REVIEW | ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ finds greatness in loss and loneliness

 

This is a review of a film currently shown in cinemas. Reader’s discretion is advised.

After a week of recency bias and two screenings, Spider-Man: Brand New Day remained a top-tier superhero film in my book, and an essential addition to the ever-growing Marvel library of stories about loss, loneliness, and acceptance. 

With a magic memory spell as a metaphor for grief, Peter Parker (Tom Holland) is experiencing loss in multitudes. Apart from the death of his beloved Aunt May at the hands of the Green Goblin in the previous film, he has to deal with the figurative “death” of his romance with MJ (Zendaya) and the “death” of his friendship with Ned (Jacob Batalon), who, along with the rest of the world, had to forget about his existence to save the multiverse. 

He unilaterally isolated himself from his high school sweetheart and best friend, painfully watching them move on in the last five years. Some resets in life are indeed bittersweet. 

But Peter’s grief is more restrained and quieter than The Punisher (Jon Bernthal)’s, who never coped well with the loss of his family and turned it into perpetual fuel for his one-man war against crime. Sadie Sink’s surprise character is also grieving in her own way, stuck in the phase of anger. Their character dynamics show how various degrees of loneliness can lead to self-destruction.

The creative direction to make a grounded Spider-Man story, after years of being tied to a superhuman civil war, alien invasions, a European field trip, and a multiversal rift, is a development long time coming. Director Destin Daniel Cretton is on a winning streak after helming the well-received Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and the Emmy-nominated Wonder Man. It is also a great decision to bring in stunt coordinator and second-unit director Peng Zhang, alongside co-stunt coordinator Leonard Woodcock to lead the stunning fight choreography, especially for The Hand ninjas. 

On top of these, BND also serves as a launchpad for another Marvel IP, preparing the MCU for a world that hates and fears those who are different. It is also peppered with tributes to iconic Marvel covers and pages over the years, something that a comic book fanatic will geek out about. 

Sink gave a stellar performance, which makes me more excited to see what she can bring to the table. The Stranger Things alumna is one of the perfect actors cast in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Her acting is layered and nuanced, making her character real and relatable. 

In his latest outing as the webhead, Holland is on his way to becoming the quintessential Spider-Man. I hope we get to see him in more grounded stories, taking a break from the larger fantastic elements of the MCU. He carries the spirit of Spidey well, as someone who has lost everything but does not project his pain onto those around him, going so far as to protect an opponent trying to slice him. The emotional beats also hit just as hard on the repeat watch.

I understand the decision not to transform Peter into his full Man-Spider form from the comics and 90s animated series, nor adapt the Six Arms Saga, lest it become body horror.

The Punisher is more lighthearted here than in his previous appearances in his two seasons' worth of solo series, the original Netflix Daredevil series, the Disney+ era Daredevil: Born Again, and the special presentation The Punisher: One Last Kill. This is also a great character development for the character, who now gives off big brother energy to Peter. 

Throw a rampaging Hulk into the mix, and viewers are treated to an adrenaline-fueled brawl between a monster, a hardened war veteran, and a web-slinging hero.

A few details could have been clearer, though, specifically, Peter’s source of income and how his identity remained hidden late in the film (a cut scene with Rosario Dawson’s Night Nurse would likely have solved the latter). Overall, though, these are just minor nitpicks. 

Adding Emmy winner Liza Colón-Zayas as Detective Jean DeWolff gives the police force a sympathetic, human face—one that now works hand-in-hand with Spider-Man. Spidey also gets help from the unlikeliest of places—a surprise cameo from a new fan-favorite operative that delivers equal parts tactical aid and offbeat humor.

Ultimately, Spider-Man: Brand New Day represents the MCU's best take on the character, excelling in its portrayal of self-imposed isolation, grief, acceptance of estranged connections, and new beginnings.  This film is included in my imagined "Marvel Care Package" with WandaVision and Thunderbolts*.

But whether it surpasses Sam Raimi’s benchmark Spider-Man 2 remains an open question—one that demands a rewatch.

Rating: 9.5 out of 10

Stay for a post-credits scene.