Spider-Man: Brand New Day brings Tom Holland (The Odyssey) back in the role of the beloved webslinger. After the events of Spider-Man: No Way Home, many believed that Holland’s time in the MCU was complete. However, now it seems that Holland’s Parker will be around for quite some time, as he is inked to several more Marvel projects. Unfortunately, Holland’s new Marvel stint is off to a bit of a shaky start.
In the film, Spider-Man suffers the consequences of what happened in Spider-Man: No Way Home, the result of which no one on this Earth remembers Peter Parker. The world and New York City still know and adore Spider-Man, but no one knows his identity, and when he walks around mask-off, no one recognizes him. Therefore, Peter spends most of his time in the Spidey suit helping NYC police with investigations and crime-handling.
He also works closely with the Department of Damage Control (DODC), especially when someone attempts to break into their headquarters with unknown intents. As he aids the DODC and the NYC police in apprehending the suspect, he is joined by Frank Castle (Jon Bernthal, The Unforgivable), also known as The Punisher, a rough-and-tough vigilante with an extensive armory of weapons who does things a bit differently than Spider-Man. Both Holland and Bernthal deliver quality performances and have great chemistry with one each other. In fact, Bernthal’s Punisher may be the brightest aspect of the whole film. Meanwhile, Peter crosses paths with former girlfriend MJ (Zendaya, Dune: Part Two) and best friend Ned (Jacob Batalon, Novocaine), both of whom have no memory of Peter whatsoever.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day begins as a mystery, and one of almost supernatural proportions as Spidey tries to track down a mysterious individual with unfathomable power. At the same time, Peter himself is experiencing something strange. His body and mind are rapidly changing and he undergoes sudden bursts of anger and awkward physical changes while losing control of some of his powers. This initial intrigue entices, but it doesn’t last long. Both mysteries are resolved a bit too early, leading to a far too predictable second half of the film.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day does a number of things well, but ultimately it suffers from the all-too-familiar issue of overpacking. The cast is great, the action sequences are intense, and the humor mostly hits. There are even a few very heartwarming moments. The problem is that each of these quality aspects are given little time to shine. With a film so stuffed as this, important storylines such as Peter’s attempts to reconnect with MJ and Ned take a back seat to new characters and other priorities. Holland’s scenes with Zendaya and Batalon are all excellent, but sadly too few and far between.
When it becomes extremely apparent that Spider-Man: Brand New Day functions not as a singular, contained story, but as a vehicle to drive forward the MCU into specific destinations, the film loses its merit. Instead of focusing on the heart and soul of the MCU Spider-Man movies—Peter, Ned, and MJ—the film is a means to an end and a way to introduce, reinvent, or feature other characters. The Punisher is up to the task of filling in some narrative gaps, but unfortunately the other characters are not.
As a result, Brand New Day struggles to find its focus. With so many different plot devices and characters, there is no consistent vision that guides the film. There is a somewhat recurring theme and a tone that is much darker and different than any other Spider-Man films. Some may appreciate this as a change from the more lighthearted other Spidey projects, but to me that’s not what Spider-Man is or was ever meant to be.
Brand New Day represents a large shift in the MCU Spider-Man. What Jon Watts was able to achieve in his 3 films as director—singular, personal stories that felt important yet contained—is not achieved here by Destin Daniel Cretton (Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings). Now, as I’m sure Marvel intended, Spider-Man is being used as a device to incorporate other well-known characters into the MCU. I don’t believe Spider-Man is the right property to choose for that purpose, as Spidey is a captivating and layered enough character to stand on his own. Taking away screentime from Peter, Ned, and MJ in favor of new characters, even Bernthal’s Punisher, loses the loyal audience that Marvel has built and undermines the chemistry and relationships that have been formed that we all yearn to see explored in greater depth.
When Spider-Man: Brand New Day features its titular character and his comrades he’s come to love over the years, it works very well. When it focuses on new characters that Spider-Man has not met before (and is given little screentime with), it falters. The movie is OK at best and provides some emotional moments, but again, that’s only half the film. The other half could be thrown into any other Marvel project and work well on its own, but not when competing for the audience’s attention with Spider-Man.
Matt Patti
Matt Patti has enjoyed voicing his opinions on films from a young age. He has lived in the Baltimore, Maryland, area since 2015 and is a graduate of Stevenson University’s Film & Moving Image program. Matt is currently back at Stevenson University, working as the School of Design, Arts, and Communication's Studio Manager.