Spider-Man: Brand New Day Review
Spider-Man is finally back and in the MCU in the way he always should have been.
It feels as if we’ve been waiting since Homecoming for Peter Parker to become the Spider-Man we all know and love, and finally with the fourth installment, our wish has come true. The trilogy, in hindsight, was a necessary step to set up this version of Peter Parker, and considering where we were in the MCU at that time, he needed to be ‘Iron-Boy’. However, now he has lost Aunt May, is living alone in New York and has to become friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man rather than alien fighting in space Spider-Man.
The film opens with a brilliant montage, letting us get right back into where we left off in No Way Home. It shows us that four years have passed, and Peter is still alone, trying to figure out his new existence after losing everyone. He still pines over MJ, watches Ned from afar, and undercover talks to Bruce Banner. Alongside these familiar characters, is the introduction of Frank Castle aka Punisher into the MCU. Played by Jon Bernthal, he acts as the unlikely frenemy of Spider-Man and gives a welcome comedic edge to the movie. Our '“big bad” of this movie is the new Jean Gray played by Sadie Sink, pre x-men; broken, angry and seeking revenge. Whilst she possesses the bodies of New Yorkers, Spidey has to navigate saving the people he loves that don’t know him, and saving New York from destruction.
The stand out of this film, surprisingly, is the swinging. It feels like Spider-Man, it feels like the games, it has references to the comics and just has that nostalgic excitement that we seem to have lost in previous iterations. In many ways, it paid tribute to the Spider-Man iterations before whilst breathing a fresh breath of air into the franchise. The cinematography was interesting, creative and striking, with a clear voice behind the camera. Whilst I loved the movie (admittedly, I think it could be the best Spider-Man movie since Spider-Man 2), I did have one qualm. It felt as if Hulk was used a plot device to move the story along rather than a thoughtful addition. We all love seeing Bruce Banner and Hulk, and it’s nice to know where he is in the story now but rather than being an important part of the story, he simply popped up when it was necessary for the story moving along.
That being said, I thoroughly enjoyed getting to sit back and watch Spider-Man swing through New York like he’s supposed to, fighting local crime and saving the city.
There is also so much to be said about the end credits but that’s a spoiler for another time…