Spider-Man: Brand New Day Review

Spider-Man: Brand New Day posits itself as just that: a brand new day for the MCU’s iteration of the popular webslinger, one that seems to take the character back to his core as a broke 20-something year old who is desperately trying to find the balance between being Spider-Man and being Peter Parker (Tom Holland). Four years after Dr. Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) cast a spell that made everyone forget who Peter Parker is, we find him older, lonely, and working full time as Spidey with his only friend being Detective DeWolff. Ned and MJ (Jacob Batalon, Zendaya) don’t remember him and the emotional toll is starting to activate the somewhat dormant spider-gene and making him experience spider-puberty all over again. Punisher and Hulk make an appearance here and lend the movie to the feel of the classic team up crossover comics. 

Deciding to make a street level Spider-Man movie is probably the best thing that this movie does. The big hero fatigue comes from having someone like Spider-Man have to stop a world ending threat and the move to just have him fight someone in New York who isn’t (at this point at least) hellbent on destroying everything in their path was a nice touch. It gives us a chance to become reacquainted with Peter Parker, only this time through the lens of Spider-Man. The mask stays on for the majority of the movie, which feels like the team making it was staking their claim as this being the first “Spider-Man” movie in the MCU. Watching him move around with just a mask felt like a move pulled straight from a comic and Holland’s performance here is as good as it’s ever been. He misses his friends and that shows even through the mask, but the movie isn’t only about him trying to get back to basics with his friends, but rather about him adjusting to a world where no one knows who he is. He’s older now, a bit lonelier and figuring out what life looks like as a 22 year old masked vigilante, and in that he plays it really straight while also letting the audience carry some of the weight with him. 

The inclusion of the Punisher and Hulk (Jon Bernthal, Mark Ruffalo) give the movie a Saturday morning cartoon vibe that works for the majority of the movie, despite the two not getting as much screentime as they would in an episode or an issue of a comic book. The way the movie weaves these two characters into the larger Spider-Man story is functional if not a bit messy at times, but overall this function helps the story move forward. Sometimes it stumbles over itself but it is exciting to watch Spider-Man and Frank Castle yell at each other and go back and forth as they both have drastically different approaches to the “hero work” they’re doing. Spider-Man wants to save everyone with minimal injuries, but The Punisher walks the streets with a grudge and a few screws loose and isn’t afraid to leave anywhere he goes with a new paint job and some fleshy decor. Watching the two figure out how to compromise with one another while retaining their morals works here for the most part, the only one who kind of doesn’t work here is Bruce Banner or Hulk. He only serves to give Peter inspiration for making an inhibitor to help him contain his spider-puberty from spiking and is later used as a wrecking ball in a major action sequence. Honestly, it wouldn’t be an issue to use him like this if it didn’t fall into a greater issue of these movies not really knowing how or when to use Hulk. Every once in a while, they get it right (see Thor: Ragnarok) for example, but other times they just shoehorn him in for effect. Sure I might be a little disappointed we didn’t get the debut of Gray Hulk here, because if we were going to try to expand on the Hulk lore without really doing the groundwork, why not just introduce a new character. Punisher works here, Hulk is just set dressing.

The worst kept secret surrounding this movie is probably the inclusion of Sadie Sink. She plays a villain here that without spoilers feels forced and only present for some sort of brand synergy leading into Avengers: Doomsday. It’s no secret that the X-Men will play some sort of large role in Doomsday, but here Sink’s character just feels like the bridge between films. Does she pose a threat for Spider-Man? Sure, and she gives him something to investigate, but by that same note the investigation seems to go on for quite a while with Sink using the people she puppeteers to taunt Spider-Man. Sink isn’t really given a lot to do here and by the time the movie reaches its big emotional beat for her, she hasn’t been given enough leeway to let it all out throughout the movie. So, all of her pent up aggression comes off a bit disingenuous. No knock to Sink, as this seems more like a script issue and she’s trying the best with what she’s given, but it’ll be more interesting to see how this character develops down the line and fits into the larger puzzle. 

Spider-Man: Brand New Day is a messy cacophony of sounds and images that serve as a good Spider-Man movie, but also kind of a throwaway. It’s admirable to take the stakes down a few notches—when it works it really excels, but never really reaches the highs of the original Tom Holland trilogy. The cinematography here is good and snappy and feels like things were lifted straight from the comic panels or most recent Insomniac Spider-Man games, but also is a bit muddy in the CG department. The movie is a real give and take and for everything there is to love, there’s something that brings it down. Where this new trilogy goes will be something to watch. If it’s more Spider-Man team up movies, bring it on. But, before it leaves out the door they should try to tighten it up a little bit more. 

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