By John Corrado
When Spider-Man: No Way Home was released back in 2021, it felt like a culmination of things in so many ways, not only as a capper to the Tom Holland trilogy, but also as a thrilling, two-decades-in-the-making crossover event (and celebration) for cinematic Spidey fans.
It was always going to be a very tough act to follow. So, how do you do it? You focus on exploring the aftermath and emotional fallout from it, which is exactly what Spider-Man: Brand New Day does so well.
This sequel balances personal character stakes with exciting action sequences, all tied together by one of Holland’s best performances yet, bringing depth and emotional weight to his portrayal of Peter Parker and Spider-Man.
If the initial appeal of Holland was as a young, boyish Spidey, Brand New Day gives him the chance to show a real maturity in the role. This is really a story about Peter Parker navigating a world where, after having had their memories wiped, everyone knows the masked hero, but nobody remembers him. Not his high school best friend Ned Leeds (Jacob Batalon), or his former girlfriend MJ (Zendaya). They have both moved on with their lives, with no recollection of him, leaving Peter all alone in New York City.
It’s an angle that director Destin Daniel Cretton, who previously helmed Marvel’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings but first really made a name for himself with the stripped-down character drama Short Term 12 back in 2013, wisely leans into. This allows the film to function as a street-level look at the lonely dual life of Peter Parker and Spider-Man, grounding the bigger franchise moments in compelling and even surprisingly moving character drama.
It seems strange to say for a film this big, and one that does deliver the obligatory franchise-continuing beats, but Brand New Day is a film that works in the little moments. Such as Peter’s phone conversations with a supportive police detective (played by The Bear’s Liza Colón-Zayas), who knows him only as Spider-Man. He’s a superhero who stops robberies while still in progress, but also finds time to deliver flowers to the gravesite of his beloved Aunt May (Marisa Tomei).
Peter is going through an arachnid metamorphosis that presents itself with pubescent growing pains, while facing a new villain and new characters. Jon Bernthal’s Punisher is brought into the fold, making his big screen debut. Peter’s reluctant team-up with the vigilante character allows Holland and Bernthal to have a really fun action comedy dynamic together.
The film also adds Sadie Sink to the cast, who is excellent in a role that proves her star-making turn on Stranger Things was no fluke. Sink is able to carry much of the film’s last act on her shoulders, bringing surprising emotion to her portrayal. In terms of performances, Zendaya is also very good here, with a few scenes that allow the film to work as credible relationship drama as well.
The cinematography by Brett Pawlak, a frequent collaborator of Cretton’s who also shot Short Term 12, is a step up from some other franchise entries, using the streets of New York (filmed in London) as another character. The action choreography is also quite good, especially in a few scenes featuring a ninja martial arts collective known as The Hand.
If audiences have been experiencing superhero fatigue for a little while now, as reflected in some diminishing box office returns, Brand New Day arrives as a compelling reminder of how good these films can be when proper attention is actually given to the characters and why we care about them. This one feels like a reset for the Marvel Cinematic Universe (and the film has already, as of writing, broken Avengers: Endgame‘s box office records on its opening weekend alone).
Nothing can ever really top Sam Raimi’s 2004 sequel Spider-Man 2, which is still one of the finest comic book movies ever made. But Spider-Man: Brand New Day certainly harkens back to that film with its grounded look at a young adult Peter Parker experiencing the emotional toll of life behind a mask. It serves as a great reminder of what this franchise can be at its best.
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