Matt O’Connor: President/Editor-In-Chief
(This review will contain spoilers)
After an almost five year hiatus, Spider-Man’s next chapter took the Box Office and the Summer Zeitgeist by storm. The film has been enormously successful, grossing over $2 Billion at the Worldwide Box Office and has received critical acclaim across the board. In an era where the concept of “Superhero Fatigue” is constantly thrown around whenever a new film in the genre releases, Spider-Man has proven that the idea of audiences being bored with superhero movies doesn’t have any weight to it. Brand New Day not only brings back Spider-Man in spectacular fashion, but also reignites the hype and excitement for the larger Marvel Cinematic Universe.
The Cast
Tom Holland is back as Spider-Man, and this film solidifies himself as the best live action portrayal of the character. Following the events of No Way Home, Peter Parker is a much darker place after his public identity was erased. A common criticism from Holland’s previous MCU adventures was that his character was too reliant on the technology and influence of other characters like Iron Man. But now, Peter is living entirely on his own with nothing but his mind and his heroics to carry him forward. Brand New Day also brings back Zendaya as MJ and Jacob Batalon as Ned Leeds. Peter spends the majority of the film trying to reestablish the friendships he had and to rekindle the erased relationship with MJ.
Jacob Batalon has some really heartwarming scenes with Holland as they slowly get to know each other again. Zendaya’s performance is one of the highlights of the film. The scenes that she has with Holland really tug on your heart strings and keep you guessing as to whether they’ll get back together or not. The supporting cast is also incredibly strong. Jon Bernthal is always incredible as the Punisher, and the chemistry between him and Holland makes for some of the funniest moments in the film. Mark Ruffalo also returns as the Hulk, bringing back the savage version of the character who hasn’t been seen since Infinity War. Even Florence Pugh shows up as Yelena Belova for some fun scenes that show how expansive the MCU’s version of New York truly is.
The Story
Spider-Man has been busy since the last time we saw him. He’s been fighting villains like Scorpion, Tombstone and Boomerang as well as developing new tech to incorporate into his suit. Early on, Peter begins to notice changes both physically and mentally. These changes result in him gaining organic webbing and heightened senses. With a strange telepath body hopping across the city, Peter’s investigation leads him to the Department of Damage Control (DODC), and with Yelena’s help, Peter is able to identify the person behind the body hopping.
The big question on everyone’s minds going into Brand New Day was the identity of Sadie Sink’s character. As one of the key players in the film, Sink makes her MCU debut as the X-Men character Jean Gray. When the character first shows up in the film, she’s painted in a villainous light. But it’s revealed that the DODC did cruel experiments on Jean’s sister. That villainous light shifts to a tragic one, with Peter appealing to Jean’s emotions and emphasizing the message that in life, you are never truly alone. Beyond her appearance in Brand New Day, Sadie Sink is set to return as Jean Gray in both Avengers: Secret Wars and the MCU X-Men film.
Responses to Jean Gray’s inclusion in this film have been somewhat divisive. On one hand, it’s a great way to get audiences interested in the character and the largest X-Men franchise. But on the other hand, many fans (including myself) would’ve preferred having an actual Spider-Man villain as the main antagonist over Jean and the DODC. Spidey has one of the best and most extensive rogues galleries in all of comics, and not taking advantage of that makes for one of my only major issues with the film. With that being said, Sadie Sink does an amazing job in the role and her future in the MCU couldn’t be brighter.
Where To Next?
Spider-Man 5 has already been confirmed to be a priority for the MCU, and Director Destin Daniel Cretton is expected to return to head the next installment in this new trilogy. In addition, Tom Holland is heavily rumored to return as Peter Parker in Avengers: Secret Wars where he may or may not get the Black Symbiote suit from the comics. Brand New Day proved that the superhero genre is far from stale, and the film’s overwhelming success have catapulted it into the list of the highest grossing films of all time. After a long stretch of critical and commercial duds, the MCU is back in full swing, and Spider-Man is swinging high above the rest.
