By: Kimberly Grant
If you’re a die-hard fan, you’ve probably already seen Spider-Man: Brand New Day. So, it’s safe to assume that you have already formed your own opinion of it. For those of you who haven’t seen the latest installment of the beloved webbed hero, this review is for you.
Storied Beginning
The last time we saw Spider-Man (played by Tom Holland), he was making everyone forget that he’s Peter Parker; including his friends Ned (Jacob Batalon) and MJ (Zendaya). Since then, he’s watched his friends go to and graduate from MIT, while he became Spider-Man full-time. He’s defeated The Hand, Scorpion (Michael Mando), Ramrod (Billy Clements), and even The Punisher (Jon Bernthal), allegedly. Naturally, he’s missing his friends who were a major part of his journey as a superhero.
Grappling with his new normal, Peter tries to reach out to his friends and it sets off a chain of events that will alter who he is forever. I know. That sounds dramatic. That is what happens, though. As he’s trying to stop his mutation, Spider-Man must stop a supervillain that’s only visible to him. So, he’s fighting two separate un-seen forces, while trying to keep it together as he watches his friends start new chapters of their lives without him.
Real
While we do feel bad that Spider-Man is forced to be a loner, the film is really good. Written by Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers (based on Marvel comics created by Stan Lee), Brand New Day shows a natural progression of a superhero when there isn’t a big, bad, world destroying alien on his tail. The story feels, well, real. Normally, there’s a bright, happy feel to Marvel movies, especially Spider-Man since he was a high schooler.
Now that Spider-Man is a full-grown adult, this film feels more mature. Holland is more muscular, giving Peter a more manly appearance. There is less endless chatter and more meaningful conversations in this film. And director Destin Daniel Cretton made sure that there were more serious characters surrounding Spider-Man, while allowing the film to build toward December’s Avengers: Doomsday.
Frank Castle’s The Punisher, who seems out of place in Spidey’s world at first, makes a great yang to Peter’s ying. Dr. Bruce Banner’s Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) also makes a smashing appearance. Yelena Belova’s Black Widow (Florence Pugh) allows Peter and the audience to enter her “office”. And, we get cameos from Naomi Watts’ voice as Spidey’s E.V., Keith David as a narrator of a nature video, and Marisa Tomei as Aunt May. Another fresh addition to the Spidey franchise is Liza Colón-Zayas’ Detective Jean DeWolff and Sadie Sink as Jean Grey.
It’s nice to see that Spider-Man hasn’t reached his shelf life as a superhero and that the character is naturally evolving. Brand New Day, while a little dark, is definitely worth a watch or two. And, it’s the best Spider-Man, yet.
Click here to read more movie reviews by K. A. Grant.
