SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY is the fourth film in the latest Spider-Man series and is easily the most emotional addition to the franchise yet. Although it features the action, humor, and playfulness we have come to love with Spider-Man, the film is at its best when it tackles the emotional toll it takes to be a superhero, especially one that is missing his friends and family. This Spidey tale is more of a character piece about the man, Peter Parker, behind the mask. It focuses on the loneliness and pain of constantly putting the world on your shoulders, despite the impact on your personal life. This gives Tom Holland one of his strongest dramatic showcases in the role, but also admittedly makes some of the story drag more than its predecessors over its 2.5 hour runtime.
Set after the events of NO WAY HOME, Peter Parker (Tom Holland) is alone in the world. Aunt May (Marisa Tomei) has died and his girlfriend MJ (Zendaya) and best friend Ned (Jacob Batalon) have no memory of his existence. To distract himself, Peter focuses all his attention on his Spider-Man duties, making New York City the safest it’s ever been. Yet he still longs for his friends, following their college experience from afar by stalking their social media accounts.
Peter’s loneliness begins to impact his superhero powers, with his spider hormones overwhelming his human ones and causing him to lash out. These negative emotions are compounded when a powerful villain (Sadie Sink) comes onto the scene and tries to break into the prison housing some of the city’s most dangerous detainees, causing Spider-Man to spring into action. This new baddie is more dangerous than what Spider-Man has encountered over the last several years; she can control the minds of those around her. And when she finds out Spider-Man’s true identity, she sets out to hold the people he loves under threat. MJ and Ned may not remember Peter, but she’s going to make sure they pay if Spider-Man gets in her way.
Director Destin Daniel Cretton, who wrote and directed one of my favorite films of 2013 SHORT TERM 12, took the bold step of focusing BRAND NEW DAY more on the human than the superhero. Whereas so many superhero films focus on countering the latest big bad, in many ways, this film’s main obstacle is Parker’s own internal struggles with sacrificing so much of his personal life to a cause. Of course, there are still evil government organizations and problematic villains, but this is more of a character-driven pivot that works to flesh out who Parker is after all of this time and everything he has been through. Parker is facing the consequences of his actions and it hits him as hard as the Incredible Hulk.
Still, with so much time spent on character exploration and introspection, it impacts the pacing. I looked at the clock an hour in and was shocked that there was still 1.5 hours left of the film. Of course, there are still some great surprises in cameos and other reveals that I won’t spoil here. By the end, however, the characters haven’t progressed enough for the journey to feel fully consequential, leaving the film to function more as a bridge to whatever is coming next.
BRAND NEW DAY is getting rave reviews from my fellow critics, and while the movie is well-crafted, it does feel a bit too long and is hurt by the fact the central characters and friendships remain distant for so much of the movie. Of course, that turmoil is the emotional center of the film and what spurs so much of the conflict, but it makes for a less dynamic superhero film. I’m not sure this is the movie that is going to cure your superhero fatigue and make you eager to go back and revisit it, but it delivers enough of the Marvel sparkle to make it worth your time.
There is a very brief, blink-and-you-miss-it end credit scene. It’s honestly a bit anti-climactic and not really worth staying through the end credits to see. But hey, you’ve already sat through 2.5 hours… I guess, what are an additional 5 minutes?
My Review: B-
