by Anthony O'Connor
Worth: $16.50
FilmInk rates movies out of $20 — the score indicates the amount we believe a ticket to the movie to be worth
Cast:
Tom Holland, Zendaya, Sadie Sink, Jacob Batalon, Jon Bernthal, Tramell Tillman, Mark Ruffalo, Liza Colón-Zayas
Intro:
… a consistently engaging, excitingly directed, well acted superhero flick with a surprising amount of emotional heft and genuinely memorable sequences.
There’s no doubt that the superhero genre, taken as a whole, is on the decline. The once dominant box office force now makes a fraction of what it used to in Marvel’s golden era circa 2018-2019. This is a perfectly natural cycle, mind you. Nothing lasts forever and entropy is the grim truth of existence. However, just because these flicks aren’t hitting the obscene fiscal heights of their heyday doesn’t mean that they can’t still be a good time. Case in point, Sony’s latest web-slinging offering Spider-Man: Brand New Day, the fourth entry in the Tom Holland starring series that comprises Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), Spider-Man: Far from Home (2019) and Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021). That last entry is a particularly high bar to clear as although the script was a bit too busy, it featured two past Spideys – Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield – and was staggeringly successful. Also, previous director Jon Watts has now been replaced by Destin Daniel Cretton (Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings), which carries with it a certain amount of risk.
So, does Brand New Day live up to the trilogy’s superior pedigree?
Actually, yes. This thing’s pretty damn good!
Spider-Man: Brand New Day continues the story of one Peter Parker aka Spider-Man (Tom Holland). Ol’ mate Spidey is feeling a little down in the dumps because since the spell was cast at the end of No Way Home, everyone has forgotten who he is. That includes his best mate Ned (Jacob Batalon) and love of his life MJ (Zendaya). Still, New York City is chockers with crime and Pete throws himself into his job, thwipping, quipping and flipping his way through an impressive roster of antagonists. Hell, he even has the tacit endorsement of the NYPD via Detective Jean DeWolff (Liza Colón-Zayas), what more could a friendly neighbourhood superhero want?
Things take a turn for the worse when a new, mysterious villain appears, a being of extreme power who seems able to possess people and make them do terrible things for a mysterious goal. Worse still, Spidey himself is going through some changes where the arachnid within is crawling closer and closer to the surface.
After all the dimension hopping and world-ending stakes of the previous flick, Brand New Day focuses on a story that’s more personal and intimate. It’s a pleasing change of pace and grounds the movie in a genuine sense of pathos and emotion. That’s not to say this is a slow or sedate affair, mind you. In fact, director Destin Daniel Cretton ups the action ante considerably, showcasing a number of genuinely creative, kinetic set pieces with loads of cool ideas and visual flourish. Performances are on point with Zendaya and Holland both oozing charm and chemistry and Jacob Batalon ever reliable as the goofy bestie. Props are also due to Jon Bernthal who once again completely embodies Frank Castle/The Punisher perfectly, albeit in a slightly fluffier version than the recent Disney+ special One Last Kill. Sadie Sink is also excellent in a role we won’t name, but let’s put it this way: she’s one of Marvel’s deadliest rangas. Oh, and Severance’s Tramell Tillman does fine work as Bill Metzger, the head of The Department of Damage Control, in a role that fully deserves a waffle party.
Look, we’re four films deep now into the MCU/Sony Spider-Man saga, so nothing in Brand New Day is likely to blow your mind or fundamentally subvert your expectations. But this is a consistently engaging, excitingly directed, well acted superhero flick with a surprising amount of emotional heft and genuinely memorable sequences. The capes genre may be on the down slope, but there’s still some sunshine left in this Brand New Day.
