SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY swings into action with both a more mature Spider-Man and yet somehow a more playful or relevant comic book style that feels different from its predecessors. Personally, I found it to be cool, engaging, and fun. More importantly, my nearly 10-year-old son thought it was, “Soooo Great!”
It has been five years since 2021’s SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME, which was a huge success ushering in the multi-verse, shocking audiences as it brought back past villains and previous Spider-Man’s into one movie. The film ends, at the request of Spider-Man (Tom Holland) in order to save the world, with Dr. Strange performing a spell that causes the entire world to forget the existence of Peter Parker.
The Synopsis: It’s a BRAND NEW DAY for Peter Parker. Fighting crime full-time as Spider-Man in a world that doesn’t remember him—and the pressure of seeing his old friends move on without him—sparks a change in Peter he may not have the power to control. But that transformation might also be the only thing that can stop a shocking new threat to the city and those he loves – a powerful villain no one can even see.
At the request of studios wanting to keep story details under wraps, I will keep my review vague and brief. The story wisely montages through the 4 years of college, which establishes Spidey’s success, MJ (Zendaya) and Ned’s (Jacob Batalon) college and social success, and Peter Parker’s extreme loneliness. The film adds a handful of exciting new characters who are familiar to comic book fans. And of course, the film wisely adds a smidge of smash, with Mark Ruffalo returning as Bruce Banner and The Hulk for a couple of extremely entertaining scenes.
Tom Holland seems to be born to play Spider-Man and it’s interesting to see how wonderful he seems to understand all the nuanced emotions of Peter Parker. Director Destin Daniel Cretton constructs an exciting, well-contained film with thrills, skills, and confidence. SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY feels odd with Spidey no longer being that highschool or even college aged kid anymore. But at the same time, the film feels more realized as a non-Avenger, solo-styled, comic book story. Don’t get me wrong, the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man gets a lot of amazing, incredible, and punishing help, but he is definitely the hero of the film. The PG-13, 2 hour 25 minute film could have been a touch shorter, but my son disagrees and was thrilled to get all the more web-slinging Spidey screentime. Simple review: I thought SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY was really good, while my son thought it was really great. That’s a web-thin line of a difference.
