Spider-Man: Brand New Day
Review by Mark Woodring
When last we left Peter Parker, he’d just been wiped from the global memory in order to stop an incursion of universes into his own.
Last night, we got to screen the results of Doctor Strange’s spell, and even though the embargo has passed, I’m going to try my darnedest to not give you any spoilers, unlike the @$$hats on the internet who will have no compunction about giving you spoilers just so they can faux-rage post about it for clicks.
Please don’t give them the satisfaction. Don’t reward bad behavior.
And while this might not be the first review you read, it’s definitely going to be the most honest.
**NOTE: You can read Mark’s review below, then listen as he and Ryan discuss the film further. Remember, you can listen to all our discussions of this and every other movie directly over on ACAST. Stay tuned.**
145 Minutes, Rated PG-13
Written by Chris McKenna, Erick Sommers, Stan Lee
Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton
Synopsis:
A forgotten Peter Parker lives alone as a full-time Spider-Man until mounting pressure triggers a dangerous change and a powerful new enemy emerges.
Now, with all of that being said, let’s talk about Spider-Man: Brand New Day (SMBND).
Peter has spent 4 years after being forgotten rebuilding his life as Spider-Man, cultivating a working relationship with the beat cops and an NYPD detective, continuing his duties as the Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man while simultaneously cyber-stalking MJ and Ned’s journey through their time at MIT via Ned’s social media accounts (“TheGratefulNed”).
He can’t bring himself to confront MJ and tell her the truth, and so he suffers in silence, descending into isolation and web-slinging, which brings an inevitable physical toll.
I won’t spoil how that plays out for you, but you can piece it together if you’ve watched the trailers.
The bulk of the film is spent with Spidey working with Damage Control to figure out who has been attacking their facilities searching for something no one seems to recognize. Worse, this person appears to have the ability to control people’s minds, using them as puppets to access and attack Damage Control.
The culprit is finally apprehended, thanks to Spider-Man, of course, but all is not as it seems.
That’s as much of a plot summary as I’m going to give you so I don’t spoil anything. Instead, let’s talk about how the film generally performs.
First, we no longer have Mark Webb behind the camera, so there’s a distinctly different tone to the film both thematically and cinematically. Aside from the classic blue/red costume, the palate of New York feels muted, a visual cue of Peter’s growing isolation.
Isolation is key aspect of Peter’s life and the film, as he is not alone in his sense of isolation and loss.
And for as much as I have enjoyed Tom Holland’s previous outings as the web-slinging hero, and he brings that same energy and earnestness here, I feel like the script has let him down. While the basic story is good, it’s clunky, and honestly, feels more like a Marvel production than a Sony one in its insistence on being part of something bigger than just this film.
You might think that means it’s somehow focusing on the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday, but you’d be wrong. Instead, it’s the emphasis on integrating new parts of Disney/Marvel’s pantheon of characters. As Spider-Man still exists outside of that pantheon, it’s a bit jarring as SMBND doesn’t stay on the outskirts as in previous iterations, giving it that Disney/Marvel feel.
The script doesn’t explain — across it’s entire 145 minute run-time — how Peter affords not just rent in a crappy apartment building (his future move into the asbestos-ridden attic notwithstanding), but how he affords the high-end computer equipment and not only 3d printer, but ones which print his suit (into which EM charges from his visors can discharge) and build his HUD eye-pucks.
Let’s not forget that he has a new suit AI which seems on par with his Stark-developed versions.
I understand that a lot of tech has come down in price, but for someone with not identity or identifiable job, between those items and the amount of take-out food he has delivered, I think Spider-Man has been doing some off-the-books work as a cat burglar.
Sadie Sink in her role as **** performs well, but the character is reminiscent of one seen in a previous project she was involved in. But the script seems (after some brief research) to alter some of the situations and characters around her, which is sure to enrage an easily identifiable segment of the internet.
Zendaya and Jacob Batalon are welcome in their limited but important screen time. Most welcome to see is Jon Bernthal’s Punisher, a more recognizable Frank Castle than the one we saw in most of the recent One Last Kill special on Disney+.
A darker, more mature Spider-Man mostly delivers, but a script saddled with outside influences — and a need for further refinement — brings the overall enjoyment of the film down.
Obviously, I think you should see it if you’re a fan, but if you’re expecting the brightly colored comicbook-y feel of the previous films, I’ll advise you to temper that expectation.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day swings into theaters Friday, July 31 and stars Tom Holland, Zendaya, Jacob Batalon, Mark Ruffalo, Jon Bernthal, Sadie Sink, Michael Mando, Florence Pugh, and Liza Colon-Zayas.
And remember, if the BEST thing you can say about a movie is that it’s “visually stunning,” then they’ve done something wrong.
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