Tom Holland’s fourth Spider-Man blends comic-inspired callbacks with some of Marvel’s
It’s been five years since the last live-action Spider-Man movie, and fans have proven the web-slinging hero is still one of the most profitable superheroes of all time.
Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” is the fourth Spider-Man installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, making Spider-Man only the second hero to receive a fourth solo film.
Peter Parker’s (Tom Holland) story resumes after the multiversal events of “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” where the entire world forgets who Spider-Man is — including the people closest to him. The movie immediately jumps into a montage of Spider-Man’s crime-fighting career, which helped bring crime in New York City to an all-time low.
Now a lonely, veteran crime-fighter, Spider-Man puts protecting New York City above himself, even as his body develops strange mutations and a new, mind-controlling villain terrorizes the city.
This is the first of the four movies that feels like the crew put extra effort and care into the cinematography, notably recreating a handful of Spider-Man comic covers. A shot of Spider-Man hanging upside-down and another of him looking out at New York City as the sun rises could be some of the best shots in the entire MCU.
Of Holland’s four Spider-Man movies, this is the first that feels like the crew put extra care into the cinematography, notably recreating a handful of Spider-Man comic book covers.
Spider-Man is by far the star of the movie, but the incredible supporting characters further elevate the film.
The Punisher (Jon Bernthal) works surprisingly well in a rated PG-13 film. Up until now, the ex-Marine-turned-vigilante has only appeared in TV-MA Marvel TV shows, where the antihero is free to kill anyone who interferes with him in a bloody fashion.
His tendency to speak his mind and do things his own way was a great opposition to the boundlessly compassionate Spider-Man. Plus, Holland and Bernthal nailed their back-and-forth banter.
Jean Grey (Sadie Sink) makes her debut in the MCU as the film’s main villain. Historically a member of the X-Men, she’s searching for her sister, Sarah (Olivia Booth-Ford), who was kidnapped by the Department of Damage Control for her telepathic abilities. Although it was executed effectively and Sink did a great job playing a villain, using a member of the X-Men as a villain when Spider-Man’s extensive rogues gallery has not yet been exhausted was an odd choice. I would have preferred an actual Spider-Man adversary like Mr. Negative, Venom or Kraven the Hunter.
Grey’s introduction automatically lowered the stakes because the audience knows she’ll eventually be a hero, whereas the above villains have all done meaningful damage to Spider-Man in the comics.
Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) and his Hulk counterpart also made appearances when Parker visits Banner for advice on controlling his body, which is increasingly leaning into his arachnid DNA.
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Later on, Hulk is mind-controlled by Grey to distract Spider-Man. Eventually, he breaks out of her control and grows into an even larger, full-fledged rageful Hulk. There hasn’t been an angry Hulk since “Thor: Ragnarok” in 2017, and I’m so glad he’s no longer dabbing, as seen in “Avengers: Endgame.”
The action scenes were amazing too.
The Punisher roaring while unloading his entire arsenal into the green giant was hilarious. The choreography for the final fight between Spider-Man and The Hand, a ninja organization under Grey’s mind control, delivers an epic conclusion that saw Spider-Man leveling up in real time.
In other scenes, Spider-Man carries out moves reminiscent of Insomniac’s video games. In the first action scene of the movie, Spider-Man dives onto a rooftop, taking down criminals before saving one he had knocked off — a common occurrence in the video games, which Cretton said they drew inspiration from.
Initially, I wasn’t excited about Spider-Man’s new suit. I thought it looked cheap and too shiny. However, it is stunning in every frame, with the vibrant red and blue standing out against the darker set designs.
Marvel should aim for this standard of directing in every future project.
Unfortunately, the <a href="https://comicvibe.com/bluey-trailer-arrives-at-d23-a-year-ahead-of-its-theatrical-release/” title=”'Bluey' trailer arrives at D23 a year ahead of its theatrical release”>trailers and advertising spoil nearly every major fight scene. The fight with Scorpion (Michael Mando), Hulk and even the final fight with members of The Hand could all be seen in promotions.
Those scenes would have landed harder had Marvel kept more of them a secret before the movie’s release. Omitting some of the key fights in advertising would’ve led to a less predictable movie and moments of surprise — particularly when Spider-Man has to deal with the Hulk.
Additionally, Tramell Tillman, who plays Department of Damage Control Director Bill Metzger, was severely underutilized for the caliber of actor he is. Known best for his role as the soft-spoken, stickler-for-rules Seth Milchick in “Severance,” Tillman could have been a spectacular recurring villain, especially in a role that plays to his strengths.
Instead, he was given few lines and basic villain motivations for torturing and killing Grey’s sister and attempting to do the same to Grey. However, he was not apprehended, so maybe he will return in a future project with a larger role.
Unlike Tillman, Michelle “MJ” Jones-Watson (Zendaya) and Ned Leeds (Jacob Batalon) did not go underutilized and were crucial to Parker’s story. Ned and MJ, who have no recollection of their respective friendship and romance with Parker, serve as the emotional glue and a reminder of what he lost.
The best scene of the movie is when all three of them are together after MJ finds out who Spider-Man really is. Before he swings away, MJ invites him to see Ned in their apartment.
Following Leeds’ excitement, the three of them sit down and hang out, and Parker declares this is the most fun he’s had in years, even though he’s just building a LEGO set with his friend.
Jones-Watson claims they really do look like best friends, revealing a picture she drew of the two of them featuring Parker without his mask on.
The success of “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” is built on beautiful direction from Destin Daniel Cretton, some of the best action sequences in a Spider-Man movie and support from a loaded cast and crew. But Holland as Spider-Man remains the anchor.
In what is now his seventh movie as the hero, Holland brings growth and maturity to Peter Parker, intertwined with a deep loneliness that makes this version of the character feel more lived-in than ever before. Holland has quickly become my favorite Spider-Man actor and should be considered theSpider-Man.
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