Review 788: Spider-Man: Brand New Day
As someone who felt that the ending of No Way Home was an overcorrection, I was pleasantly surprised by how well this film built off of that foundation and how it leaned into to showcasing how cut off from the rest of society and is now dedicating his entire existence to being Spider-Man. I don't mind admitting that there were times throughout the film where I was actively encouraging Peter to tell MJ and Ned the truth. And I was surprised by how nuanced and steadily it was handled over the course of the film: Peter, MJ and Ned are forced to deal with the consequences of his decision at the end of No Way Home.
This gives the film an undercurrent of Acceptance, Loneliness and coming to terms with life not going back to the way it was. While also exploring mental health, depression and grief through the self isolating Peter Parker who's dedicated his whole life to being Spider-Man. The whole point of this film is that Peter shouldn't be alone, he actually needs human connections to keep him on the straight and narrow. He's struggling and needs other people to help him. As he says "Sometimes Spider-Man has to do the hard thing even if it breaks Peter Parker's heart." That creates a pressure and a stress spark this metamorphosis inside of him.
For those excited at the prospect of seeing Spidey duke it out against Boomerang & Tarantula, Scorpion (Better Call Saul's Michael Mando reprising the role after a bit part in 2017's Spier-Man: Homecoming) or crime boss Lonnie Lincoln/Tombstone (Marvin Jones III), prepare to be slightly disappointed as they're dealt with in the films otherwise entertaining opening montage.
To tackle this strange new entity, Peter/Spidey is forced to consult Yelena Belova (a delightful cameo from Florence Pugh); they converse while relaxing in a heated baths while he's only wearing his swim shorts and mask. He also consults Bruce Banner/Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) who now teaches at ESU, he's only in a couple of scenes but they're of central importance and he brings his signature dorky, good nature to them. The film skilfully juxtaposes Bruce Banner's dormant Hulk persona against Peter's budding spidy mutation showing if you try and cage the beast, the beast gets angry. Jean literally ruins the life that Bruce's worked so hard to improve and I'm uncertain if this will actually lead to anything in the future.
But despite all of these plot detours and side characters, this is much more streamlined & focused story that takes Spider-Man to a much more visceral place that's dangerous what we're use to
Spider-Man: Brand New Day was directed by Destin Daniel Cretton who previously directed the Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and much like that film, he shows a great deal of creativity in the action scenes. There's a sense of dynamism and a visceral nature to them that we just haven't seen in the previous MCU Spider-Man trilogy, some of which feel like they've been ripped from the Insomniac Spider-Man games. There's a hugely exciting and tense tank chase through Manhattan towards the beginning, a brawl with the Hulk did feel a bit fan servicey for a lack of a better term but was very well executed in terms of a visceral brawl - and it makes me worried for Bruce/Hulk's future in the MCU going forward. culminating in a climax with a surprising amount of emotional heft.
the score by Michael Giacchino is the cinematography is sublime; giving the film a grimy, tactile look which gives New York a much more lived in feel than the previous trilogy. The costumes are terrific, particularly the new Spider-Man suit which looks
It's hard to believe that it's been a decade since Tom Holland first debut as the Web Swinger in 2016's Captain America: Civil War. At the time, Spider-Man was coming off a middling duo of films starring Andrew Garfield and directed by Marc Webb and his teenage interpretation which carried over to his trilogy was refreshing and a clever spin on the mythology. This is a role that means a lot to Holland and he's clearly looking for new and exciting places to explore with this character. The kid is now becoming an adult and he's searching He's thrown himself into being Spider-Man as a coping mechanism. He has been dedicating 100% of his life to cleaning up the streets of New York with the mindset that he has to push Peter Parker to the side and allow Spider-Man to take up his entire existence.
We also see Jon Bernthal return as Frank Castle/Punisher from the Netflix side of the MCU. They were such a brilliant double act with one being a hardened, traumatised veteran and the young who has cut himself off from society but is putting on a brave face. Both Peter and Frank are superheroes who live solitary lives away from everyone else; Frank lost his entire family but he sees it as a sentence while Peter sees it as necessary to protect his loved ones. Frank serves a cautionary tale about the journey he could go down if he's not careful. Even they have different methods and ideologies on vigilante justice.
I also enjoyed the Batman/Commissioner Gordon dynamic between Peter and Det. Jean DeWolff (The Bear's Liza Colon-Zayas). Now that Peter has pretty much been wiped from existence, Det. DeWolff is now his only connection to outside world and community. She shows great concern for Peter
Marisa Tomei also shows up for a couple of flashbacks playing Peter's late Aunt May; like Ruffalo and Pugh, she's only in 2-3 scenes but they're very important as well as touching and Tomei, once again, brings her warmth to the proceedings, showing how May is a vital part of Spidy mythos even if she's no longer with Peter.
Of course it wouldn't be an MCU Spider-Man film without an appearance from Michelle (a never better Zendaya) and Ned (Jacob Batalon). Michelle and Ned are entering a new phase of their lives, living together since graduating MIT. Even though Peter has wipped all the memories of the good times they feel like something is missing from their lives , Ned has begun his own investigation in trying to track down Spider-Man and uncover his real identity although as Peter discovers when he stumbles into a housewarming party, he's not even close to uncovering it.
Another solid addition to the cast was Naomi Watts as the voice of Peter's new A.I.
an interesting foil for Holland's Peter Parker.
There's also the matter of Sadie Sink's mystery character: Shocking no one, it's Jean Grey, she might just be the loneliest girl in New York City sans Spider-Man. Someone who like Peter has lost everyone close to her from her disapproving mother to her sister Sarah. She was the one person who understood what Jean When Damage Control took Sarah away, she lost all sense of herself. With nothing else, her mutant powers became her defining thing angrily lashing out at a world that she perceives to have abandoned her.
It's really hard to see Jean as a villain because she really isn't ultimately, she's certainly an antagonist. But the films Peter hides inside the safety of Spider-Man when Peter Parker no longer feels like he has anything to live for whereas Jean uses her hopping abilities to live through other people in her own twisted way and all of that is juxtaposed with the subtly of a baseball bat.
But making her identity a mystery and keeping it at arms length was a detriment to her character as well as but Sink manages to and the Stranger Things star manages to hold her own against her arachnid adversary.
Her appearance means that unfortunately, Brand New Day suffers from more or less the same issue as last year's Captain America: Brave New World. That film for some reason had Sam Wilson's Captain America fight Hulk villains whereas Spidey is now fighting mutants ahead of a Marvel produced X-Men reboot as opposed to someone from his well known rogues gallery and I'm not quite sure what the point was. It feels like an example of the film serving the wider universe as opposed to the story.
Some of these supporting characters are definitely better served than others.
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