Spider-Man: Brand New Day- The Most Mature Spider-Man Yet

Spider-Man: Brand New Day is the newest movie in the mcu. It is the ninth live action Spider-Man movie, the eleventh overall, and the fourth one with Tom Holland at the helm. The previous three movies were directed by Jon Watts. However, this one was directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, who also directed Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings a few years earlier. The film takes place at least four years after the events of the previous film, since at the beginning of this film MJ and Ned have graduated from MIT and have moved back to New York. The film stars Tom Holland as the titular character, along with Jon Bernthal, Sadie Sink, Zendaya, and Jacob Batalon.

As stated earlier, it has been at least four years since the world has forgotten who Peter Parker was and during those years he has been working as Spider-Man alone. He has put away a lot of criminals and has made the city of New York much safer. However, no one is meant to go through life alone, not even Spider-Man. That is one of the most prevalent themes in this movie. Anyways, Peter has been diligently working as Spider-Man for several years when all of the sudden a new villain appears who has the ability to possess and go into other people's minds, except for Peter. If that wasn't bad enough, Peter's former girlfriend MJ and best friend Ned are back in town. Their prescence reminds Peter of how much he's lost and how lonely he is. Because of this, his powers start to act up. So throughout this move he has to face this unknown villain and try to stop her, as well as figure out what is going on with his powers and whether he needs to suppress them, while also learning how to reconnect with his loved ones and realize he can't do everything by himself.

This was a really good movie. One of my favorite aspects of this film is that it lets the emotions of the characters and the weight of their actions sit with them. There's humor, of course, but it never interrupts a serious or emotional scene. That has been one of the major problems with the mcu over the past few years. I also like how they used Frank Castle, aka the Punisher, in this film. His and Peter's bickering is hilarious and they work off each other great. I think one the major concerns for this film was that the Punisher would feel neutered and not be like himself. I am happy to say that this is not the case. While you don't see him mowing down bad guys like he's done in previous projects in the mcu, he's still the Punisher. He doesn't feel like an entirely different character. While he and Spider-Man have very different opinions on how they should deal with criminals, the Punsher knows that Spider-Man has a good heart and grows to genuiely care about him. I also liked what they did with the hulk. This is the first time in a while since the hulk actually felt like a threat and one you don't want to get on their bad side. I do think the way he was defeated was a little too easy, but it seems like a step in the right direction. With what happens to him, it doesn't seem like he will be able to get back to his old life. I am cautiously optimistic about the future for this character. In addition, I also liked how the movie dealt with his malfunctioning powers. It is a similar plot point to Tobey Maguire's Spider-Man 2, but it is done in a slightly different way. Rather than his powers abandoning him completely, his powers are growing. However, they have become more difficult to control and more dangerous. Peter begins to doubt himself and starts putting inhibitor chips on himself to prevent himself from accidentally hurting someone. On a side note, even though I may be in the minority, I actually prefer it when Spider-Man is able to shoot his webs organically rather than from web shooters that he made, which is one of his new powers introduced in this film. Most likely it's because I grew up with the Maguire films and thought that was how it always was. One of the major standouts of the movie was Sadie Sink, who plays the main villain. Now I am not going to give away the character that she is playing, but it is most likely the character you think it is. It is a different take on this character, and the best version we've gotten so far on the big screen, which granted, isn't saying much, but it is a step in the right direction. I am excited for what the future holds for her character. I loved Spider-Man's resolution with her. He doesn't defeat her through force, but listens to her and is able to help her get closure. It shows how much he has grown. He is no longer a kid, but is now a man. His interactions with her and his memory of his aunt May makes him realize that no one should be alone. Throughout the movie he starts making connections again. The spell from the previous movie isn't magically undone, but Peter does start to make progress with MJ and Ned even though things are still not the same, and perhaps never will be. However, it does ease his burden of being Spider-Man, if even just a little. His scenes with MJ of course were great. They were both heartwarming and heartbraking, but I especially loved his scenes with Ned. Their interactions just felt so pure and innocent. Through this he is able to embrace both of his identities as Peter Parker and Spider-Man, which leads him to stop suppressing his heightened powers and being able to full embrace them, which leads to the best fight in the movie against the hand, which are the red ninjas you see in the trailer. Any problems I have with this movie are just nitpicks. I saw this movie in 3D because it was the most convenient time for me to see it, but you're not missing anything if you see it on a regular theater screen. Also, the other villain is just the run of the mill government agent who tries to exploit and control those who have powers. There is nothing about him that stands out. I also think it is a little weird that they never mention Uncle Ben. I get that they didn't want to go through Spider-Man's origin story in which Uncle Ben is shot again, and that aunt May basically fulfills that role in this film series. You see Peter grieving from the loss of his aunt, which he should, but you never hear the subject of Uncle Ben come up in these movies. I'm not sure if he even exists in this universe. That's not necessarily a flaw, I just find it odd. I'm not sure where this film falls in my rankings with the other Spider-Man films, but it's definitely one of the better ones, and I like all of them, even the hated ones. Regardless, this is a worthy movie for such a beloved and iconic superhero. Go out and see it.

Final Rating: 9/10