Image: Sony Pictures Releasing.

Author’s Note: Sorry for the late posting, I’ve been visiting family over the last few weeks, which is more than enough time for most people who want to see Spider-Man: Brand New Day to have seen it. As such, this review contains SPOILERS for the entire MCU up to this point as well Spider-Man: Brand New Day.

If there is one criticism that was consistently leveled at the MCU Spider-Man movies, it’s that this incarnation of the hero felt less like Spidey and more like little Tony Stark. From his very introduction as one of Ironman’s supporters in Captain America: Civil War, to his Stark Tech suit in Spider-Man: Homecoming (complete with a babysitting program), and the entire plot of Spider-Man: Far From Home centering around Parker inheriting Stark’s legacy, Spider-Man’s MCU presence has focused less on his own actions than in Tony’s. Even when finally out of Stark’s shadow in Spider-Man: No Way Home, MCU Spider-Man was still relegated to battling other heroes’ villains. It took the entire universe forgetting that Peter Parker even exists for the titular character to finally feel like the hero of his own films.

Rather than opening with “small potato” matters like webbing up bank robbers and muggers, Tom Holland’s Spider-Man came into the universe battling Avengers before then fighting alongside literal gods, flying to alien worlds, and coming back from the dead, all prior to his second solo adventure. This trajectory, beginning big before becoming small, makes the overall arc of MCU Spider-Man feel backwards.

‘Brand New Day’ features the best MCU Spidey suit, in that it isn’t an Ironman hand-me-down.
Image: Sony Pictures Releasing.

Obviously, each film in Home trilogy has highlights and flaws. 2017’s Homecoming introduced this new Ol’ Webhead through a charming pastiche of John Hughes high school comedies. As the youngest debuting Spider-Man at the time, Tom Holland brought a wonderful eagerness to the role. He was idealistic, naïve, and felt more accurate to comic book Peter Parker than either of the actors before him. Yet rather than swinging around in a homemade suit, Homecoming’s Spider-Man was already outfitted with nano-tech and an automatic self-defense system. 2019’s Far from Home furthered the delightful chemistry between Peter, Ned, and MJ (reflecting the eventual marriage of stars Tom Holland and Zendaya) but felt even less like a Spider-Man movie by centering around Tony Stark and removing the Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man from the neighborhood. Lastly, 2021’s No Way Home packed satisfying moments with the inclusion of Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield, and the devastating emotional payoffs of Aunt May’s death and the wiping of all memory of Peter’s existence from this universe, but the plot contortions needed for these moments made Holland’s Parker an absolute buffoon. Peter Parker is supposed to be a brilliant engineer, a “bit of a scientist,” who has already experience the consequences of reality wrapping magic. Yet he bungles through the entire plot to such an extent that the only answer is to remove him from the world. Movie logic therefore dictates that a fourth Spider-Man film would have to be even bigger, with even more villains, and even grander stakes.

Despite the MCU cameos, ‘Brand New Day’ is suitably small scale.
Image: Sony Pictures Releasing.

It is to the immense credit of director Destin Daniel Cretton and screenwriters Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers that Brand New Day completely ignores this logic, crafting a story that, while still a 200 million dollar action spectacle, is deeply personal for the central character. This counter-intuitive approach to storytelling only enhances Brand New Day’s narrative power. Without seeing Spider-Man’s place within this larger universe, we wouldn’t feel the isolation of now being excluded from it. More importantly, the film asks us to ponder what happens to a person when everyone and everything that shaped them, all the relationships and achievements from which they have learned and grown, are forgotten. Do we still exist when we are alone? Do we still matter? In this sense, Spider-Man: Brand New Day is the Marvel Comic Universe’s first real Spider-Man film. It’s been three films, six appearances, and almost ten years, and only now do we have a film where Spider-Man gets to be Spider-Man.

…along with the Punisher, Hulk, and Jean Grey.

Zendaya gives her best performance to date in one devastating scene.
Image: Sony Pictures Releasing.

If there is one aspect of the Marvel Spider-Man movies that is beyond criticism, it’s the chemistry of the main cast. From the very beginning, Holland and Jacob Batalon (as Ned Leeds) have captured the rhythms and shorthand common to close friends, perfectly balancing with Zendaya’s sardonic detachment. Having played these characters for almost a third of their lives, each of the leads now feel so natural in their roles, turning in easily their best performances thus far, even as their roles have changed drastically since we last saw them. The beauty of Brand New Day’s opening montage is in how deftly it establishes the film’s setting: recreations of iconic comic book covers wonderfully portray Peter’s commitment to being Spider-Man, cheering crowds capture his success and acceptance, and Ned’s videos move along both time and Peter’s isolation. Best of all, this fast-forwarding matures these teenage characters into more fully formed versions of themselves. Where many films force their characters into the roles they need for the plot, Brand New Day succeeds at keeping its characters consistent with the ones we knew. At least, as far as the core cast goes.

The same consistency of character isn’t as apparent when it comes to others, particularly Bruce Banner and Frank Castle. Although Mark Ruffalo plays Banner with the same jittery brilliance as always, it’s odd to see the balanced form of Professor Hulk from Avengers: Endgame (and even She-Hulk) suddenly result in a personality so divided and volatile that it requires mechanical suppression. Similarly, The Punisher: One Last Kill, released only two months before Brand New Day, sees Jon Bernthal’s Punisher psychologically broken, leaving a sea of bodies in war-torn New York streets. Granted, time is a bit hazy, with four years passing in minutes, but it does call into question what happened with these characters between their last appearances and Brand New Day. Instead, similar to the way Peter dropped 50 IQ points in No Way Home, we have two characters who seem contorted to fit narratives roles. It is, however, to the film’s credit that these questions do nothing to sideline its momentum.

The action scenes are cool, but the Hand feels very under-utilized in ‘Brand New Day.’
Image: Sony Pictures Releasing.

Where Brave New Day separates itself from the previous films is that rather than having Parker serve as compliment to other heroes, the others are there to compliment him. Frank’s isolation is clearly meant to parallel that of Peter, with them both having lost the people who mean the most to them. Yet where Frank lost his humanity with his family, becoming arguably worst than the criminals he summarily executes, Peter uses his loss to become even more a hero. The joy in their contrast comes in the way that Frank is inspired by Spider-Man. Through equal parts grit and pathos, Bernthal portrays Castle as someone who doesn’t want anyone else to become the monster he is. Their jocular, brotherly relationship reflects the fact that Castle can’t admit this admiration, but can’t entirely hide it.

Similarly, Banner, like Parker, is so afraid of harming the people around him that he decided to sever himself. Again, the parallel is obvious with Parker undergoing a physical transformation, but it’s still very well portrayed on screen. The trouble is that for the amount of screen time devoted to Peter’s transformation into a more spider-like form, the conclusion feels unfinished and unsatisfying. There’s the cocoon, and some control of the spider transformation, but we never get a moment where he has to truly reckon with his inner monster. It’s like watching a Hulk movie where Banner’s eyes turn green but he never becomes the Hulk. A third of the film, and the key to the entire climax, is spent on this plot that is ultimately left unanswered. Thematically it’s too heavy-handed, a physical manifestation of what we understand emotionally. It feels like, rather than tell a complete story, Brand New Day is setting up for a future film.

This criticism is even more prevalent with the introduction of Sadie Sink’s Jean Grey, if only because there are times when Brand New Day feels like a soft launch for the next X-Men film. Fortunately, Cretton deftly weaves what could have been a corporate mandate into further thematic parallel with Jean representing another aspect of Parker’s struggle. Once again we see a character whose ties to humanity are lost, now viewing the world and everyone in it as adversaries. Sink herself is excellent, bringing believable levels of both threat and fear. She’s scared. She’s lost. She’s lashing out.

Jean Grey earns her place in ‘Brand New Day.’
Image: Sony Pictures Releasing.

If there is one great paradox of our time it’s that despite being constantly connected, human beings are increasingly alone. Through social media we can send messages to hundreds, thousands, millions of people in a second; have each of those people to like, reply, share whatever we say; and carry the entire world and everyone in it in our pocket; all while not speaking a single word. Not hearing another voice. Not seeing another face. Online, we are Spider-Man, a persona with thousands of followers marking our every appearance. In person, we are Peter Parker, anonymous, unrecognized, unknown, sitting in a cluttered room with glowing screens, talking to an algorithm programmed to simulate human interaction. At some point we will all feel alone. Our test is how we handle that feeling. It’s in whether we find our best selves, or our worst.

With Frank, we see what happens when people detach from humanity. When they see themselves as the lone authority capable of fixing what they determine is wrong with society. He’s the podcaster decrying the fall of civilization. He’s the politician declaring who should have basic rights. He’s the federal officer pepper-spraying pedestrians in his path (Yes, I know that Punisher would absolutely murder any ICE agent who beats, kidnaps, or shoots an innocent person, but the inclination toward moral authority is still there).

With Jean, we see what happens when people lose faith in their fellows. When they become so isolated within their own world that they view humans as tools. She’s the Twitter poster calling everyone else “NPCs.” She’s the CEO who cuts employee wages to boost her bonus. She’s the billionaire draining an entire lake to make AI videos of herself having friends.

With Peter, we see what happens when a person can’t have the things they love. When they throw themselves so completely into distraction that they get lost in it. He’s the otaku for whom no real woman will ever be perfect enough. He’s the gym bro that can’t tolerate anyone who eats carbs. He’s the incel so isolated and alone that he eventually explodes into fits of violent rage.

We are not spiders. We are human. We are social animals. We need each other. We can’t detach, lose faith, isolate, without losing some part of ourselves.

An inspiration for millions. And hopefully for millions more.
Image: Sony Pictures Releasing.

Brand New Day shows us that we as humans need each other. Even when it feels as though no one else in the entire world acknowledges our presence, that everyone is out to hurt us, or that our mere existence hurts them, there are still people out there who will prove us wrong. What’s more, Brand New Day shows us the importance in being that person. In being the one willing to reach out, to help, to offer a kind word to someone who is struggling.

If there is one thing that has always made Spider-Man a wonderful character it’s that he’s a good person trying to do good things. Whether that be across the universe or across the street, he’s just friendly. He isn’t a billionaire, or a god, or an alien, or any other trope common to savior narratives. He’s powerful, yes, but considerably less so than many others. He uses the skills and gifts he has to help people. And when he fails, which is quite often, he does everything he can to make it right. That is how Spider-Man gets to be Spider-Man.

It took three films, six appearances, and almost ten years, but Brand New Day finally shows us all how to be Spider-Man.

Rating: 4 / 5