'Spider-Man: Brand New Day' is exactly what the MCU needs right now

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The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has not been in its prime for quite a few years now. Following “Avengers: Endgame” in 2019, it’s clear the studio has struggled to find any sense of direction. A downward spiral that, ironically enough, was likely the fault of the previous Spider-Man entry that started this aimless descent down the treacherous multiverse this franchise has been stuck in for the past five years. Now the responsibility to course correct once again falls on the eponymous webslinger, and the result is a triumphant step in the right direction.

“Spider-Man: Brand New Day” reflects what its title suggests. This is a fresh start for the character, but rather than ignore what came before, it effectively utilizes the established storylines and characters in far more mature ways that feel as though they will actually leave a lasting emotional impact.

The story picks up following the events of “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” as the entire world has forgotten who Peter Parker is, including his best friends MJ and Ned Leeds. After a mysterious new villain starts possessing innocent people to do their bidding, Spider-Man is forced to handle this issue on his own, while dealing with strange biological changes to his abilities and his self-imposed isolation.

The previous trilogy of Spidey flicks in the MCU served as opportunities to tell live-action stories about the character that hadn’t been done before. They took a far more light-hearted approach, more akin to an action-comedy series than any of the previous entries. Many die-hard fans of the character may have greatly appreciated this change, seeing their favorite character less broody and sharing more characteristics with his quippy comic book counterpart. While those movies were very enjoyable in the moment, they generally sacrificed the sincerity that comic book movies had before the MCU convinced Hollywood that being earnest is embarrassing.

This fear of letting any scenes of genuine emotion play out without an unnecessary and predictable comedic button to transition to the next scene has made these films feel completely disposable and forgettable. Why should I feel anything when all of these movies are so afraid to be vulnerable? What lesson is this method of storytelling teaching us? That sincerity is embarrassing, and it’s actually good to use humor as a defense mechanism?

I say all this because “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” doesn’t feel that way. It doesn’t feel “too cool for school,” or the need to point out how stupid comic book characters’ names are. This is the first time in any of these movies that feels like we’re in Spider-Man’s domain. Even with all the outer Marvel characters seeping in, they primarily serve to tie in with the themes of loss and growth that Peter Parker experiences throughout. While there may be a bit of setup for other characters in the future, they never feel isolated from the main story and manage to directly affect and even parallel Peter’s journey.

This all sounds like basic storytelling, but in a franchise that has consistently prioritized nostalgia baiting over the last five years, the fact that the new MCU Spider-Man movie actually feels like a real movie feels like stepping outside for the first time after half a decade trapped in my childhood bedroom.

The credit should go to director Destin Daniel Cretton, who previously made “Short Term 12,” “Just Mercy” and Marvel’s “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.” His approach feels far more cinematic than that of the previous filmmaker in the Spider-Man series, Jon Watts, who opted for a style closer to other Marvel films that lack strong creative voices. Watts had come off a smaller film called “Cop Car” in 2015 and was likely chosen as someone who could work well within the studio system. His films, while enjoyable, always fell short of delivering anything more than “fun.” Cretton reminds us that this character deserves more than just “another Marvel movie.” There’s some actual intent in the composition and framing of individual shots, and there’s dynamic camera work during action scenes. This isn’t winning Best Cinematography at the Academy Awards, but it’s so refreshing to see a Spider-Man movie with decent lighting that doesn’t use green screen as a crutch.

Aside from the filmmaking, another major improvement here comes from the writing department. This is far from the multiverse mess in “No Way Home” or the safe theme park ride that is “Far From Home.” This feels like an important story in this character’s life, as we see Peter go through both physical and psychological changes. He is no longer the naive little “Iron Boy” from the previous trilogy and feels like he has the most agency so far. He has an effective character arc in this film, having to contend with accepting change as well as learning that not everyone is who they present themselves as on the surface. Every supporting character here, from Bruce Banner to Frank Castle, and even the villain *REDACTED*, all have necessary parts in completing Peter’s arc.

While this is overall a huge step in the right direction, and easily the best of Tom Holland’s Spider-Man films, the days when superhero movies could have multiple scenes of characters simply speaking about their lives outside of the immediate action are long gone. This certainly comes the closest to capturing the human drama of Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man films, but it is still unfortunately held back by the modern trend to quickly move from story beat to story beat without giving these characters enough quiet moments together. That being said, the scenes we get with Peter and MJ are easily some of the highlights and feel like the most mature this series has been up to this point.

This movie verges on feeling overstuffed, and the inclusion of characters like the Incredible Hulk, the Punisher, and the secret villain nearly pushes it over the edge. It manages these characters well, but it strikes as slightly odd that they are much bigger players than the other characters we see that actually have direct relationships with Spider-Man in the comics. This isn’t a big deal, but when the Spider-Man film is nearly 2.5 hours long, and the Spider-Man villains are basically only in a montage at the start, it feels strange considering the iconography of his rogues’ gallery.

The movie also offers Tom Holland the best material he’s had to work with as this character. He is in a fairly miserable place for most of the runtime, but never loses the Spidey charm and charisma he’s always excelled at. When the movie needs him to be angry, hurt, sad, or funny, Holland plays each emotion pitch-perfect. It helps that he has tremendous chemistry with the entire cast, especially Jon Bernthal. Spider-Man and Punisher have some of the funniest and most crowd-pleasing scenes together simply due to their back-and-forth. Every scene with them stands out as a joyous reminder that not every exchange needs to feel the same comedically.

This is also easily Zendaya’s best work as this character. Like Holland, she is working with the best material she’s had as MJ. It’s the first time she’s actually felt like a real person and not like a supporting sitcom cast member. She shares some heavier scenes with Holland, and they’ve honestly never felt more authentic than in this movie.

“Spider-Man: Brand New Day” accomplishes a lot for Marvel. This thing has already made $1 billion for them and Sony, but what it does best is finally give us a Spider-Man film that doesn’t feel disposable. It isn’t afraid of exploring real feelings and letting these characters grow up, and that’s exactly the feeling Spider-Man should give.

My rating for this film is a 8 out of 10.

Spider-Man Poll Results!

We asked you how the new Spider-Man film would do at the box office.

Here’s what you predicted!

66.67% - Over 1 Billion

33.33% - $600 Million

0.00% - $400 Million

Great job! The majority of you were completely spot on!