Spider-Man: Brand New Day is here to save the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) from itself.
Marvel Studios cleaved the internet in half last week when it released the Avengers: Doomsday trailer. Faithful fans expressed their excitement for the star-studded blockbuster set for release in December, while others cried superhero fatigue. I was one of those who thought, “I’ll be seated for this slop,” because even if Chris Evans’ appearance in the trailer failed to stir any emotions in me, a release in the MCU is unavoidable.
Enter Spider-Man: Brand New Day, the latest installment in the MCU’s Spider-Man series, and directed by Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings’ Destin Daniel Cretton, who takes the wheel from Jon Watts. Tom Holland returns as the titular web-slinger, as endearing as ever, but also a little older and in a much darker place, having lost his aunt May (Marisa Tomei) in the events of 2021’s Spider-Man: No Way Home. To recall, he had also asked Dr. Strange to make everyone forget Peter Parker to save the multiverse, which means he’s been moving through the world alone even though his friends are in reach.
This is where we meet Peter in Brand New Day: cycling through a routine of buying flowers for May’s grave, fighting crime alongside Liza Colón-Zayas’ detective Jean DeWolff, and coming home to his trashy, asbestos-ridden apartment to watch MJ (Zendaya) and Ned (Jacob Batalon) move on with their lives without him on social media.
Breaking Down ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’
I can’t say much about the plot without spoiling it — and I don’t want to make the same mistake Steve Lacy did — but suffice it to say that this is a movie about growing pains. In 2017’s Spider-Man: Homecoming, we were introduced to Holland’s Peter already as the teenage vigilante who’s just having fun. But in Brand New Day, he goes through a second puberty of sorts, during which he comes face to face with the monstrosity of his power and the responsibility that comes with it. He also faces this conflict alongside a new threat to the city.
The exposition leading up to the new character reveal drags on a bit, but the mystery of it manages to keep the viewer hooked, and is paid off with a few tender moments between Peter and the other characters, an armrest-clutcher of an action sequence at the midpoint, a revelatory third act, and just the sheer coolness of what that character can do.
A few fans are griped by the idea of this Spider-Man film being spent introducing another hero to the MCU, but I think that’s a bit of a reductive take. The introduction of the character was exciting, and it didn’t take away from Peter’s story either. If anything, these two characters enriched each other, playing foil and parallel to one another.
In fact, I found most of the side characters instrumental to the plot, serving a purpose beyond making fans briefly point at the screen and cheer (though there was much pointing and cheering). Jon Bernthal is a treat to watch as the trigger-happy but grieving Frank Castle/The Punisher. Florence Pugh brings in the comic relief as Yelena/Black Widow. Mark Ruffalo’s Bruce Banner/Hulk and Michael Mando’s Scorpion are welcome nuisances to further complicate the plot. And Tramell Tillman and Sadie Sink are inspired casting.
Holland has never shone brighter as Spider-Man than in Brand New Day. Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers’ screenwriting allows for a nuanced performance from the British actor, who balances Peter’s humor and perpetual boyishness with the deeper, sadder emotions his bleak situation evokes.
It also helps that Holland’s performance is grounded in a story filmed on a soundstage and on location in Glasgow, which surprisingly makes a convincing enough New York City. Superhero movies like this will always demand green screen and CGI work, but they’re not so overwhelming here that the film fails to be immersive, which seems to be a big reason for the superhero fatigue among fans.
Brand New Day is the most visually pleasant I’ve seen an MCU film look since Jake Schreier’s Thunderbolts. The cinematography is no work of Andrew Droz Palermo’s. But between shots of the streets alive with everyday New Yorkers and first-person shots of Peter swinging building to building, I felt as though Spider-Man could happen in the same universe as HBO’s Girls.
It’s been nine years since Homecoming came out, and after watching Holland in The Odyssey, I thought that he had to do more projects outside Marvel. But with heartfelt storytelling, immersive visuals, and action that keeps you on the edge of your seat, Cretton brings us a Spider-Man that is at once refreshed and familiar. Spider-Man: Brand New Day has restored my faith in the MCU.
Frequently Asked Questions
Destin Daniel Cretton, known for Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, directed Spider-Man: Brand New Day, taking over from the previous director, Jon Watts, for this MCU installment.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day follows Tom Holland’s Peter Parker grieving his Aunt May’s death while living anonymously after erasing himself from his friends’ memories in the previous film. Amid his grief, he must navigate a transformation in his powers and quell a new threat in New York City.
The review argues Destin Daniel Cretton’s grounded storytelling, practical location filming in Glasgow, and restrained visual effects distinguish it from recent MCU releases criticized for unappealing visuals using the Marvel heroes as a cash grab.
The film features Jon Bernthal’s Punisher, Florence Pugh’s Yelena, Mark Ruffalo’s Hulk, and Michael Mando’s Scorpion, alongside new castmates Tramell Tillman and Sadie Sink. The Hand also makes an appearance.
Production took place on soundstages and on location in Glasgow, Scotland, which director Destin Daniel Cretton used to convincingly stand in for New York City.
Recommended Video
