SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY Sets a Soaring High for the Swinging Superhero

Tom Holland’s seventh swing in the spandex is the charm: Spider-Man: Brand New Day has hit theaters and it is near perfect. Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, the mastermind behind Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and Disney+’s Wonder Man, this film highlights Peter Parker’s most emotional story to date, out-performing every MCU appearance before it and pushing the character to his sharpest refinement yet.

Who is Peter Parker?

After the events of No Way Home, the world has forgotten Peter Parker, but not Spider-Man. The film sets this up immediately in the opening Marvel Studios sequence, showing depictions of Peter interacting with MJ and Ned in previous outings just before he literally fades away in the images and from the minds of those he loves. It’s devastating and lets viewers know right away the isolation he feels. Spider-Man as a hero is celebrated for his many contributions to New York City and the world while Peter is completely adrift, a specter in the world he used to call home.

Unable to reject the call of hero, Peter rebuilds Spider-Man from square one, reconstructing his suit, his web-shooters, and even his HUD interface with AI EV (voiced by Naomi Watts). He takes down a cadre of villains in the first seven minutes of the film, all while watching Ned and MJ run the whole gamut of their education and social lives at MIT through Ned’s Instagram. He’s keeping tabs on his friends, keeping a vigil over Aunt May’s grave, and saving the city… all alone.

In a series of sequences that prove Peter’s intelligence is more scientific than intuitive, Peter safeguards his identity with more vigor than previously. He refuses to show his face to even those he considers allies, despite the fact that no one would know who the hell he is even if he did. Peter Parker is a construct that lives singularly in the head of Peter Parker, which should give him the anonymity he craves, lest he encounter a villain that can see into that head. And wouldn’t you know it? He does.

Enter Sadie Sink

The main “villain” of Brand New Day is played by Sadie Sink, a character who has the ability to “jump” her consciousness into anyone and puppet them to her designs. She is using this ability to raid facilities owned and operated by Damage Control, the organization founded by Tony Stark for the clean-up and containment of Superhero collateral introduced in Spider-Man: Homecoming. Her objective is a MacGuffin of her own interest, spinning a web of intrigue that turns this particular outing into a street-level adventure with our Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man playing detective.

While she manages to jump into Peter’s mind for a brief moment, he is able to push her out, which makes her understandably frustrated and curious. This deepens their connection, coupled with Peter’s “tingle” which allows him to sense when she’s puppeteering an innocent. The advantage this gives to the audience and to Tom Holland is that the latter has to do a considerable amount more acting in the mask. Holland has grown into an incredible actor since his first appearance in Captain America: Civil War ten years ago, and to convey the required levels of confidence, befuddlement, and insecurity one must feel in these sequences is a Herculean feat which he takes to with admirable aplomb. This is truly Holland’s best work as Peter Parker and Spider-Man.

…And His Amazing Friends

Peter Parker is alone; dreadfully alone, but Spider-Man is not. After taking down Scorpion, Tombstone, Boomerang, and the Hand, he has made a friend of high-ranking NYPD detective Jean DeWolff, played by Liza Colón-Zayas, of The Bear fame. They chat on the phone and develop a loose friendship based on mutual admiration and respect. She chastises his work ethic, all while admiring his tireless pursuit to helping the innocent and putting away the wicked.

Peter also has a connection inside the Thunderbolts, aka The New Avengers, on whom he can call when his small potatoes problems start to look like larger potatoes. Frank Castle is a colleague, even if their conflicting approach to neutralizing threats offers startling differences. He even makes a visit to Professor Bruce Banner at Empire State University, discussing inhibitors and RNA isolation, sparking a spirited conversation and debate in which the latter seems to revel. It is this last partnership that truly reveals the film’s central theme.

A Coldplay Song Reveals Parker’s Truth?

A characteristic of Peter Parker’s that has always been the subject of deep admiration is his relatability as a young man with real-world concerns and great responsibility. “Spider-Man and his control” is a thing at which to marvel, and a virtue to which to aspire. That control is the core theme of Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Peter is trying to compartmentalize his entire life, going so far as to even deny one entirely to Peter while facilitating all of his purpose and energy to Spider-Man. When the thing inside him that makes him Spider-Man, his arachnid DNA, starts to wrest control from him and make him more monster than man, he seeks out another individual who knows about the struggle with the Beast within.

Professor Hulk, whom we met in Avengers: Endgame, was a feat of personal victory for Bruce Banner, but after his arm is severely damaged following his Snap, he uses an inhibitor to keep the Hulk at bay so that he can heal. We see this inhibitor in Brand New Day, and Peter discusses how it works and how it can be modified to accept the benefits of a mutation and suppress the dangers therein. I’m sure you’re starting to think that this level of “control” can be dangerous, twisted to less than heroic pursuits. It’s not bad enough that he’s literally asking to have his cake and eat it, too, but he’s also considering universal applications, i.e. power dampeners that can be used to stop threats or even neutralize allies.

My Thoughts

I was able to see this film virtually for free thanks to the voucher I received when AMC couldn’t get their IMAX camera to operate on a hot day last July to show Fantastic Four: First Steps, but my poor time management had me walking into the film about seven minutes after it first started. I realized very quickly as the story progressed that I had missed A LOT. Seriously, get there early. I ended up buying another ticket to the next showing to watch the opening, and damn I’m glad I did.

Going into this film, I had avoided spoilers as best as I could. I’d seen the first trailer but then turned my eyes away as the release date drew nearer. Anytime I saw Tom Holland on social media I’d scroll away like I was averting my eyes from the face of God. I’d heard rumblings that the Hulk would be in the film but I purposefully declined looking any further into it. All that said, I couldn’t escape mentions that the Savage Hulk would be in the film. And he was, sort of.

I’m a fan of Hulk and Spider-Man in comics and cartoons and I’ve watched the two work together and square off plenty of times. While this film does feature a scene with the Hulk furiously wresting control from both Bruce Banner and Sadie Sink’s character, I still feel like he didn’t truly become the Savage Hulk. He was destructive, sure, and driven by bloodlust, and even had a taller, bulkier frame that signalled a difference in the Beast within, but the filmmakers didn’t go as far as they could. Ang Lee’s Hulk, for all its detractors, showed the fear and total loss of control that Banner experiences when the Hulk takes over. Moreso, Louis Leterrier’s The Incredible Hulk demonstrated the ferocity with which an enraged Hulk operates. When he full-footed kicks Emil Blonksy (Tim Roth) after their second altercation, we are right to fear him.

Ruffalo’s Hulk has always been big and green and oftentimes mean, but rarely scary. When we see the Hulk for the first time in this film, it’s the Professor Hulk version, which is, let’s face it, just a big green Mark Ruffalo. When the Savage Hulk takes over, his face exceeds Ruffalo’s proportions and we get a sense that we’re seeing a Monster, an inhuman Beast, and the danger is palpable. This illusion is shattered, however, when he’s talked down at the mere mention of his human name by a young man in a mask. We love Peter and his tireless mission to save everyone, but he is no Betty Ross. It frankly shouldn’t have been that easy.

That one petty gripe aside, this movie is truly excellent. Street-level Spider-Man running down leads to take down a threat unlike any he’s ever encountered before while fighting to suppress his own literal inner animal makes for an engaging, fast-paced, exciting story. Bringing in the wider roster of his Amazing Friends really showcases what the fictional and ticket-buying world sees in Spider-Man: the best of us, the relentless pursuit of justice, peace, and what it means to be a neighbor. Watching Peter struggle with his own feelings of being so far removed from the community he’s protecting, struggling with the moral quandary of wanting to be in his friends’ lives but knowing the danger therein, makes for compelling drama and a heartfelt film.

Spider-Man has been to the edge of the galaxy and back but we all agree that he’s at his best when he’s swinging through New York City and protecting individuals he knows by name and loves as neighbors. While we all know we’ll next see him in Battleworld in Avengers: Secret Wars, this outing brings him back to his roots, both literally and metaphorically. Spider-Man has always been about hope, doing what’s right, and leading with empathy. While the film does use archival footage to frame certain story points throughout, there is a freshly-filmed scene with Marissa Tomei as Aunt May that serves as a memory to ground Peter Parker. In it, she articulates that whatever adoration Peter may receive as Spider-Man pales in comparison to the human bond he creates with the people who love Peter Parker. That the hero is a construct, created by the empathy and community that propels it to action. Spider-Man is an acrobatic and impressive hero of enormous strength and ability, but he’s just a suit. Peter Parker is a hero, not because of his power, but because of his innate acceptance of his responsibility and the love that fuels his actions.

Overall Score: 9/10

Spider-Man: Brand New Day marks a transformative chapter in the life of one of Marvel’s foundational superheroes. One that reminds us that our power comes from our hearts rather than our bodies. Intelligence can take one far but without intent or community it is wasted in a vacuum. No man is an island and we can’t nurture our relationships by ignoring them. All that sentimentality aside, Spider-Man: Brand New Day also gives us our busiest Spider-Man, offering the most fights with the strongest adversaries, a bevy of new friends, and a universe-expanding introduction of new characters, abilities, and classes of heroes and villains. This will go down as one of the finest entries in the MCU, and if the upper brass has any sense, a blank check for director Destin Daniel Cretton to do with as he pleases.

Have you seen Spider-Man: Brand New Day yet? What did you think of it? Where is it intimating that we’re headed to next, and are you excited to go there? Let us know in the comments below and check back here for all your movies, comics, and pop culture news and reviews.