Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton — Screenplay by Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers.
It has been five years since the last time we saw Spider-Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). The interconnected universe of Marvel movies has since changed, and the core cast of the Tom Holland-led Spider-Man films has grown up. To pull off a soft reboot that reflected this — albeit with the same characters and actors — the decision-makers turned to Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings director Destin Daniel Cretton, after it became clear that Jon Watts, who had directed the first three Holland-led films, opted not to return. As has become the norm with the Spider-Man films in the world of the MCU, Cretton’s film has to juggle both universe-furthering elements and a relatively standalone Spider-Man-focused narrative that is honest to the journey the character had been on. This juggling act came under even more pressure when it became clear that the superhero films that have come out since the last Spider-Man film haven’t been performing as well as they once did, both at the box office, with audiences, and with critics. Time will tell if Destin Daniel Cretton’s Spider-Man: Brand New Day becomes the film to turn the tide positively for the interconnected universe, but what I can say now is that Cretton’s film is a terrific one that seems to fully understand the titular character, how he works best, and how best to update the style of these films.
When we last saw Peter Parker in a live-action film, the events of the multiverse-focused Spider-Man: No Way Home dictated that Tom Holland’s Peter Parker had to have Doctor Strange cast a spell to erase Peter Parker from everyone’s memory to save the multiverse. And so he did, meaning that everyone, including his girlfriend MJ (played by Zendaya) and his best friend Ned (played by Jacob Batalon), forgot who he was. Alone and afraid that his inserting himself into the lives of the people he loves would endanger them, Peter opted to focus on superhero vigilantism in New York City. That’s where we find him in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, which is set four years after the events of the previous film. While Ned and MJ went to and graduated from university, Peter became the ‘friendly neighborhood’ Spider-Man in ‘The City That Never Sleeps,’ becoming immensely popular in the process despite struggling in his private life. When he finds out that MJ and Ned are back in the city after graduation, he starts experiencing severe distress and believes that the arachnid DNA in his body is causing him to change in ways that he struggles to control. Meanwhile, an unknown telepath capable of possessing the minds and bodies of everyone, except for Peter, starts causing havoc in New York City, as they are hellbent on getting to someone or something that the Department of Damage Control possesses. When Peter tries to stop them, the telepath targets Peter’s loved ones, causing Peter to try to juggle both stopping the telepath and protecting the people he loves.
As I mentioned above — and as the title indicates — this is essentially a soft-reboot for Tom Holland’s Spider-Man. Brand New Day is a film that sees the character, in a sense, graduate from the teenage superhero version of the character and over to the more miserable adult Spider-Man that everyone loved from the 2000s Sam Raimi Spider-Man films. Indeed, it feels particularly indebted to Sam Raimi’s films, as certain images and elements clearly reference them (including, but not limited to, the fact that his powers are, sort of, affected by his mood, and the fact that one of the elements of the plot is an inhibitor on the back of one’s neck, both of which call back to Raimi’s Spider-Man 2). It’s not just the location and narrative details that are noticeably different from the previous Tom Holland Spider-Man films; it is also noticeably more mature. Don’t get me wrong. There are moments of maturity in the other films, but in this latest film, the character-focused drama feels like more of a stable current running through the entire film, while the comedy is not as pronounced as in previous films. The Peter Parker portion of the plot is told with a remarkably steady hand. Holland gets moments with Zendaya that are emotionally affecting, because both performers turn in work that is arguably better than anything we’ve seen from them in these specific films before. The scenes that Holland and Zendaya have together elevate the film quite a bit, for me, as their scenes together take the events of this film and the previous film very seriously. As such, it feels worthy of mentioning their dynamic in the same breath as the one shared between Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone, as well as Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst, because both the actors and the writing are quite good.
Those expecting Avengers-level threats may feel somewhat unsatisfied with the often more street-level focus of the threats, but I think this is a breath of fresh air after the overwhelming and perhaps somewhat overstuffed recent multiverse-level films. It also works as a warm blanket for long-time fans of the character, because it returns him to his cinematic roots in New York City and earns a high level of emotional investment in the process. I’ll also add that there are plenty of references to both the MCU and the characters in it and at the edges of it, and while the film does feature non-Spider-Man Marvel heroes, I thought the characters were utilized really well. Jon Bernthal is a genuine highlight here, as an, admittedly, PG-13 version of the trigger-happy Punisher. Bernthal and Holland’s rapport is delightful, and the way the characters bounce off each other, so to speak, and bicker is so good that I now feel they have to bring back Bernthal in future Spider-Man films. I will say that in one or two scenes towards the end of the film, the assured translation of street-level R-rated Punisher into a Disney-adjacent MCU narrative fractures slightly, when he becomes a little bit too cheery or upbeat. Though he doesn’t feature in the film as much as Bernthal does, Mark Ruffalo works great here in the Dr. Connors-type role that Bruce Banner inhabits here, and the Hulk action we get here is terrific. I’ll also add that the small handful of scenes with Florence Pugh are quite charming.
Although it thematically doesn’t always go for the jugular, I do want to highlight how the film aims for some pretty interesting ideas. The film flirts with modern issues of male loneliness and depression. It is certainly an ingredient, so to speak, but it doesn’t hit you over the head with the idea that this is what it’s doing, despite a scene in the film that emphasizes that one needs to open up to the world and foster friendships. I also think it is interesting that this, eventually, becomes a film about how you shouldn’t blindly trust government-backed entities put in place to keep you safe, but it doesn’t fully follow through on that focus. I would’ve liked to have heard Peter Parker utter dialogue that further emphasized how key this is to the narrative, to drive it home, so to speak. That said, it is undeniably a key aspect of Sadie Sink’s secret character, the identity of which I won’t spoil. But Sink is absolutely terrific in the emotional scenes that allow her to actually be a fully formed character and not just a cloaked individual.
Aside from some character nitpicks, there are a couple of issues I should mention. I do think the film is slightly overlong and uneven in structure. Although I definitely don’t think it hits you over the head with the MCU-furthering elements of the plot, the identity of one of the key characters in the plot indicates that the film serves as a backdoor pilot, so to speak, to their future adventures. I did feel this as I was watching it, and perhaps this film would be better served with a more clear-cut standalone antagonist than is the case. At the same time, I really do like the scenes where this character comes to the forefront, so it’s not a major issue. But it does feel like the second half of the film is partly built the way it is for the future of the interconnected universe rather than solely to maximize the potential of this solo story.
When compared to Watts’ films, I do think it is fair to say that Cretton’s film is an improvement when it comes to the action. I found it to be noticeably better. I think the hand-to-hand combat is shot in a way that makes it clearer and more dynamic. Although I’m not big on overuse of slow-motion in superhero films, I liked how Cretton’s film uses slow-motion on frames that are particularly comic book-esque (and multiple of these are lifted directly from iconic comic book covers). The action scenes involving the Hulk or the Hand are particularly exciting. For example, there’s this one shot with Hulk where the camera twists with Spider-Man’s motion in a way that reminded me of Inception. With regards to the Hand, the action choreography of an extended fight sequence in the third act is quite impressive. There’s also a lot of dynamic action in the film that feels very much inspired by the Insomniac Spider-Man PlayStation games. Also, I thought it was such a smart choice to actually make the suit feel more real this time around. You see wrinkles in the suit, and there’s also an extreme close-up shot of Holland’s eye from inside the mask, which is fantastic, just to name a few style choices that really work.
Making the 38th entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in a way that both honors the character and the complicated interconnected universe it sits in isn’t an easy task, and we’ve seen filmmakers struggle to handle the juggling act well in other films. But Destin Daniel Cretton understood the assignment, and he has turned in a film that is remarkably light on its feet despite how much baggage it carries. Spider-Man: Brand New Day is spectacular. It returns the immensely popular titular character to his cinematic roots and recaptures some of the magic that made prior New York City-set entries work so well. The action is clearly an improvement on the previous three Tom Holland-led films, the core returning cast is afforded scenes that allow them to handle the film’s mature themes in ways that show how much they’ve grown as performers, and the film makes it clear that the filmmakers understood exactly what ingredients are crucial to make an emotionally engaging Spider-Man film. As such, it is not just a worthy Spider-Man sequel, but it’s also one of the very best MCU films we’ve had in quite some time.
8.7 out of 10
– Review written by Jeffrey Rex Bertelsen.
