It’s a “Brand New Day” for Peter Parker. Full-time crime fighter as Spider-Man in a world that doesn’t remember him. The anxiety and pressure of seeing his old friends move on without him brings about a change in Peter; a change he may not have the power to control. This change might be just what he needs to stop a shocking new threat to the city and those he loves the most.

The world may have forgotten Peter Parker, but he hasn’t forgotten them.

Setting the Scene

After Stephen Strange’s spell, the world seems to have forgotten that Peter Parker (Tom Holland) exists. Four years later, Parker continues protecting New York City as its celebrated hero Spider-Man, but has kept himself isolated from the world. He has also avoided all contact with is ex-girlfriend Michelle “MJ” Jones-Watson (Zendaya) and former best friend Ned Leeds (Jacob Batalon).

One another routine crime-fighting day, Parker stops Frank Castle’s (Jon Bernthal, The Punisher) rampage through the city chasing a tank trying to break into the Department of Damage Control (DODC). The tank driver’s mind seems possessed, and whomever is controlling the driver can jump from person to person.

As Parker pushes himself to learn more about this ‘unknown’ telepath (Sadie Sink), he is also finding himself yearning for his connection to MJ and bestie Ned. His anxious yearning seem to affect his biology in bringing on a physiological change Parker is not ready to take on fully. In an effort to control these biological changes, he pays a visit to Dr. Bruce Banner/Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), who seems to be containing the Hulk’s rage fairly well. Parker also reaches out to Yelena Belova / Black Widow (Florence Pugh) who gives him some useful information.

To avoid spoilers, all that will be shared henceforth is that Parker’s search for the telepath, puts the very people he loves most in real danger. All this while he is also trying to find a way to reconnect with MJ and Ned. He must enlist Castle’s help to not only uncover the telepath, confront her while also having to decide to embrace these biological changes as a means to find a way to stop the chaos ensuing in NYC.

Hye’s Thoughts on the Film

I found Spider-Man™: Brand New Day entertaining, engaging and well-balanced. There may be others who expected more action, more cameos, and I can understand that. In this film though, I liked seeing Peter Parker / Spider-Man navigate NYC like we expect these characters would day to day.

Also notable are his interactions with Frank Castle / The Punisher, which provide humour and a window into the friendship developing between the two. There is fairly decent chemistry between Holland and Bernthal here. Fans already know the chemistry between Zendaya and Holland, so it is not surprising when the two share scenes, they complement their characters nicely.

The plot involving the telepath is decent as it presents an external conflict and action part of the film, while the story of Parker undergoing physiological changes impacting his overall identity focuses on his humanity so to speak. The storylines work fairly well in keeping audiences engaged in the outcome; Spider-Man must find the telepath, keep NYC safe and also find a balance within himself. Holland seems to have matured as both Peter Parker and Spider-Man; it works well in this film.

Behind the camera, we have director Destin Daniel Cretton collaborating with Brett Pawlak as director of photography. Pawlak and team deliver some crisp visuals that complement the visual effects and action choreography well. I also want to highlight and shoutout the work of Peng Zhang and his fight choreography team for the film’s fight sequences. There are some really slick moves and stunts on Holland’s part as well as his scenes fighting the ‘magic ninjas’ aka The Hand. Their moves are indeed “so cool” and fans of Wuxia films will recognize them immediately.

I think fans of the Spider-Man animates series and comics will appreciate many aspects of Spider-Man™: Brand New Day like I did. Starting with scenes as nods to these reference material as well as expanding the story from No Way Home, the other Marvel character cameos, the telepath ‘villain’ and Parker’s inner conflict, the film still delivers on the entertainment front.

Spider-Man™: Brand New Day is currently screening at a cinema near you.

Images courtesy of Sony Pictures Entertainment.