Film Review: Spider-Man: Brand New Day

Spider-Man: Brand New Day is Tom Holland's latest feature film as Spider-Man, and as a fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, here is my review.

One of my favourite film franchises is the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The complexity of the world within these films never fails to amaze me.

With a new Spider-Man movie being released, and Avengers: Doomsday coming out later this year, I knew I needed to see Spider-Man: Brand New Day in the cinema.

I took my sister to our local Everyman cinema and we both settled on the sofa and watched Tom Holland's fourth feature film as the iconic superhero. We, of course, discussed our thoughts after the film, but I thought I'd share my review with you all.

So, if you're unsure about whether to watch the latest Spider-Man, or just want to read reviews of it, here are my thoughts on the movie.

*Note: There are spoilers at the very end of this blog, but there is a warning in advance, so you can avoid if you want to

Review of Spider-Man: Brand New Day

Genre: Superhero Movie

Stars: Tom Holland, Zendaya, Sadie Sink, Mark Ruffalo, Jon Bernthal, Jacob Batalon, Liza Colón-Zayas, Florence Pugh, Tramell Tillman

Where to Watch: Cinemas

Rating: 9/10

Synopsis:

The IMDB synopsis of Spider-Man: Brand New Day is as follows:

"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."

My Thoughts:

Considering all the superheroes, I would not have said that Spider-Man is one of my favourites. However, I absolutely love Tom Holland's portrayal of Spider-Man and really enjoyed Spider-Man: Brand New Day to the point where I'm reconsidering the above statement.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day follows directly on from the previous film, Spider-Man: No Way Home. At the end of that movie, Peter Parker is forgotten by everyone, leaving him alone in the world and only known as Spider-Man.

In Spider-Man: Brand New Day, Peter Parker is not really living, only Spider-Man is. He works with Detective Jean DeWolff of the NYPD to take down bad guys and is protecting New York City.

Whilst he's doing so, his love, MJ – portrayed by Zendaya – and his best friend, Ned – portrayed by Jacob Batalon – are carrying on with their lives, having graduated from MIT and living together in the city.

Missing his friends, Peter throws himself into being Spider-Man, when changes start to occur, involving his powers. And the time is not ideal because a new threat comes into town.

Spider-Man works with the Department of Damage Control, run by Bill Metzger – portrayed by Tramell Tillman – to keep the city safe and stop the new threat. However, there is always more to the story.

I absolutely loved the plot. I did not know what to expect when going into this movie. It's been a while since I'd watched an MCU film, but oh my goodness, I loved it.

The MCU always has really complex plots with multiverses and time travel and infinity stones, etc., but Spider-Man: Brand New Day was easy to follow despite the complications.

The new villain is a great addition and left me with so many questions about the future of the MCU and how Doomsday will bring together different Marvel universes. I thought the villain was portrayed so well  – I won't say who the actor is but I really enjoyed watching them bring the character to life.

One thing I particularly liked about the plot, and therefore the character relations and the action sequences, was that whilst the stakes were high, they weren't world-ending. There have been too many times, in my opinion, that superhero films always threaten the end of Earth and then the superhero saves the world.

In Spider-Man: Brand New Day, NYC is threatened, but not the whole world. Peter Parker battles his evolution as Spider-Man and the new threat, but it's a more isolated danger.

The action sequences involving fighting or even just Spider-Man swinging around the city were so good. It felt like a good old classic action movie at times, which I loved.

Zendaya and Tom Holland do a fantastic job of playing MJ and Peter Parker, and I always admire couples who are together in real life, married even, and then have to play characters who aren't together, one of whom doesn't even remember the other.

What I really enjoyed about the movie though is the emotional message that you take home. At the start, Peter Parker, or Spider-Man, is just a superhero. No one knows his real identity; not even The Hulk. He feels alone and doesn't rely on anyone.

But by the end, we start to see him leaning on friends, old and new, and become a better version of himself. The takeaway is that you're never really alone and that it's okay to ask for help if needed.

I really loved that, and the final scene...OMG!! I'll share my thoughts at the end of the post, with a spoiler warning, so you can avoid them if you'd like.

Overall, Spider-Man: Brand New Day felt like the classic Marvel movies. It was such a fun film to watch, and did tie up loose ends, but also left me with so many questions that I'm hoping Doomsday will answer!

If you want to watch it, I hope you enjoy it, and if you've already seen it, let me know what you thought in the comments below.

Until next time...

*SPOILERS WARNING*

The final scene with Ned and Peter was so good and so heartwarming. I've heard of cinema showings where the audience all claps, or audibly gasps, and whilst I didn't shed tears, I couldn't stop smiling. I loved how it was Ned who had the realisation as to who Peter was, not MJ, because it felt more powerful that it was Peter's best friend, who's been with him through it all.