Spider-Man, Spider-Man, does whatever a spider can…which in this case is raking in over a billion dollars in just a few days with the release of Brand New Day, becoming the second fastest film in history to hit that milestone, ticking the biggest Monday haul ever, and surpassing Avengers: Endgame’s debut. So it’s safe to say a lot of you have seen the movie, so we’re going to be diving into spoiler territory in this review. If you’re looking for a spoiler-free review, check out this review here.
Jon Watts steps away from directing duties for this fourth Spider-Man movie, which allows Shang-Chi and Wonder Man co-creator Destin Daniel Cretton to step into the director’s chair. The change is quite noticeable. This movie feels quite different from the previous entries, in a way that’s both refreshing and welcome. It’s a lot more tangible than previous films, thanks to shooting on location (with Glasgow doubling for New York) and a practical costume instead of a digital one. The camera work is also noticeably different as well, with a lot of handheld shots getting us into the more chaotic and intimate moments of the film. But this is a film that’s also a bit heavier than previous Spider-Man films starring Tom Holland. The themes a bit more nuanced, a bit more complex. There’s still Marvel humour, but a lot less of it than I was expecting for a webslinger movie, and none of it compromised the drama, which was welcome.
I quite liked the themes of Peter Parker struggling to be, well, Peter Parker. Four years have passed since Dr. Strange wiped everyone’s memory of him as the webslinger, so he’s been living in relative anonymity and isolation, while Spider-Man has never been more popular. Crime is down thanks to him (but no mention of my boy Daredevil and him taking out the mayor! What gives?!), and he’s a bona fide celebrity hero that everyone looks up to. But when the mask is off, he’s still Spider-Man. He has no real life outside of crime fighting, so much so that even his police liaison Detective DeWolff is urging him to take a minute and step back. By the end, he accepts that he doesn’t have to stop every crime, and opts to hang with Ned instead of preventing a bank robbery, something DeWolff insists the NYPD can easily take care of. In this age of overworking and mounting stress due to the economy, jobs, and social pressures, it was nice to see Spider-Man struggle with these very relatable and grown-up feelings. Peter isn’t in high school anymore, so his problems have evolved beyond the hallways of school now too.
I also liked how the film handled the situation with MJ, who, like everyone else, has no memory of who Peter Parker is, nor their relationship. By the end, she learns that Peter is indeed Spider-Man, but they’re still not back together romantically. She has no memory of their time together; she has no idea who this man is to her. It did remind me of how Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 handled the Gamora situation a bit, but I did enjoy that this situation wasn’t wrapped up in a neat little bow by the end to be palatable for the audience. Instead of finding romance with MJ, Peter does end up getting a bromance with Frank Castle, who yes, is far more toned down compared to his TV show appearances, but the good cop/bad cop routine between them in the movie was a strong point. I honestly thought Castle would be in the film’s opening action scene only, but he’s in the film a lot more than I expected.
Now, I had my theories about who the mystery character was ever since I saw the trailer embedded above. There aren’t too many characters who can get into people’s minds, so I called Jean Grey quite a while ago and managed to avoid all leaks and spoilers leading up to it. So yes, Sadie Sink is indeed playing Jean Grey in this movie and serves as a sort-of antagonist for the film, but not per se the villain. Much like Peter, she’s suffering from a sense of isolation and being different, but is channelling that feeling into rage and revenge towards the DDC, who have abducted her sister Sarah due to her psychic abilities. Jean Grey does some pretty villainous things in this movie, which does make her redemption in the eyes of Peter in the final act a bit conflicting. Sure, Jean has good intentions, finding her missing sister, but she’s also done quite a lot of harm, damage and probably killed a few people in her quest (the guy who got hit by the car, for instance?) She also does some pretty dark stuff, such as forcing MJ to jump off a building (and we know there’s always the chance of a necksnap when Peter’s love falls from high places!). Never mind unleashing the Hulk. So she never gets to atone for what shes’ done (whereas Banner probably lost his job teaching), but we do see her heading upstate, likely to eventually cross paths with Charles and the other X-Men.
There’s a few things in the movie that do fall apart when you think about them. While it was great to see angry/scary Hulk again, his inclusion does bring up a few questions. Chiefly, why does Banner need an inhibitor for the Hulk all of a sudden? Why wasn’t Frank Castle instantly arrested after bringing Peter to the hospital? He was hanging out in the room for potentially days on end without consequence, despite being a fugitive. I also think the movie had some pacing issues. It’s a shorter film than The Odyssey, but it did feel longer at times.
But that’s my thoughts on Spider-Man: Brand New Day! It’s my second favourite of the Tom Holland Spidey films easily, thanks to a more grounded take both in the story and within the filmmaking process. It’s good to see him dealing with more street-level events again (or, small potatoes as Yelana calls them) as opposed to going to space or dealing with the cosmic events of a multiverse. It’s the win Marvel desperately needed, even if they’re sharing it with Sony, and I would certainly watch another one directed by Destin Daniel Cretton.
