“Spider-Man: Brand New Day” may not be the most fun I have had watching a Spider-Man movie, but this is probably the best one I have seen in a long time.
With a bit of a tonal shift of the Spider-Man narrative, Tom Holland knocks it out of the park in his latest adventure fighting crime in the streets of New York City. Coming off a fun trilogy filled with a young and refreshing take on Spider-Man that featured some cameos alongside the Avengers and two previous Spider-Men, Holland was tasked with showing a different side of Peter Parker as he is working through personal issues into his adulthood.
“Spider-Man: Brand New Day” explores the life and challenges of Peter Parker dealing with living in solidarity and staying anonymous, as he intended at the end of “Spider-Man: No Way Home.” Parker is learning to live with his sacrifice but is longing for the day when he can get his best friend (Ned Leeds) and girlfriend (MJ) back in his life without having to resort to watching Ned’s livestreams on social media. It is just the latest in a long line of stories that show Peter Parker is just a regular guy with regular problems when he is not sending super criminals behind bars.
The story of Peter Parker is great on its own, but it is his relationships that drive this movie. We learn that Spider-Man and Punisher, played by Jon Bernthal, have some history that we only hear about in a way that drives Punisher mad. Bernthal has been terrific as Punisher in the Netflix and Disney+ shows with Daredevil and his own standalone series and special. He delivers that same grittiness in this film, but also gets some comedic moments that fit in well with Spider-Man in a PG-13 film. He’s a tough guy with a foul mouth, but it still works.
Quick spoiler-free cast thoughts
Mark Ruffalo returns as Bruce Banner and Hulk, and he gets some good moments to shine as a bit of a philosophical mentor to Peter Parker and gets some terrific action shots going toe-to-toe with Spider-Man. When it comes to Spider-Man, Punisher, and Hulk, these sequences felt as though they were truly ripped right off the comic pages with the collaborations and confrontations playing out on the big screen. Brett Pawlak nailed it with the cinematography.
Sadie Sink, largely known for playing Max in “Stranger Things,” joins the cast as well. Without spoiling her role, all I will say is I love how they treated her introduction to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and I very much look forward to seeing her future unfold.
“Spider-Man: Brand New Day” does an excellent job of bringing Bernthal, Ruffalo, and Sink into the plot and making sure they each play a pivotal role in the film. None of these felt forced into the picture, which is always a concern when these MCU movies come about, especially when Sony is involved. I can’t quite say the same about another cameo, although I love the character. But I’ll consider that a small potatoes complaint.
I also enjoyed the addition of Tramell Tillman (from “Severance”) to the MCU as the head of the Department of Damage Control, Bill Metzger. If you know anything about this character, then you should probably know we may get to see him again in the future, and that would be a great thing to see.
Final Thoughts
I am a big fan of the Spider-Man franchise, and Tom Holland has been the perfect casting of Peter Parker since he took on the role. He loves the role, and the chemistry with Zendaya as MJ is terrific (to be expected, I suppose). Zendaya gets some great chances to shine in this one as well, which is deserved.
In terms of fun, I may still ride with “Spider-Man: Homecoming” and “Spider-Man: No Way Home” more, but “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” may be the best story we have seen to date. It benefits from years of storytelling the way the original buildup for Avengers did because we have gotten to know and understand the importance of relationships to Peter Parker with his friends, family, and allies. And he uses those experiences to connect with others. It is the ultimate tribute to Peter Parker’s ability to be relatable to everyone.
I enjoyed every minute of this one and look forward to everything that is going to come next.
Movie score: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
3 Potential Spoilery Thoughts
I try not to spoil anything in the above review thoughts, but the following may contain spoilers. So you have been warned.
What the heck happened on Staten Island? I need more on this backstory, but I do appreciate how this may be the next generation of the Budapest reference between Hawkeye and Black Widow.
Florence Pugh and her portrayal of Yelena is always fun to watch, but she may be unnecessary in this movie. She and Peter Parker address the elephant in the MCU with a conversation about the New Avengers not having time to worry about small issues going on in the city. It’s a good retort on people who wonder why a hero doesn’t call the Avengers for help. As we know, the New Avengers are preparing to deal with a pretty big potato.
Speaking of which, how about the post-credit scene?
The post-credit scene wasn’t much you need to stick around for, but it does leave the door wide open for speculation. Typically, when the comment of a character returning pops up, they let us know when. But this post-credit scene leaves the door open.
We don’t know if Tom Holland will return as Spider-Man in “Avengers: Doomsday,” But it is likely he will return for “Avengers: Secret Wars” in 2027. But there are rumors of a previous Spider-Man actor being a part of Doomsday (or maybe Secret Wars). I would love to see either Andrew Garfield or Toby Maguire back on the screen slinging webs one more time. The upcoming Avengers storyline leaves that portal wide open for such an opportunity.
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