Spider-Man: Brand New Day swings Tom Holland into a bold new era

SALT LAKE CITY, UT (See It or Skip It)– It has been four years since the world forgot Peter Parker. Spider-Man is just about all that remains as he dedicates all his time to being that friendly neighborhood hero and checking in on his lost friends, Ned and MJ. But when a mysterious force that only Spider-Man can sense threatens to hurt the people he loves, Peter must choose whether to remain Spider-Man forever or bring himself back into the world.

A brand-new lonely life for Peter Parker

This is a more mature direction for Tom Holland’s Spider-Man. The lines between his version of the character and Andrew Garfield’s and Tobey Maguire’s are starting to blur in terms of the traditional trope of keeping the people you love safe by distancing yourself from them. In his isolation, Peter turns to doing what he does best: fighting bad guys in a fun, stylistic montage, working on his tech with the help of his own non-Stark AI, and chasing the next crime to keep his mind off what he is missing.

His life is incredibly lonely in Brand New Day, but a brooding Spider-Man is a tried-and-true formula that is very effective in this film. That loneliness brings about changes in Peter’s DNA, evolving him into a version closer to Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man, but perhaps with even more strength and sensitivity.

Tom Holland delivers his best and most physically committed performance as Peter Parker. Peter is slumped over, unassuming, and trying his best to hide in plain sight, while Spider-Man has complete confidence in his posture, voice, and intelligence. If you were worried they had nowhere left to go with this character, I’m pleased to report that this is a great new start with endless possibilities.

Paging Dr. Banner?

With Spider-Man’s abilities transforming in ways Peter cannot anticipate, he reaches out to Professor Banner, who is now teaching classes and has returned to his normal Mark Ruffalo self thanks to an inhibitor he wears on his wrist. Banner’s role in the movie may seem out of left field, and perhaps more in service of letting us see a Hulk-Spider-Man battle for now, but the ramifications of what he and Peter discuss will eventually become a huge component of the MCU’s future.

Mark Ruffalo is not in the film much, but the world-building involving him and the other MCU characters is part of what makes this universe so special. Anyone can drop in at any moment, and it feels more natural than it does in any other superhero universe.

Spider-Man takes center stage

Much like in The Batman, a large portion of Tom Holland’s performance is delivered from behind the mask. I really appreciated that change here. It gives every interaction he has with other people a level of humor, while also bringing back a sense of mystery that the Homecoming trilogy kind of balked at.

With more Spider-Man comes more stunts, and I loved the visual style director Destin Daniel Cretton brings to the franchise. Everything feels crisp, immersive, and stunning to look at. It feels like there was more of an effort to do things practically, and you especially notice that during the fight sequences and web-swinging.

Spider-Man has better movement in his fights, getting about as close to the video games as we could hope for, with some moments directly paying homage to specific character moves. Even if the story does not immediately grab you, the style and quality of the stunt performances will make you feel like this is a brand-new visual language for the character.

Ned and MJ remain Peter’s greatest sacrifice

The Homecoming trilogy built the strongest friendships of any Spider-Man films to date. Ned and MJ are Peter’s soul, and you can feel him doing what he believes is best to protect that sacred part of himself. He refuses to interfere in their lives out of fear that he could lose them again.

Destin Daniel Cretton honors that bond and really earns the moments when they are together, while giving their relationships new nuances in a world where essentially all of that history no longer exists. I do wish we got more from Ned, played by Jacob Batalon, who always brightens the mood of any scene he is in.

Spider-Man’s moral code finally meets its opposite

Well, sort of. The Punisher arrives on the big screen once again, this time with a PG-13-filtered version of the hardened brutality we saw in Daredevil. Sadly, Frank Castle’s biggest moments are played purely for comedy. He only gets a few moments of seriousness, and while they kind of work, they are difficult to fully wrap your head around because this is the first time we have seen these two characters interact.

Is he the same Punisher? Yes, but he is toned down and less relentless in his approach. That said, I did like the dynamic between him and Spider-Man, but I wish they had been given a full movie before this one to properly build up their frenemyship.

A new threat gets under Spider-Man’s skin

There are a lot of Spider-Man villains here, mainly appearing during the montage in the first act. Fans who have been clamoring for more of Scorpion finally get something to sink their stinger into, but only enough to satisfy them for the moment. The film’s biggest villain remains a mystery until the second half.

I like how they incorporated this new threat into the story. What may seem like an incredibly strange choice on the surface made sense immediately once I saw what they were cooking up here. They feel like an unstoppable force for everyone, including Peter. I can’t say much more here, but I will when we dive into spoilers this weekend on the See It or Skip It show.

Where the web starts to unravel

Brand New Day feels bloated at times. Its 2-hour, 30-minute runtime still somehow leaves you wanting more from certain characters and less from others because the film is crammed with as much as it can possibly balance.

It is difficult to tell which moments are setups for future films and which are here merely as fan service. You can feel some of that strain here. I also feel like the buildup to certain parts of the story just ends on its own, with no real explanation or crescendo that makes it feel worthwhile.

That is not to say that revisiting this film down the road will not deliver more once we have seen the full picture. Right now, though, I am left wondering whether the story simply lost steam toward the end.

Is Brand New Day worth seeing?

Overall, Brand New Day does not reinvent Spider-Man, but it finds a compelling new reason for Peter Parker to keep wearing the mask. Destin Daniel Cretton gives Spider-Man a bold new visual language, and the evolution of Peter Parker from that high school kid into a fully realized superhero.

Is it messy in places? Sure. But it more than clears the bar and may end up being a stronger first chapter for Spider-Man than any we have seen before. The action, the heart, and the message about maintaining a healthy work-life balance are expertly crafted, and I cannot wait to see where we go from here. Spider-Man: Brand New Day swings Tom Holland into a bold new era

See It or Skip It? See It

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Before reading further, this is where I would caution that you may be spoiled with info you may want to know by watching the movie. This is your warning…

Who is Sadie Sink playing? (SPOILERS)

It’s tough to Jump into talking about a character with so much Enigma. Sadie Sink gives An excellent performance, No doubt, but her villainy is anything but black and white. I love what she brings to this story, and while it wouldn’t have been my immediate choice, it makes a lot of sense to have her in this particular chapter of the Spider-Man story. The more I think about it, the more it is a welcome change from what we’ve had from the previous 3 films.

Is there a post-credits scene?

Yes, but I can say with certainty it is not worth sticking around for.