Taking off right after the events of the previous film, Spider-Man: No Way Home, the latest installment, Spider-Man: Brand New Day, follows Peter Parker (Tom Holland) in a world that has forgotten him. Spider-Man is now a tortured hero, who spends all of his time fighting crime as his masked vigilante. He’s no longer juggling school or work. In his spare time, he watches the posts, videos, and live feeds of his best friend Ned (Jacob Batalon) and the love of his life, MJ (Zendaya), who are living their college life at MIT without him. Free from the burden of putting anyone in danger for knowing his secret identity, he is better equipped to fight crime, yet deeply trapped by the choices of his own heroism.
Holland was born to play Peter Parker, it seems. He manages to capture the innocence, the pathos, and the vibrancy of the character, as well as the sheer physicality required for the role. In the past Spider-Man films, there were so many scenes where he was forced to take off his mask, mostly because producers and whatnot worried that audiences couldn’t connect with a masked hero. But not this film. In Spider-Man: Brand New Day, a huge chunk of the story has Spider-Man completely masked. Whether or not it’s really Tom Holland underneath the suit at all times is up for grabs, but his unmistakable voice and body language create that connection. It is such a vital part of the story: he is living behind the mask because it’s the only way he knows how to exist in this chapter of his life. The pain and loss of the previous film carry right over into this one.
The film, directed by Destin Daniel Cretton and written by Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers, has an amazing sense of pacing and narrative flow. They quickly speed through time, yet we never feel lost. We see his life in large fragments, coming to understand just how lonely Peter Parker’s world has become by choosing to cut himself off. And all this ties wonderfully to the main villain propelling the story forward: a powerful telepath that can jump into other minds and possess their bodies. Only Spider-Man’s enhanced awareness and senses can detect when the villain jumps from one host to the next, giving him a natural immunity to having his mind controlled.
How does Spider-Man fight someone he cannot see and cannot touch?
As I said before, the pacing is so good because this isn’t just a character study of Peter Parker living with his choices, it’s also a full-scale superhero movie with a whole roster of heroes and villains turning up to complete the story.
There are the ones from the trailers, like The Punisher (Jon Bernthal), Bruce Banner/Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Scorpion (Michael Mando), and The Hand; and then there are the surprise cameos that hadthe audience clapping and screaming when they showed up.
It’s packed with a lot of action and superheroics to ensure it never gets boring. But in a way, it’s also a coming-of-age story. Peter Parker must grow up all over again because the weight of his choices are bearing down on him. And as the trailer suggests, he is entering a whole new stage in his life; and a new stage in his mutation.
In a way, this is a story about evolution and adaptation. One needs to change to survive, and while the choices Peter has made make him feel safe, they are also destroying him in the process. This is mirrored and contrasted by the choices of Bruce Banner and, in a beautiful and very enjoyable way, by The Punisher. And it is also reflected upon that of the villain.
Holland has this character down to a tee. He makes no false moves as Peter Parker. Zendaya and Jacob Batalon keep the film grounded in its emotional core, giving Peter something to miss. Bernthal is also such a joy to watch. This is still the Frank Castle we know, but he somehow manages to still fit into a PG film without breaking character. There’s a lightness to him that fits the movie’s tone while still retaining all the darkness of The Punisher.
And Sadie Sink? I’m not saying a word. But I thought she portrayed her character in the most effective way possible. She appears one hour into the film and completely shifts its course with her arrival and character reveal. She can express so much while staying completely still, letting her eyes do all the heavy lifting. It’s a wonderful performance that will be talked about for days to come.
I have yet to see a Tom Holland Spider-Man movie that I didn’t like. I hope he’ll want to play this character until he physically can’t do so anymore. I’m no longer a big fan of comic book movies, but this one I’ll still be showing up for an opening day.
My Rating: 5 Stars
Spider-Man: Brand New Day hits theaters TODAY! Anchored by Tom Holland’s finest performance yet, incredible action, and game-changing character reveals, this is a top-tier Spidey entry that demands to be seen on the biggest screen possible. Check showtimes and grab your tickets now before they sell out!
