from Aunt May (Marisa Tomei).

Best friend Ned (Batalon) is sworn to secrecy, joining Peter in their school's Academic Decathlon team alongside Peter's crush Liz (Laura Harrier), sardonic loner Michelle (Zendaya) and bullying rich kid Flash Thompson (Tony Revolori).

The pupils have a brush with death in Washington DC at the hands of salvage company owner Adrian Toomes (Michael Keaton), who has been robbed of his livelihood by Stark's offshoot, the Department of Damage Control (DODC), and has taken flight as a larcenous winged menace called Vulture.

Youthful impetuosity overrides common sense as Peter tries to prove himself to the Avengers by tackling the airborne madman alone.

In a demonstration of tough love, billionaire inventor Stark punishes Peter by reclaiming the lad's hi-tech suit laden with neat gizmos.

"If you're nothing without the suit, you shouldn't have it," he wisely observes.

Spider-Man: Homecoming isn't king of the slingers - Sam Raimi's 2004 sequel Sider-Man 2 retains that web-spun crown - but director Watts' opening salvo isn't far behind.

Action sequences are executed with verve, without swamping the screen in digital trickery, and the most dramatic interludes are underscored with snarky humour.

The script pulls off two impressive sleights of hand, one of which is a bona fide jaw-dropper, without sacrificing Parker and his growing pains as the emotional heartbeat.

Creator Stan Lee makes his obligatory cameo and there are a couple of additional scenes secreted in the end credits.

One tees up a venomous new adversary for a sequel in summer 2019, the second delivers a comedic flourish that rewards the virtuous. 7.5/10

IT COMES AT NIGHT (15, 92 mins)

Starring: ???

A FAMILY faces the onslaught of a disease that has decimated America in a slow-burning psychological thriller directed by Trey Edward Shults.

A virulent contagion, which manifests as pus-filled boils, has swept the globe, pitting neighbours against one another for survival. Paul (Joel Edgerton) and his wife Sarah (Carmen Ejogo) decide to ride out the storm with their 17-year-old son Travis (Kelvin Harrison Jr) by living in a fortified shack in the middle of the woods, monitoring each other for signs of infection.

Paul enforces two rules - always keep the front door locked and never go outside at night - which he hopes will keep his brood safe until the threat subsides.

One night, the family wakes to noises in the house and Paul realises to his horror that someone or something from the outside has gate-crashed the sanctuary.

The intruder turns out to be another father, Will (Christopher Abbott), who claims to be looking for water for his wife Kim (Riley Keough) and son Andrew (Griffin Robert Faulkner). Will explains his family are also free of the disease and Kim and Andrew are hiding in an abandoned house several miles away.

In a merciless time when compassion can get you killed, Paul must decide whether to believe Will's story or eliminate the potential threat to his group's survival.

PAW PATROL: MISSION BIG SCREEN (U, 65 mins)

Starring: ghghg

THE computer-animated TV series about a plucky team of rescue dogs, which screens on Nickelodeon, barks on the big screen with this collection of episodes including a special preview of the four-legged heroes' newest escapade.

In Air Pups, Volcano Island erupts trapping some of the residents including Cap'n Turbot (voiced by Ron Pardo). The pups Chase (Max Calinescu), Marshall (Drew Davis), Ryder (Italo Luiz) and Skye (Kallan Holley) must take to the skies for a daring rescue mission.

When Carlos (Lucius Hoyos) falls into a pit in Tracker Joins The Pups, a new pooch called Tracker (David Lopez) saves the day.

In Pups Raise The PAW Patroller, the dogs help Daring Danny (Daniel DeSanto) to avoid a sinking feeling - and then in the special preview of Mission PAW: Quest For The Crown, Chase and co bound to Barkington to guard a priceless headpiece.

THE LAST WORD (15, 108 mins)

Starring: ???

HOLLYWOOD legend Shirley MacLaine delivers an eye-catching lead performance in director Mark Pellington's bittersweet comedy drama.

Successful businesswoman Harriet Lauler (MacLaine) is used to taking control of every aspect of her life. After a disturbing meeting with her doctor, she marches into the office of the local newspaper and demands to meet the resident obituary writer.

Young scribe Anne Sherman (Amanda Seyfried) meets with Harriet and is informed by the businesswoman that she will be penning her obituary while Harriet is still alive, so she can ensure it is accurate and fair.

Thus begins a haphazard road trip involving the two women, and an underprivileged African-American girl called Brenda (AnnJewel Lee Dixon), who strays into their orbit.

In the process of creating a positive impression for Anne, Harriet confronts some of the ghosts of her past and she nervously rebuilds bridges to her estranged daughter, Elizabeth (Anne Heche).