Spider-Man: Brand New Day

Sony Pictures/Marvel Studios

Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton

Written by Chris McKenna, Erik Sommers and Stan Lee

Starring Tom Holland, Zendaya, Mark Ruffalo, Jon Bernthal, Jacob Batalon, Sadie Sink, Florence Pugh, Liza Colon-Zayas, Tramell Tillman, Marisa Tomei, Michael Mando and Naomi Watts

Rated PG-13

A forgotten Peter Parker lives alone as a full-time Spider-Man until mounting pressure triggers a dangerous change and a powerful new enemy emerges.

It’s been years since Peter (Holland) convinced Doctor Strange to cast a spell that will make everyone forget that he is Spider-Man. In that time, his friends Ned (Batalon) and MJ (Zendaya) have moved on and gone to college while Peter has totally immersed himself into being Spider-Man. Something that his NYPD ally Jean DeWolff (Colon-Zayas) realizes early on in the film.

The movie begins with Peter lamenting the loss of his friends, watching them live their lives through social media while he leaps into the fight and I love the montage of him taking down villains and how those moments not only reflect his growing confidence in his powers and purpose, but also how they are great recreations of classic Spider-Man comic book covers. The movie leans heavily into a world where these characters and circumstances exist and that they don’t need to give every one of them a backstory to show that they are a threat.

One of the things that makes this movie work is that is about Spider-Man. Many comic book movies seem to make a point about paralleling the villain to the hero by spending a lot of time giving the audience the villain’s backstory and motivations. I like that this movie stays on Peter’s journey even when the bigger threat begins to emerge.

Spider-Man discovers that the Department of Damage Control is being targeted by a mysterious person with the ability to take over people’s bodies and use them to attack Damage Control facilities. This prompts Peter to ally himself with the director Bill Metzger (Tillman) to find the threat and stop them. I really enjoy the moments in the Damage Control facility because it showcases how far Spider-Man has come as a hero in the city.

Eventually, the threat is revealed to be a character played by Sadie Sink and I will not spoil who she is playing, but she is a Marvel character with a history as long as Spider-Man’s and is possibly the first link in a chain that will lead to a new franchise. Sink does a great job of playing a character fueled by something personal which puts Spider-Man not in the role of being an adversary, but an impediment.

Sink’s character decides to use her powers to remove Spider-Man from her trail by going after MJ and this prompts Peter to seek out help from the Punisher (Bernthal) to keep her safe. I love the banter between these characters. They have the perfect chemistry of reluctant friends and an almost big brother/ little brother vibe that I found endearing and hilarious. Bernthal’s Punisher is different from his Netflix and even Daredevil persona, but doesn’t lose his edge. There is a great parallel with these character as well with Punisher embodying what Spider-Man could become if he keeps cutting himself off from the world.

Another part of the story is Peter discovering that the spider DNA that has become a part of him is beginning to mutate and that is affecting his powers and personality. It’s a much needed personal wrinkle that gives Peter something to overcome besides his outside issues. It also allows for the return of Bruce Banner (Ruffalo) who serves not only as a mentor but also the physical manifestation of Peter’s fear of losing control of his powers. Every side character and cameo serves the story and the character instead of just being there to pad out the universe. That is something I appreciated as well.

When I say that the story is centered on Peter, I meant it and I praise the writers and director Daniel Destin Cretton for keeping that in the forefront. There are amazing moments throughout that aren’t about the bigger threat or even the action. Moments between Peter and MJ that are sweet but tragic and a scene between Peter and Ned that reminds the viewer why these characters have survived and sustained through three previous movies.

Cretton also brilliantly delivers on the action. New York is a central part of this story and you feel like Peter is part of the city as you watch him swing through its heights. The action is beautiful to see and I admired the grace and elegance of it because it leans into how seasoned Spider-Man is as a hero. I also really loved the fight scenes, especially one between Spider-Man, Punisher and Hulk. It was equal parts visually thrilling and funny.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day, to me, is one of the best Spider-Man movies that has been made because it is a Spider-Man movie. It is about Peter Parker/Spider-Man and the triumphs and tragedies that come with the responsibility of being Spider-Man. It’s bursting with action, but nothing that isn’t in service to a really good story that is fun to watch with characters that you care about. Holland continues to impress me as Peter Parker and it is a testament to his portrayal of the character that I have the same emotions for Peter in live action that I do for him on the comic book page.

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