How Do You Help A Lonely Spider Man? (Spider Man Brand New Day review)

 

Yes, we get a whole month with not only Tom Holland but also Zendaya and Jon Bernthal in the fourth (yes, we are making waves here) Spider-Man sequel. This has been a long time coming, as Marvel and Sony's once rocky but stable relationship would follow up on the event that was Spider-Man: No Way Home, which brought back past Spider-Man actors to interact in a Multiverse-esque adventure. Luckily, Tom Holland returns as the iconic webslinger in an all-new chapter of his life and hopefully for the MCU as well. 

Spider-Man: Brand New Day is set 4 years after No Way Home, where Peter Parker is very much alone after the spell made by Doctor Strange to have everyone, including his loved ones, forget who he is. At the height of being the comic-accurate friendly neighborhood superhero ways, some very critical fans of this iteration of the character will also be pleased that Peter Parker is indeed very depressed and very broke. When faced with a mysterious threat, Peter is also going through some very specific changes, emotionally and physically, that mirror several other characters' arcs. 

All of that is really heightened with overarching themes of loneliness. Writers Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers return to showcase both the fears of pursuing company and what it means to actually face the world alone, especially in a world that can be welcoming one moment and cruel the next. There are achingly morose yet beautiful deliveries of the script that shine through in this film that speak to that sentiment. One of them is Zendaya's MJ and Peter's so-near-yet-so-far attraction that keeps viewers invested and showcases the real-life couple's connection on screen more than ever before. 

The film does not focus only on the romantic aspects of that loneliness. Despite Peter wanting to be alone without hurting the ones he loves, he does manage to create relationships with Frank Castle and the new chief of police, played by Liza Colon Zayas from Hulu's The Bear, that ultimately show that Peter subconsciously needs mentors to keep him grounded after the loss of Aunt May. 

Comparatively (and if you read my review of The Odyssey), I am once again reminded of Tom Holland's stronger chops. He does improve several parts of his performance as Peter Parker, but this might be due to the maturity of the character as well as the actor. It does feel like a different era of the character, and this would factor in the significant tones and choices made in the direction, this time not by Jon Watts (who directed the previous entries in the franchise) but by Destin Daniel Cretton, who previously worked on previous Marvel titles, Shang-Chi and the Wonder Man series, and executed them properly. 

This might be the most gorgeous-looking live-action Spider-Man film yet, from specific shots and POV's to the color grading choices that just make the sets and the characters' costumes pop, even if they are not in supersuits. Cretton manages to create a fresh take on a character that probably works better than what was already good in the first place, which was something Marvel Studios seems to always struggle with, especially when it comes to switching between genre-focused directors and having their visions come through. 

It does also pay homage to both Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield's iterations of the characters and subsequent elements of their franchises in the most subtle of ways. It almost feels like a love letter to both Sam Raimi and Marc Webb and their respective teams, to a reality where they had the chance to play in the Marvel sandbox, translated here. However, it is very obvious that this sequel, especially the Peter Parker parts, is heavily influenced by Raimi's Spider-Man 2 and manages to make Brand New Day be considered at the same level. 

Without giving too much away, it manages to expand the MCU in exponential ways. From banter between The Punisher and engaging scenes between both Bruce Banner and The Hulk, Spider-Man has never felt more like he belonged in this interconnected cinematic universe. Then, it goes even further in exploring the future of the franchise in ways that many fans will have takes on but will be very relieved to finally have a taste of. Similar to No Way Home, everything that is used as an extension is done with care and serves as a worthy inclusion to Peter's story, without ever seeming like a cameo-fest or an easter egg hunt. 

Spider-Man: Brand New Day is an invigorating inclusion to the ever-growing MCU and solidifies how much people love Spider-Man, off-screen and on-screen, as much as the people who are buying tickets to watch this sequel. The characters leave us on a sweeter note, this time around, and I can only keep my fingers crossed to see more of these characters in the future, but more importantly, Spider-Man in the upcoming Avengers movies.