A forgotten Peter Parker lives alone as a full-time Spider-Man until mounting pressure triggers a dangerous change and a powerful new enemy emerges.
I have thoroughly enjoyed all of Tom Holland’s SPIDER-MAN movies. They have all been heartfelt and compelling, skillfully balancing emotional depth, dramatic tension, and impressive action sequences. At the end of “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” Doctor Strange casts a final spell to make the entire world forget Peter Parker ever existed, leaving him completely isolated. I never read the 2008 comic book that “Brand New Day” was based on, so I had no idea where they were going to go with the story, but thankfully writers Chris McKenna, Erik Sommers, Justin Kuritzkes, and director Destin Daniel Cretton, have crafted not only the most accomplished Spider-Man film thus far, but also one of the most exceptional superhero films I have seen. I don’t say that easily because there are some terrific superhero movies out there, but I believe viewers will find much to appreciate in “Brand New Day.”
As with all MARVEL films, we have been asked not to give away any major spoilers, so this will be a spoiler-free review, though this necessity does limit my ability to discuss certain aspects of the film in detail.
Peter Parker (Tom Holland) continues to serve the city of New York, four years after Doctor Strange’s spell has made the entire world completely forget who Peter Parker is. He continues to watch over MJ (Zendaya) and Ned (Jacob Batalon) from a distance, pining for the friendship only he knows they once shared. While taking on the city’s bad guys, he occasionally has run-ins with Frank Castle (Jon Bernthal)—The Punisher—whose methods contrast sharply with Peter’s own. Their encounters are contentious, yet there is a reluctant respect between them.
Amidst his efforts to protect the city, he soon realizes that something about him is changing. He begins to experience black eyes and fainting spells and develops organic web-shooters. He visits Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) at Empire State University, and they strike up a conversation about Peter’s shifting genetic makeup, and Bruce, himself dependent on a gamma inhibitor, advises caution. Peter attempts to engineer a similar device to suppress his emerging, more volatile spider traits, but its failure leads to increasingly erratic behavior and alarming physical changes.
Soon after, the villain Scorpion attacks New York City, but when Peter apprehends him, he discovers that Scorpion is apparently unaware of his own actions. Peter quickly realizes that a mysterious entity is inhabiting people’s minds and can move from host to host undetected. As he investigates, he realizes that he is contending with a formidable adversary unlike any he has faced before—one invisible even to him.
“Spider-Man: Brand New Day” is almost two and a half hours long, but it never feels like it. By the time the film is over, you feel like you could spend even more time with Peter and his friends—heroes and villains alike. We all know that Sadie Sink is in the film, but the studio has kept her identity a secret, so her eventual reveal is genuinely surprising and elicited an audible reaction at the screening I attended. She is a welcome addition and hints at intriguing possibilities for the future.
The one thing that elevates “Brand New Day” above its three predecessors is its emotional resonance. We can see Peter is doing his best to get on with his life, but he misses MJ and Ned, and we can literally feel Peter’s loneliness and isolation emanating off the screen. Tom Holland delivers a performance of remarkable sensitivity, and it has been some time since I have so keenly felt a character’s inner life rendered on screen. There’s one scene in particular where Peter tries to keep MJ away from the villain so that they don’t get into her mind. For a moment, it looks like she remembers him, and his whole face lights up with joy because she remembers, but then we realize the being is inside her head and is playing with Peter’s emotions. It is a moment as devastating, emotionally, as any physical blow Peter endures, and it stands as a testament to Holland’s dedication to the role.
The action set-pieces are spectacular, and the scenes involving Peter, the Hulk, and Frank Castle are inventive and exhilarating. “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” has to be one of my favorite films of the year, and without a doubt, it surpasses its three predecessors. In recent years, Marvel’s output has been somewhat uneven, but this film demonstrates what is possible when story and character are placed at the forefront. I really wish I could divulge more here, but then I’d be giving away some of the film’s best-kept secrets. I highly recommend seeing this on the biggest screen possible. It is a truly enjoyable film from start to finish, and I am eager to see where the Spider-Man saga will go next.
In Theaters Friday, July 31st
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