Since the fallout of Spider-Man: No Way Home, Peter Parker has lived a life of anonymity without friends and family. When a mysterious and powerful threat arises, he’s forced to uncover their plans and save the city while facing some dangerous biological transformations.
Spider-Man’s last solo entry was a behemoth of a film; exploring Marvel’s multiverse in the best and most fulfilling way yet with a huge ensemble of characters and universe-wide implications. This sequel reins it in, opting for a smaller, more character-centric story as opposed to a global MCU adventure. Absolutely there’s still a lot of MCU references and cameos, but the narrative is more at the level of Spider-Man: Homecoming; a distinctly small-scale NYC-based adventure with wider universe teases stemming from the core plot.
This film benefits greatly from the scaling down of its scope to the point where I’d describe this as a second coming of age for Spider-Man and Peter Parker. A “homecoming”, if you will. It’s not often that a superhero is given a second on-screen origin story, but that’s exactly what we have here. This narrative is a lot darker and more emotionally geared than previous entries, which is necessary to differentiate it from Parker’s first coming-of-age journey and also make it relevant to him being on the brink of adulthood. I love the approach as it does nothing but strengthen this already interesting and complex character even further. The journey he’s been on since arriving in Captain America: Civil War has been one of the MCU’s strongest character arcs, and his growth is exhibited through this entire film. This story has big emotional moments throughout, not just for Spider-Man, and every single one is impactful. It’s not the MCU’s biggest tear-jerker, but the characters involved are so beloved that every touching moment resonated with the audience.
As much as it’s an emotional character-centric ride, it’s packed with exciting action sequences that each brings a unique dynamic to the film. You have your classic web-swinging car chases and tense hand-to-hand combat to showcase all of Spider-Man’s new and returning bells and whistles. To put it simply, the action is an absolute blast to watch. Spider-Man’s movement in the film is fluid and smooth in a way you don’t really get from other superheroes. Also having Frank Castle show up alongside Spider-Man works really well due to the contrast in their skills and also their respective approach to killing. It makes for a fun action dynamic when going up against the various villains they encounter. I also love the ability for this Spider-Man film to evolve the combat in a way that’s familiar to the character but not just a rehash of what they’ve done in previous films. It keeps it fresh and makes this a cinematic experience without the effects of deja vu.
While this narrative is fun, exciting and full of awesome surprises along the way, it’s not without a couple of shortcomings. Pacing-wise, the movie gets stronger as it goes on, but it does kick off with a bit of an up-and-down motion. It’s a little choppy while it’s putting all the pieces in place, but once they establish the main players; from the villains to the allies, the expected fluidity of a Spider-Man adventure takes over. Any further shortcomings I will refrain from mentioning for the sake of preserving the film’s narrative.
Speaking of the characters, I love that this is able to feel like a Spider-Man film whilst giving its supporting characters a meaningful place in the story. Frank Castle has a strong presence beyond just being an MCU cameo. He has an arc that follows through from his appearances in Daredevil: Born Again and The Punisher: One Last Kill, and it adds to the emotional resonance of this story. Even Bruce Banner makes an appearance and has a presence that’s relevant to this story and events that I’m sure will follow this film. The approach to these characters ensures the film strikes a really nice balance of being a Spider-Man story and an MCU story simultaneously.
Another thing I really respect about this film is that the finale goes for an emotional climax as opposed to an action-oriented one. It’s intense, dramatic and exciting, but in a more emotionally-geared way as opposed to a grand action set piece. There’s plenty of action throughout the film, as well as some fantastic narrative surprises, so the film isn’t lacking in those areas by any means. I just think the approach to the climax is refreshingly different and perhaps challenges the audience a little more. I feel like some won’t resonate with it quite like I have, but I believe it’s the right ending considering where our characters are in their lives.
Performance-wise, this ensemble manages to knock it out of the park. Tom Holland continues to bring this character to life in a way that turns his flaws and hesitations into loveable character traits. He’s a fun, charismatic presence and has nailed the personality of this Spider-Man so well you almost never want him to retire from the character. Jon Bernthal is exceptional as Frank Castle, showcasing great chemistry opposite Holland and selling us on the fact that these characters have an in-universe history we haven’t seen. Zendaya (MJ) has a very different role this time around, yet she still manages to breathe life and wit into the film at any chance she gets. Lastly, Sadie Sink is an incredible talent for how early she is in her career and her presence in this film adds so much to the dramatic weight and emotional tension.
In the end, Spider-Man: Brand New Day is a great follow-up to the previous film and brings the character back down to Earth with a more grounded adventure… or about as grounded as you can get in the current MCU. It balances action, comedy and heart really well, dipping into each one where necessary; knowing when to tug on heart strings and when to go heavy on the action. The narrative is darker than previous films and harbours a number of surprises, not just for Spider-Man but for the wider MCU. It’s an exciting Spider-Man adventure that has me thrilled to see where they go with all of the teases and plot elements that have been set up within this movie.
8.1/10
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