Synopsis: After the record-breaking global success of Spider-Man: No Way Home, Spider-Man: Brand New Day marks an entirely new chapter for Peter Parker and Spider-Man. Four years have passed since the events of No Way Home, and Peter is now an adult living entirely alone, having voluntarily erased himself from the lives and memories of those he loves. Crime-fighting in a New York that no longer knows his name, he’s devoted himself entirely to protecting his city — a full-time Spider-Man — but as the demands on him intensify, the pressure sparks a surprising physical evolution that threatens his existence, even as a strange new pattern of crimes gives rise to one of the most powerful threats he has ever faced.
What We Thought:
At this point in time I genuinely have no idea what is or isn’t a spoiler for Spider-Man: Brand New Day so I’ll pretty much ignore half the characters in it and tip toe around who the villain is for the bulk of the film. For two-thirds of the movie it’s pretty much Peter Parker/Spider-Man living life with all those he cares about not knowing he exists because of the spell cast by Doctor Strange in the previous movie. The third act is Spidey realizing what he did for the majority of the flick was wrong and he has to ultimately fix what he did.
The biggest issue with MCU movies is you need to do homework to enjoy the current thing. I’ve seen all of the Tom Holland Spider-Man films, but I have not seen the Jon Bernthal Frank Castle/The Punisher series. I don’t believe Bernthal playing The Punisher in this movie is a spoiler because he’s in the trailer and his name is on all the online posts. There is another character (that I don’t think is a spoiler, but I won’t mention him in case he is) that has technology/is controlled by a piece of tech that is referenced in another Disney+ show that I haven’t seen, but that part is easy enough to follow. You need to see Thunderbolts* to fully understand why another spoiler shows up as well. If you’re a diehard it’s fine, but at this point there are series/films I just haven’t seen.
That being said I did enjoy the movie. Tom Holland got in great shape and looks like a superhero. He looks like a man and not a kid now which is good because the character himself is in his 20s with MJ and Ned graduating college in the movie. Holland plays a perfect Peter Parker and handles the emotional elements with ease. Peter is struggling without his friends and woman he loves and still has grief over the death of his aunt. Spidey has always been an easy character for people to grasp because of that grief and the emotions of his human life vs. superhero life. Holland is turning into a very solid actor and he shines in the role.
Don’t get me wrong, the movie is still very much a superhero movie with Spider-Man swinging through the city, putting bad guys in webs and trying to save New York City. There’s plenty of CGI, plenty of action and multiple bad guys making cameos while one major villain controls everything else going on. Peter doesn’t know who he can trust as he tries to figure what is truly happening.
Then the movie continues into a third act that is needed for future MCU projects. It’s hard to explain without saying who’s in the movie, but the third act is a redemptive arc for both Peter Parker and the person he’s been tracking. Peter realizes his decision to use Strange’s spell had more consequences than he expected. The villain of the movie gets redemption so they can go further into other stories. It drags because it doesn’t seem to know when to end.
That’s the biggest issue with the film, it’s too long. Once the villain is caught you think the movie is over, but there’s still a third act that feels completely out of sync with what we just watched. I understand the need to develop the character, get them to where they will be needed and set up future stories, but the movie felt like it had ended and then gets dragged into another direction.
All that being said Spider-Man: Brand New Day is another solid Tom Holland movie. It should do very well at the box office and despite the third act, still feels like a standalone movie. It opens the door for future stories, but still has its own beginning and ending (even if it takes a while to get there). Overall I had fun with it and enjoy the cast of Holland, Zendaya, Jacob Batalon and more. Try to go in without finding out spoilers and you should enjoy it. If you’re a fan of the Holland Spidey flicks then it is…
Recommended!
The Nerds Templar 