With the advent of the monsoon here in Vadodara, as I sit here shedding dead skin from my fingers after watching Spider-Man: Brand New Day in the theatres, it’s finally time to write my Spider-Man: Brand New Day Review. The child in me is still convinced that I might have a chance to become Spider-Man at any moment now. A franchise that has spanned my entire childhood, I have seen multiple guys behind the mask, with Marvel carrying the greatest of responsibilities: to make great stories for our friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man.

There have been so many variations, hits, and misses that you are always inquisitive to see what they are going to deliver in the next one, and then in the next one, and so on. It’s a fact that the franchise will continue, with so many creative minds and extraordinary stories that beautifully fit into the MCU.

You still can’t recover from how good the last one (No Way Home) was, so you walk into this one with the mindset, “Will any future Spider-Man movies live up to that standard?” Turns out, it is very difficult to meet that standard. But Spider-Man: Brand New Day is a deserving continuation of where things left off. It has that sad, solitary vibe that you constantly feel throughout the film. It carries that tense chemistry, engulfed in despondent moments of nostalgia, which utterly shatters you to pieces if you have been following the MJ-Spidey story all along.

The last one broke us to pieces with the hard choice in its climax, and now this one makes you literally live through that hard choice. It tries to deliver the message of how important it is to accept change, allow yourself to heal, and ask for help when you think you can’t handle things alone.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day Review: Story and Direction (Spoilers Ahead)

TThe friendly neighbourhood Spidey is carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders while, at the same time, sulking in his loneliness, watching his friends move on without him. And now, suddenly, he has a bigger problem at hand. He is evolving into something new.

Spiders have three life cycles. When between cycles, a spider can become vulnerable to threats. And for those spiders who make it through, it amounts to a kind of rebirth.

Our protagonist is growing too, moving away from his teenage years and into adulthood. That’s beautifully woven into the plot of Spider-Man: Brand New Day. There is something innate and inert in him that is trying to express itself—basically nature trying to balance things. His vulnerable self starts fighting it, and that’s just a subplot to the story.

It’s this vulnerable self that he carries throughout the movie as he fights bigger problems, problems he thought were insurmountable but end up not being so, and situations that become more and more complex.

Tom Holland Reprising His Role

One look at Spidey, the way he talks and moves around, and you know it’s Tom Holland all along. He bleeds a lot of personality into his character. At this point, he has become one with Spider-Man, or rather, Peter Parker. His zero interest in talking to anyone other than MJ goes on to show how close he keeps loyalty to his heart.

The dilemma and confusion Spider-Man experiences feel very Tom Holland-ish. He doesn’t move around with confidence, and you can sense that. It’s as if the story of this huge change has somehow affected him as a person, as well as Spider-Man and Peter Parker. It goes on to show what a great actor he is. His rising from the ashes feels like a reincarnation, and all his loose punches start hitting hard, literally and figuratively. If anyone is steering these Spider-Man movies forward, it is, hands down, Tom Holland.

Ode to Other MCU Characters

While doing all of that, Spider-Man: Brand New Day also pays tribute to so many returning characters (classic Marvel style) that it feels like Spidey is once again tightly nestled in the world of the MCU. It also introduces Spidey to the world of mutants in a subtle way that makes you feel like you are reading a well-written comic.

Making him fight the Hulk and showing just how incredibly difficult it really was to face him, without overshadowing either character, is one of those instances where you realise how Marvel always looks after its heroes. The clever comic inclusion of Florence Pugh as Yelena, the Black Widow, is always a welcome addition. The Punisher is literally everywhere, and you feel Jon Bernthal is finally getting the mainstream praise he deserves. With Frank and Spider-Man joining forces, it also feels like a nod to the mutated Spider-Man, or Man-Spider, stories that we grew up watching as kids.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day Review – Sadie Sink’s Badass Role

The best way to introduce a mutant into the Spidey story—something we had already foreseen for the franchise—happened beautifully here. That too, with none other than the legendary telepath Jean Grey. She is the highlight of this movie. Never before in a Marvel movie had Jean’s powers as a telepath been depicted so dramatically. It was always her telekinesis that set her apart. Suddenly watching her grow into this menacing force, that too in her teens, was absolutely bonkers.

To Spider-Man, Jean Grey feels more like a villain in the beginning as he tries to stop her from destroying Damage Control. But the movie unfurls the twist beautifully (even though it was easy to see from miles away). There are so many layers to the story, which make Spider-Man: Brand New Day a movie that has plenty to keep audiences engaged.

Mary Jane and Peter Parker Story

We have all wondered about this: what would happen once MJ came to know the truth? Will they rekindle their love? But it is so fathomable that, all this time, MJ’s memory has been wiped out, so she has no clue who Peter is, even though he has shown up in front of her twice. We, as the audience, know and have experienced their whole story, but MJ, without her memory, literally doesn’t know this person. So, her not accepting Peter as her one true love feels a lot more believable, but that doesn’t stop us from speculating about what is to come in the upcoming movies.

You feel bad for Peter, though, and there are so many moments that compel you to choke up and let out a tear. Her state of mind is also understandable. Now that she has asked Spider-Man to talk to Ned, the possibility of them rekindling their love in the future can only make you happy.

But the tension is crazy. Although the disconnect from her actual life somewhere stops the movie from delving too deeply into the dilemma of unrequited love, it still reminds you of the emotional pang that was a USP of Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man movies.

The screenplay is good, but not gut-wrenchingly profound—okay by MCU standards.

The cinematography is beautiful, made even more evident by a series of New York photographs during the credits. You can’t help but, well, marvel at what a good shot really is. It is almost as if you are watching a true professional at work. You can’t help but wonder how only a great eye can capture and sum up a city like that.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day Review: Final Verdict

Spider-Man: Brand New Day is not just another teen story of love, longing, and heartbreak that’s slowly seeping its way into adulthood; it’s a movie that feels like a complete package. You feel the change Spidey feels, as if he is going through a cocoon before emerging as a new person. Right from the breathtaking New York visuals to the sick moves that take you swinging, webbing, and experimenting through the city, the movie will keep you on your toes. The movie doesn’t introduce villains, but rather misunderstood heroes, and still gets away with it. That’s one of the true strengths that sets this new addition to the franchise apart.

It addresses so many powerful themes throughout, deals with loneliness, teaches us to embrace change and express ourselves, and so much more. Highly entertaining, Spider-Man: Brand New Day is a lovely addition to the anthology Marvel is creating.

If you’ve been following my Spider-Man reviews, you can also read my review of Spider-Man: Homecoming