Spider-Man Brand New Day feels like a breath of fresh air for the MCU and Spider-Man movies in general, this feels like the early days of Marvel again, with great writing, fantastic effects, amazing action, and a scale that feels grand while still keeping Spider-Man grounded where he belongs.
This movie reminded me how much Spider-Man meant to me growing up, it’s definitely a love letter to Spider-Man fans, giving you everything you could want from a Spider-Man movie, and the suit is easily one of the top three live action Spider-Man suits, it just looks incredible.
Following Peter years after the events of No Way Home, we now see him on his own, balancing a quiet life while still keeping up with his responsibilities as Spider-Man, even with MJ and Ned back and new threats rising, he must seek help from The Punisher and Bruce Banner to control his own mutation and stop a threat that even he can’t see.
First I have to talk about the phenomenal cinematography, this probably has the best web swinging of any Spider-Man movie, some shots are incredibly fast while others go full first person, honestly it made me feel like I was free falling and swinging through the city, it’s also fantastic during the action scenes, with some really clever camera angles that follow Spider-Man perfectly whether he’s punching someone or crawling up a wall.
The action is also amazing, it’s great seeing Spider-Man get involved in more hand-to-hand combat with the villains, and every fight is shot and put together beautifully, which is no surprise considering Destin Daniel Cretton also directed Shang-Chi, he clearly knows how to shoot incredible fight scenes and this is no exception.
I also loved the writing, having Peter on his own for the first time while still staying true to his responsibilities feels perfect for a Spider-Man story, and adding characters like The Punisher, Bruce Banner/Hulk and others might sound like it would make the film feel overcrowded, but it all flows beautifully, balancing multiple storylines without ever feeling messy.
I also think this is Tom Holland’s best performance as Spider-Man, not only do we finally get to see him properly on his own, but he completely sells Peter as someone carrying the weight of the world by himself, while still living by the words “With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility”, that alone is Spider-Man to me, and while he’s always great as Spider-Man, I think he’s even better as Peter Parker here, you really feel the pain, loneliness and frustration he’s carrying, something I think has been missing for a while.
Zendaya is of course fantastic as MJ, and even after the events of No Way Home she still feels like the same smart, witty and lovable character we’ve come to know, and I wouldn’t change a thing.
But easily my favourite character was Frank Castle/The Punisher, played to perfection by the legend himself Jon Bernthal, I’ve always thought he was one of the coolest actors around, and Frank Castle is still my favourite performance of his, so when I found out he was going to be in a Spider-Man movie I was so excited, and he absolutely delivered, even though he can’t go full Punisher mainly because that would put the rating straight up to R, his chemistry with Spider-Man is on the same level as Deadpool & Wolverine, every scene they share put a huge smile on my face, and I still stand by The Punisher being one of the coolest characters in the MCU, largely thanks to Jon Bernthal.
This is definitely a film for the fans, but even if you’re just a casual moviegoer there’s something here for everyone, great writing, fantastic action, loads of laughs, and just the right kind of film for Marvel fans right now.
