Spider-Man - Brand New Day review

 

Brand New Day, as the title attests is a relatively fresh start. What you need to know is neatly summed up at the time you need to know it and even though most of the main characters are not new, they feel fresh again. People are saying this is the best of the current era of Spiderman films which may be true though we should acknowledge the excellence of the previous three has created the platform on which this one can triumph. Brand New Day is a joyride to experience and by a comfortable distance the best new film I’ve seen this year so far.

 Some Spidey Spoilers contained in this review....

I did think that Tom Holland would have hung up his red leotard by now and some other bloke would turn up to offer a new take. Yet he is back, this time to the point of contributing to the plot and it only takes two minutes to realise why this is an asset. However dark Peter Parker’s story becomes- and, yes, this is the darkest one yet  - it is never at the expense of an overall optimism about the human condition. Non fans puzzle over why characters like this are popular and why these films portray that popularity with scenes of crowds cheering their superheroes. The answer is that they bring positivism and hope to a difficult world which we need any time.

So the story picks up a while after the events of No Way Home, which finished with Peter forsaking his personal life to save the people he cared for. Now, he lives alone in a grotty attic with only his sophisticated IT set up and memories for company. His anonymity is protected- his refusal to remove his mask becomes something of a running gag - yet he is isolated more than physically. Nonetheless he continues to protect the city, bantering with law enforcement authorities, who should really buy him an expensive apartment for what he does; in an early montage we see him apprehending a fair gamut of the city’s freakish criminal fraternity. Like many people who lose something or someone he is throwing himself (often literally) into his work. This part of the film echoes the more traditional `friendly neighbourhood` Spiderman taking place amidst the busy, steamy streets.

Yet something unexpected is happening to Peter- unusual physiological changes linked to his arachnid side which are making it more difficult for him to use his powers reliably and in suitable moderation. When this affliction causes him to almost kill a cop he seeks help from someone who knows about inner rage- Doctor Bruce Banner. Meanwhile a larger threat comes from a hidden antagonist able to possess random people for moments at a time.

Whether struggling with his powers, pining over MJ and what he’s lost or seeking to solve the mystery, Tom Holland puts in another excellent turn as Peter. The lighter sequences recall the character’s initial attempts to control his powers in Homecoming and is the sort of fleet footed comedy at which Tom Holland excels. Yet he digs in impressively too for the heavier lifting of the more dramatic part of the narrative. Yet he remains Marvel’s most relatable hero.

We’d seen in the trailer that Bruce Banner was in the film and though he first appears as the professorial Bruce (a great scene between Holland and Mark Ruffalo) before too long he gets to Hulk out in explosive fashion in one of the movie’s most riotous action sequences. It may wreck much of a building and more but is rooted in personal struggles as much as aggression. Indeed, throughout the film, while there is a fair share of property and vehicle damage, the storyline always coalesces on the personal rather than needlessly complex antagonist’s schemes. Each of the principal characters share similar dilemmas which works really well in what is a superbly  calibrated script by Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers.

For the most human side of this story to shine we go back to the original trio. The script pulls off a way to reunite them albeit with Peter as a random stranger who crashes a party MJ and Ned are hosting. These scenes- which thankfully the film takes time to stay with - allows something of their old chemistry to come through. Zendaya earns all the praise she receives; MJ is a self-confident yet curious questioning character  while Jacob Batalon conveys Ned’s geeky side with comedic skill.  The story isn’t too crowded with characters while the cast are uniformly good. I particularly enjoyed Liza Colon- Zyes as the reluctantly sympathetic detective Jean de Wolff with whom Spiderman has struck up a chatty rapport.  

Meanwhile Jon Bernthal as the Punisher occupies an important space in the film acting as the more extreme character Peter could become yet clearly helping him too. Prior to the film’s release there was much speculation as to which character Sadie Sink would play. Some guessed right though it so one of those developments which might get mixed reactions; personally, I like it. As she did in Stranger Things, she brings a steeliness to a role whose grudges are very personal whilst the narrative draws a satisfying synergy between hers and Peter’s relative situations.

Director Destin Daniel Cretton makes this film look distinctively grimy at ground level (looking very New York though a lot of it was shot in Glasgow) yet extra shiny once we’re swinging through the skyscrapers. His visual signatures make it subtly different from the previous three films which plays into this being an adult story rather than a teenager’s one. Sometimes these touches are stylishly choreographic, for example the depiction of the way the villain’s control passes from one pedestrian to another. We see each person’s stride momentarily interrupted as they are almost pulled backwards one after another like an invisible wave. Its hugely effective in conveying while sharp editing seamlessly moves the antagonist from one person to another and another and so on.

Later on, there is an awesome fight between the Hand and Spiderman inside a prison. During the former’s acrobatic attacks they use one another as a platform to leap higher and higher almost as if they are one and the results as Peter himself has to admit are very cool. Judicious (but not over) use of slow motion helps accentuate some of the more striking moment like this. The web slinging swinging though the cityscape, however many times we’ve seen it, never gets old and even after all the previous films, Cretton finds new ways to take us along with Spiderman as he vaults vertiginously around the New York skyline.

The film executes its twists well; not just the reveal of Sadie Sink’s character but a couple of other things, all are best viewed rather than read about in a review but they might surprise many and elevate the narrative to a higher level. One of these is so bittersweet you are as fooled by it as Peter is while the solving of another clue turns out to be a random yet significant twist which turns the story around again near the end. There’s also an unexpected though welcome cameo from someone I never knew was in the film and you’ll laugh when you discover where their office is located!

Any quibbles? A couple of very minor ones.  No Way Home was released in 2021 yet seems to canonically have taken place in 2024 if the date on Aunt May’s gravestone is any indication. During the course of this film we span all of MJ and Ned’s MIT course which is presumably two or even three years so is this movie set either next year or 2028? Also, I would have liked there to be a role for Tony Revolori’s Flash Thompson in this film, a character who has bags of unrealised potential. Brand New Day is fast paced yet never rushed, clever but never talks down to the viewer, fun without being silly, emotional without being saccharine. It has great story beats, surprises and tremendously acrobatic action all anchored by very strong performances. People are already getting excited about Avengers; Doomsday but that will have to be exceptional to better this film.