This is a quick review of the newly released film Spider-Man: Brand New Man. Please note that this is just one of the many movies I will have watched each year, and my initial grade for this film may change over time, for better or worse. To stay up to date on my thoughts about other movies and any potential changes in my opinion on this one, follow me on Letterboxd.
Plot
Via Letterboxd: Fighting crime full-time as Spider-Man in a world that doesn’t remember him, and the pressure of seeing his old friends move on without him, sparks a change in Peter Parker he may not have the power to control. But that transformation might also be the only thing that can stop a shocking new threat to the city and those he loves - a powerful villain no one can even see.
Review
There was a time when the Marvel Cinematic Universe was the untouchable juggernaut of a franchise, one that other studios didn’t even bother trying to counter-program. Even some hardcore cinephiles counted its event films among their most anticipated releases of the year. Those days are now, largely, gone. We now live in a world where Dune: Part Three didn’t blink at Avengers: Doomsday, and those same cinephiles are cracking jokes at the MCU’s expense when gimmicks like “InfinityVision” pop up onscreen.
However, one brand the MCU can still rely on is Spider-Man. I’d argue that the web-slinger is right up there with the Caped Crusader when it comes to superheroes who can sell a movie on their own, no grand cinematic universe required to get people to show up. And this iteration of Spidey, played by Tom Holland, has been embraced by audiences to the point that he’s become an automatic box office magnet. It certainly doesn’t hurt that Holland is also showing up in another major event film alongside wife Zendaya and Jon Bernthal just two weeks after they were all part of The Odyssey ensemble.
On my end, Holland’s Spider-Man films have been enjoyable, though I can’t say I’ve been as in love with all of them as audiences have. His first appearance in Captain America: Civil War was delightful, Spider-Man: Homecoming and Spider-Man: Far From Home were enjoyable enough, and Spider-Man: No Way Home is second only to the 2002 Spider-Man as my personal favorite Spidey film.
While my feelings on this continuity of Spider-Man movies have varied, I’ve always praised Tom Holland as the best Peter Parker I’ve seen onscreen. I’d rank him above Maguire, Garfield, and anyone else who has thrown on the suit. And in this latest outing, Spider-Man: Brand New Day, Holland delivers his best performance as the web-slinger yet. You can tell that after playing the character across four solo films and three ensemble superhero movies, he has only gotten better at understanding who Peter Parker is and what Spider-Man is supposed to represent.
This time around, Spider-Man has other Marvel heroes joining him. The previously mentioned Jon Bernthal reprises his television role as Frank Castle, AKA The Punisher, while Mark Ruffalo returns as Bruce Banner, AKA The Hulk. There’s also another superhero appearance, but marketing has kept that one a secret, and I’ll respect readers who haven’t caught up with the film yet by not spoiling the surprise.
Both Bernthal and Ruffalo nail their performances, though the latter doesn’t have nearly as much screentime as one might expect. Bernthal, meanwhile, is introduced into his first MCU film appearance in a rather clunky and jarring fashion; but the screenplay makes up for it thanks to how good Frank and Peter’s back-and-forths are.
The first act is the most jarring part of the movie actually, particularly the opening ten minutes. We get a barrage of quick cuts and edits catching us up on Spidey’s antics since No Way Home, including a rather offhand mention of Daredevil’s villainous organization, The Hand. I’ve written and spoken about this before, but as someone who simply doesn’t have the time to watch every MCU television show, I always get a little annoyed when major TV elements get folded into these films. Fortunately, I watched those old Netflix series back in the day, so I already knew what I needed to know about both Frank Castle and The Hand.
Once that rough opening stretch passes, however, Brand New Day settles into something far more grounded and emotionally mature, the kind of film we really haven’t seen from the MCU in quite some time. It balances the action, drama, and audience-pleasing MCU comedy surprisingly well. At points, I almost felt like I was seeing flashes of those pre-Infinity War standalone MCU movies.
That said, the film is still juggling a lot. Spider-Man has to navigate relationships with superheroes he knows, figure out how to approach his best friend and ex-girlfriend after they’ve forgotten he exists, deal with his evolving powers causing him to lose control of them, and unravel the main mystery involving a hidden villain whose role has been largely concealed in the marketing. For me, all of that occasionally made the movie feel bloated, and I definitely felt the weight of its two-hour-and-fifteen-minute-plus runtime.
Ultimately, I walked out of my screening having enjoyed the experience quite a bit. But given all the hyperbole I’d seen from critics who got to see it early (once again, Disney didn’t bother giving us Tampa Bay critics a major screening) I was left a little underwhelmed because the movie never quite reached that upper tier for me.
While I appreciated the more grounded and emotionally mature storytelling, it also translated into a film that occasionally felt like filler or forced setup for future MCU projects. Like I said earlier, this absolutely hits the spot as a popcorn action flick, and audiences will have plenty of laughs and crowd-pleasing moments to react to. But the story never achieves the level of distinction that I associate with the MCU’s very best films.
If you’re looking for a grounded and mature Peter Parker story, you’ll probably enjoy this even more than I did. However, if you come away feeling like you just watched a bridge between bigger events, or a stealth setup for another team of heroes, you may find yourself where I did. I really liked Spider-Man: Brand New Day as a movie on its own terms, but when viewed as part of the MCU’s larger vision, its noticeable flaws keep it from living up to the immense hype that has surrounded it.
“TL;DR”
Pros: The most grounded an MCU sequel has been in quite some time; Most emotionally mature these Spider-Man films have been; Tom Holland’s best performance yet as Peter Parker; Great mixture of action, drama, and comedic audience moments; Plays well enough as its own separate film
Cons: Bloated with various subplots which lead to the movie overstaying its welcome with me; First act is roughest part with some jarring fast-tracking of inclusions from other marvel properties
