Life has become complicated for Spider-Man (Tom Holland) in “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” as he is learning to adapt to the choices he has made. He has dropped the crime rate considerably with his work as he has removed several threats from the city and become a hero to the people in the process. Sadly for his alter ego, life is one of loneliness and solitude. He follows his former friends Ned (Jacob Batalon) and MJ (Zendaya), as they go through MIT over the years via Ned’s social network.
The world has truly forgotten Peter Parker, and it has caused him to lean heavily into Spider-Man to the point where the physical toil is mounting.
He makes regular visits to the grave of Aunt May, which have become a large part of his social life.
When a new threat is encountered, Peter comes into the world of Damage Control, who are under attack from a new threat that is unrelenting in their attacks and have the ability to control others.
Peter is also dealing with increasing changes to his body as his Arachnid DNA is becoming more dominant, and it is causing unusual changes in his physical and mental state. This and his investigation leads him to seek advice from other heroes who know Spider-Man but have no memories of him before the spell that made the world forget Peter Parker.
What follows is a more emotionally grounded film where the characters are given plenty of time to develop. The action sequences deliver, and I still get a thrill of watching the acrobatic way Peter travels the city and the nimble joy of him jumping and swinging across town.
There is much to the film that would be very difficult to cover, as there are some moments that, when revealed, got loud reactions of approval from our press-only screening audience, and I loved the emotional depth of the film as well as the action, even if at times it was due to slower-paced segments that took their time to develop. This is to be expected, as there are multiple plotlines in play that will advance the series.
Tom Holland captures the duality of Peter well in the way that he is shy and withdrawn yet bold and confident when the mask is on. His scenes with the Punisher (Jon Bernthal) are great as his gruff persona is a perfect counter to the awkward Peter.
The bonus scene following the credits is sure to get people talking, and the text has teased that Spider-Man will return. I cannot wait to see where they go next as my favorite childhood comic continues to shine on the big screen and delivers and adventure that fans should love.
4 stars out of 5
Be First to Comment