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Tom Holland gives his best performance to date in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, a film that should resonate with nearly everyone, but especially Gen Z. The fourth film in Holland’s Spidey series (not counting his appearances in other Marvel movies) picks up with Peter Parker suffering a lonely, over-burdened existence as New York’s favorite vigilante crime fighter. He’s grieving the death of Aunt May (Marisa Tomei) and aching to be with his girlfriend M.J. (Zendaya) and best friend Ned (Jacob Batalon), who no longer have any memory of him after the events of Spider-Man: No Way Home.
The emotional stress is aggravating his ‘spider DNA’, putting him through a ‘superhero puberty’ of sorts. Instead of relying on his science smarts and technology, Peter is developing biological superhuman strength and shooting organic spider webs from his wrists — a startling discovery that almost makes him vomit. While he’s struggling with these changes, he’s drawn into a mystery involving a strange new villain who can take control of anyone’s body, making them very difficult to track or capture. Peter solicits aid from Bruce Banner/The Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) and Frank Castle/The Punisher (Jon Bernthal), who both lend their talents and complicate the plot in unique ways.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day is an invigorating breath of fresh air in the stagnating superhero genre. You won’t find any of that tiresome ‘multiverse’ crap here, and for a nice change, the events of the story aren’t universe-altering or Earth-shattering. Instead, the film goes inward for one of the most character-driven and introspective superhero movies ever made. That’s not to say there’s no action. There’s plenty — including a centerpiece Spidey/Punisher/Hulk throw-down and a beautifully choreographed battle between Spider-Man and a bunch of ninjas — all executed extraordinarily well by director Destin Daniel Cretton (Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings). But the action would ring hollow if we didn’t care about the characters, and that’s one of the things that sets this particular film apart: its depth of character.
Holland carries this film like few actors have ever carried a superhero movie. This is not a performative superhero role. It’s a fully fleshed out human character in a movie that has something to say about loneliness, grief, and the transition from youth to adulthood. Writers Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers, who penned all Holland’s previous Spider-movies, use this opportunity to pivot Spider-Man from a boy to a man, humbling him without emasculating him (as so many films are wont to do these days). Brand New Day has a positive message about the importance of loved ones and the dangers of trying to carry burdens all on your own.
Holland’s not the only great actor in this movie, either. Zendaya gives her most compelling performance in a Spider-Man movie, and Jon Bernthal almost steals the show as The Punisher. He takes on the role of a gruff, reluctant older brother to Peter Parker — a dynamic audiences are sure to want to see continued and developed. Florence Pugh pops up in a few humorous scenes, and Sadie Sink (Stranger Things) leaves an indelible mark as a new character (no spoilers here).
Cretton hits a home run with the direction, giving the dramatic moments their due while over-delivering in visceral thrills. No other Spider-Man movie puts us behind Peter Parker’s eyes more than this one does. It’s a thrill to plunge off high buildings and swing through the streets with him. Brett Pawlak’s cinematography is bright and colorful, a stark contrast to the trending ‘dark and desaturated’ look plaguing cinema these days. The visual effects are outstanding, too. Everything looks very real in this film — there’s none of that plasticky, computer-generated look.
Brand New Day might be a little too long at two hours and twenty-five minutes, but I enjoyed the characters so much that I didn’t mind. The film incorporates a few characters from the larger Marvel cinematic universe that maybe don’t need to be there, but at least they don’t bog things down. Overall, though, this is among the strongest Marvel superhero movies (notably produced by Sony, not Disney), and easily the best of Tom Holland’s Spider-Man films.