‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ is a Friendly Neighborhood Masterpiece
Four years. That’s how long it’s been since Peter Parker wiped himself from all the minds in the multiverse, essentially saving the MCU from unraveling at the seams that are barely holding it together. That’s a long time, both in world and since the arrival of Spider-Man: No Way Home in theaters, and it’s been noticeable. While the Marvel Cinematic Universe has continued to spin, with new stories coming and going with varying degrees of success, there has been a Spider-Man-shaped hole. The story of Peter Parker, Spider-Man, was far from over, and audiences were desperate for that next chapter in his life. But the wait is over; Tom Holland is suiting up once again in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, and the webhead has never looked or felt so cool as he does.
This is the Spider-Man film that we’ve all been waiting for, proving that good things truly do come to those who wait. And we’ve been waiting. It’s been twenty-two years since Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 2 set the gold standard of what a comic book film can (and should) be. However, a bar has been set, as Destin Daniel Cretton has perhaps made the best film within this genre to date. Spider-Man: Brand New Day not only pushes this specific Sony-owned Marvel franchise into a new and exciting direction, but it also showcases the best and brightest of what Marvel Studios has to offer. Cretton is a visionary behind the camera, adding richness and depth to Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers’ script and signaling that Marvel Studios is entering a new and innovative level of storytelling.
This isn’t just another popcorn comic book flick, but instead a multi-layered story that feels ripped from the pages and finally shows just how much fun Spider-Man can be. Action, heart, and the perfect amount of ass-kicking- what more could you want from a Marvel film?
[Warning: possible spoilers from Spider-Man: Brand New Day are below!]
A new world in Spider-Man: Brand New Day
It’s been a long four years for Peter Parker (Tom Holland), although not that the world would know. Essentially, he’s lived in anonymity, hiding away from the world, stepping out into New York City only in his superhero suit. He’s completely lost himself in the hero persona, shutting off from humanity in most ways. Sure, he has contact with his landlord and passing words with the others who live in his apartment, but other than that, he’s become a loner. A significant change from the character he once was.
No longer does he have a bubbly personality; instead, he has completely shut himself off from the world and retreated into a world of computers and crime-fighting. By no means is he mean, but there’s a resemblance to the life led by anti-hero Frank Castle (Jon Bernthal), a.k.a. The Punisher. He’s lost everything important in his life, and honestly, he hasn’t moved on. Visiting Aunt May’s grave has become a ritual, as has cyberstalking MJ (Zendaya) and Ned (Jacob Batalon).
He’s living vicariously through his old friends, wishing he could be part of their world, but knowing that revealing the truth to them would only spell trouble. So instead, he’s thrown himself into making New York a better place to live, which he’s found comfort in. However, that all changes when a new threat enters the battlefield.
Someone is intent on causing chaos for the Department of Damage Control (DODC), searching for something they need. As body counts start climbing and the threat grows closer to Spider-Man and his secrets, can Peter Parker find balance in his life? And most importantly, can he save the few people in the world that he still loves? Every step takes me out of the spider’s web and into the fire, and Peter has to make a decision. Can he remain a hero, or does saving the world mean he has to get his hands dirty?
A Brand New Day for Marvel Studios
Marvel Studios has never been afraid of taking some big swings (pun intended) when it comes to some of their movies and franchises. In fact, I would argue that some of the more recent films that haven’t done as well at the box office have been because the studio is attempting to do something new. They want to subvert the audience’s expectations and try new things with stories people have seen played out multiple times. Tired of seeing the same reboot of Fantastic Four? Let’s set it in a futuristic 1960’s that pays amazing homage to Jack Kirby. Was it a film for everyone? Certainly not, but audiences couldn’t say that Marvel Studios didn’t try to give them something new.
Which is honestly a similar boat we were left in after Spider-Man: No Way Home. This film wasn’t just the culmination of Tom Holland’s trilogy of Spider-Man movies, but instead the entire franchise as a whole. It was one of the biggest films in the MCU at the time and perfectly wrapped up over three decades of storytelling across three separate Spider-Man movie series. It was a huge and nearly impossible feat, but it managed to wrap up, push the Multiverse narrative in a major way, and leave audiences choking back tears as Holland’s Peter Parker rode off into the sunset.
But we also knew that wasn’t the end of the story. Honestly, how do you soft-reboot a series currently in motion without treading similar waters to any of the past attempts? Spider-Man needed a reset. It needed a moment to breathe. But most importantly, it needed someone new behind the scenes to recapture the magic.
Now don’t get me wrong, I love Jon Watts’ Spider-Man trilogy; it’s perhaps my favorite. There was something special about finally seeing the webslinger enter into the MCU proper, even if it still felt separated at times. Tom Holland is the perfect Peter Parker and the ideal Spider–Man, a feat neither of the two previous actors accomplished. But as the credits rolled on No Way Home (again…I love the film and still watch it frequently), it felt like he had seen all we could from this iteration.
And this is where I get on my soapbox to preach the word of Destin Daniel Cretton, who has quickly become one of my favorite directors of all time. I wasn’t familiar with his work until Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, but that film put him on my personal map. As a director, he understands action in a way I don’t see often. He finds a way to infuse fight scenes with beauty and elegance, making them feel magical and more comic-book-y than anything else. He also seems to appreciate color, which is starting to feel like a lost art form in the current cinematic landscape. These are both things that he carries over to Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
I have to first praise the story that McKenna and Sommers wrote, as you can’t put paint on a dud and call it a masterpiece. A great director can do wonders, but a film needs a strong foundation on which to build if they really want to make something special. Many action films can lack depth, but this one doesn’t. Grief is at the forefront of the story, as so many characters are dealing with loss of all kinds. This isn’t necessarily something that is special or unique to the MCU, but what Spider-Man: Brand New Day does so well is showing just how everyone struggled with it.
The obvious examples are Frank Castle and Spider-Man, with the former’s grief having played out across many projects. However, the two differ in the level of acceptance they’ve reached. When we last saw Frank, he had finally come to terms with where he was in life. Yes, he missed his wife and children, but he’d accepted his role as The Punisher in a moment of peace. No longer was he seeking vengeance, but instead seeking justice for all. Maybe that’s splitting hairs, but it feels different; Frank himself feels lighter.
Peter, on the other hand, is weighed down by his decision, stuck between knowing he did the right thing and hating himself for it. Where Frank has started approaching the end of his grief journey, Peter’s just starting. It’s no exaggeration that he’s lost in his own life, which is causing severe psychological distress. A journey that is foiled by Sadie Sink’s character in the film. She’s somewhere between Frank and Peter, looking for revenge, for justice, for V-Max. And as a result, she’s the one who helps Peter recalibrate into what’s important in his life and who he wants to be in the end.
There’s so much here to juggle, but the words on the page are brilliant. There’s a story here that’s universal, even if it’s about a superhuman with spider powers. We can all relate to feelings of grief or feeling lost. And with that, Destin Daniel Cretton built a visually beautiful and vibrant world for this story to grow. The MCU has never felt like this before. Where New York City once felt like a backdrop in other projects, it’s not a character unto itself. Colors are exploding off the screen, making the world come to life.
And most importantly, Cretton has infused the same fighting style that we saw in Shang-Chi into Spider-Man: Brand New Day. This isn’t just a swing in, punch a bad guy, and we’re done. Everything feels more fluid. Every punch feels visually intentional. Every time Spider-Man swings through NYC, it feels like a comic book without feeling gimmicky. Cretton is brilliant behind the camera and understands what it takes to make a comic book movie exceptional.
Final thoughts on Spider-Man: Brand New Day
What’s perhaps the greatest aspect of Spider-Man: Brand New Day is that this is a film that speaks to everyone. Whether you’re an avid Marvel fan, or you just love the webslinger, or even just looking for something casual to kill some time, there’s something in this film that everyone can appreciate. Spider-Man: Brand New Day is not only a new direction for the franchise, but it’s a brand new day for the MCU as a whole. This isn’t just the best Spider-Man film to date, but one of the best comic book films in existence.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day is currently in theaters! Have you seen the film yet? What did you think of this latest Marvel Studios and Sony film? Share your thoughts on social media and tag @bsb.insider to continue the conversation!
The Odyssey is a Journey of Epic Proportions
