I would be lying if I said I was a fan of the MCU Spider-Man movies, or even the MCU as a whole, at this point in my life. In fact, my last article on this site was about how utterly devoid of artistic merit and meaning I found the Avengers: Doomsday trailer to be. This doesn’t mean that I’m not a Marvel fan, as I would classify myself as one. I’m a huge fan of Spider-Man, the X-Men, and Iron Fist…but admittedly that only really applies to the comics. I had found the films adapting the universe to largely be too homogenous and risk-averse to really be anything to look forward to after a while. To this point, I think the first Iron Man and the Guardians movies are the only films I’ve really loved from this cinematic endeavor, with me only really enjoying perhaps Thunderbolts* and Spider-Man: Homecoming after that. This is all said to establish what my perspective is on the MCU, so you can understand that I’m not saying Spider-Man: Brand New Day is a good film out of allegiance to the brand but because I genuinely do think this is a good film and one of the best Spider-Man movies to date. 

Brand New Day picks up years after the events of No Way Home and sees Peter Parker living in the new reality established at the end of that film, where everyone has forgotten he exists. During this time, he’s pushed himself to be the best Spider-Man he can be, almost ending crime in New York (except for everything happening with Daredevil, which is an odd exclusion given the events of Born Again Seasons 1 and 2 having such wide-reaching consequences for all New York-based heroes). What this means, however, is that he has neglected the Peter Parker side of his life entirely. Leaving behind any hope of a social life after the trauma of losing Aunt May and wanting to keep MJ and Ned safe by not letting them into his dangerous life. This all changes when a chance encounter disrupts this melancholic era of his life and a new, mind-hoping villain makes itself known. 

This premise lends itself well to what makes every Spider-Man story work extremely well. The best Spider-Man stories always find themselves at the crossroads of Peter and Spider-Man’s lives, throwing a wrench into both of them and seeing how our favorite everyman finds himself out of the situation. There’s a lot of playing with the notion that Peter is at his lowest while Spider-Man is at his best. The juxtaposition of a city worshipping Spider-Man while Peter gets lost in a crowd at a party is a great example of this. It showcases the two elements of his persona and how they might be opposed in certain situations. Neglecting Peter helps Spider-Man; neglecting Spider-Man helps Peter. They don’t go as far in this movie with that idea as Sam Raimi and co’s Spider-Man 2, but they both ultimately come to the same conclusion that balance is needed. 

In fact, if there is one thing that really stuck out to me about Brand New Day, it is the fact that this movie plays out a lot like Spider-Man 2. There is a scene in this movie that almost feels like it calls back directly to John Jameson’s proposal to Mary Jane in that movie and how Peter reacts afterwards. It’s also not the only thing reminiscent of that movie, as Peter’s powers are also on the fritz here as well, albeit he is getting more powerful while Spider-Man 2’s Peter loses his powers. There is enough difference here to differentiate Brand New Day from its predecessor, but I still think it gets dangerously close to feeling like a repeat at times. Even if the Peter VS Spider-Man conflict at the heart of both movies is the most engaging part of both films, they probably should have tried to make them a little more different so as not to evoke comparison. 

Ironically enough, the film does a great job of comparing its titular hero to those around him as a way to teach Peter the central lesson of the film. It’s not subtle about it to any degree, but the villain’s journey complements Peter’s nicely and puts him in almost a mentor-like role by the end. He essentially wins the day by big-brothering the villain to submission, and I think that’s a lot more powerful of a final battle than had they just fought it out. 

There’s also Jon Bernthal’s Punisher, who is used to great comedic effect in the movie. He acts as a sort of sad reflection of where Peter is in his life. Frank Castle is alone, with no friends and family to bring any joy to his life or help share his pain. I think what’s really interesting about Brand New Day is that instead of treating the Punisher as a sort of dark path Spider-Man could one day go down if he chooses to continue down the route he’s chosen…the film emphasizes how utterly sad Frank is. While he’s bereft of the usual darkness the character has carried within in his appearances in Daredevil, Born Again, and his own solo outings, probably due to the fact that this is the first PG-13 adventure the character has participated in, what this does is highlight how alone and kind of pathetic (complementary) he is. What this does is draw a direct line from his journey to Peter’s and imbue Frank with more empathy from the audience than the sympathy we felt for him before. We are able to see him from a different angle than Daredevil (both the character and the show) approaches him with. By the end, we see a positive change in Frank start to take hold thanks to Peter, even if he’s still gonna be murdering criminals; at least he might not be as lost as he once was. 

The Hulk is also in this movie.

One thing that is a massive step up from the Home trilogy of Spider-Man movies is the cinematography and authorial voice of Brand New Day. While I am not familiar with Destin Daniel Cretton’s filmography outside of Shang-Chi, his sensibilities and style shine throughout the movie and give it a vastly different and unique film not only from the rest of the previous Spider-Man movies but also from the uniform nature of the MCU as well. Credit should also go out to cinematographer Brett Pawlak, who Cretton brought over from his previous non-MCU films, as there are scenes here that are breathtaking and creative. I think one of my biggest takeaways from the movie is how good it looks, not even just in its action sequences but also in its quieter scenes. Some of my favorite scenes visually are just scenes of people talking bathed in the neon light of a sign above them or Ned dapping up one of his friends as he comes home from the store with kegs of beer. The visuals aren’t just eye candy though, as they enhance the scenes they’re employed in to great effect, whether it’s emphasizing the emotional distance between two people that gets shattered as they get physically closer or the expressiveness of Spider-Man contrasting with the self-conscious hunch of Peter keeping his head down. It’s the kind of visual stamp I’ve longed for in a Spider-Man movie for a long time, as I felt like Jon Watts’ journeyman directing style in the Home trilogy left a lot to be desired. 

SPOILER SECTION

Ok, so let’s talk spoilers. Due to the nature of the film hiding Jean Grey’s identity in the marketing and for the first half of the movie, it’s really hard to talk about the thesis of the film without talking about half of it. 

Jean is…good in this movie. Even great, I’d say. She complements Peter’s journey nicely by giving us that dark reflection of him that I thought the Punisher would be. She’s a teenager just like Peter was in the home trilogy, and this allows Peter to impart advice and lessons he learned the hard way onto her. I’ll get into specifics about my thoughts on Jean a little later as an X-Men fan, but I want to focus on Peter’s journey as it relates to her and the other factors in this movie, as it is the core of the film. Like every great Spider-Man story, Jean is there to be the metaphorical extreme of what Peter is going through. While she is not a Spider-Man villain or even a villain at all, she serves that purpose well enough…even if the hiding of her identity and backstory really harms the film in the long run. I understand wanting it to be a big reveal, but I think not having Jean’s story play out in tandem with Peter’s and instead saved for the back half of the movie hurts the pacing and thematic cohesion of the piece. It’s still there, but it feels a bit heavy-handed by the end. 

I also think we should have had Peter himself be the one to talk Jean down at the end rather than have her read his mind and replay a memory of a conversation he had with May. I think May’s talk is… not good. It’s the weakest part of the film for me easily, as it’s just not written well and feels kind of like… "ok and?”. I think it would have been more powerful to give that screen time to Peter’s speech he gives Jean after the memory scene plays out. As it is, Peter’s speech is a bit too abbreviated to feel resonant.

I also loved Peter and MJ’s relationship in this movie, which is so (pardon my French) fucking refreshing for a Spider-Man adaptation, as dear god I have not loved a single version of these characters on screen without caveats for so long. It was an excellent decision to not have MJ’s memories flood back to her when she reads Peter’s letter and sees his face, as it forces Peter to deal with the consequences of not only the spell but his decision to keep her out of his life for the past 5 years. There’s still a yearning between them that I absolutely love, the faintest hint of a past connection that anyone in their 20s has probably intimate knowledge of when talking with their ex. You want to see them come together by the end, but you also see that pain there and the fact that they’re different people now. They need to rebuild their relationship if they want to move forward. It’s such a refreshing and mature way to take them forward and skips the easy way out. 

Peter’s yearning for connection is what really drives him throughout this film. I think it’s a relatable journey for anyone who’s been in his shoes before. He has this pain he carries with him, and while that’s exaggerated to the scale of a superhero, I think there’s something potent here that speaks to the generation of today. Peter’s struggle in this film is almost a metaphor for life past a breakup or the ending of an impactful friendship or both. He wants to move on, be better, and make new connections, but he’s too scared of the hurt he might feel if he does that. Obviously that’s more of a serious concern for him than us because like…they could die in his situation. But I think that fear of being hurt again and isolating yourself is a very relatable thing for most people. At least for me it was, and I know this movie would have hit a lot harder for me had it come out a little earlier in my life. I can only hope that it hits hard for someone going through something similar right now. Especially when the point this film comes to is that you should reach out and that you should make new friends and not have to go through life alone. Separating yourself from everyone will only make you more miserable and a worse person to everyone around you. You could be hurt again, but also it’s worth it to try because otherwise…you’re not really living.

I think that’s really the beauty of Spider-Man stories. They all act as metaphors or modern fairy tales for what we all go through. My favorite Spider-Man stories and why he’s been such an enduring character in my opinion is not only the fact that he’s relatable but also that his stories can always reach out to us and help us through the most rough parts of our lives by showing us that there’s people out there who understand our pain and what we’re going through, there’s a way forward and as long as you’re trying then you’re on the right path. It’s why Spider-Man 2 is one of my favorite films of all time, as it captures the feeling of that transition from teenager into young adulthood so well. The heightened emotions and changes, and the importance of doing the right thing even when it’s hard. It’s also why Brand New Day works despite its flaws; it gives a voice to our inner struggles and a hero to conquer them.

Oh yeah, I don’t really have a good spot for this, but I love the suit so much. It’s so good. It just needs raised webbing to make it pop on screen more, in my opinion, but other than that it’s perfect. Every time I see Tom in that suit, I’m just like “that’s Spider-Man”.

Ok alright, I’ve beat around the bush a lot, but if there’s one thing my friends know me as, it’s either the Yakuza guy or the X-Men guy (despite the fact I probably like Spider-Man just as much as both of those things as well as a whole litany of other things), so as a hardcore X-Men fan, how did we do?

I think they did a good job here with Jean. While the plot pretty much halts to a standstill to become an X-Men movie for like 10 minutes while we get Jean’s origin of conflict for this movie….I can’t deny that I wasn’t digging it. I think one of the things I keep seeing online that I really disagree with is people talking about how unforgivable Jean Grey is in this movie. One has to remember that Jean is a teenager in this movie. I just spent great lengths describing how the best Spider-Man stories are metaphors for the struggles of everyday life, and that applies to the X-Men as well, albeit to a lesser degree. The X-Gene kicking in during your teenage years has always been a pretty obvious metaphor for puberty, and I think there’s been no better showing of that on screen than here. While her powers didn’t just kick in, Jean is learning who she is and undergoing all these changes that dis-regulate her. I feel like it’s an experience anyone who’s been a teenager can relate to. You have all these hormones and feelings coursing through you, and it causes you to lash out at those around you sometimes. You say and do things you regret later, and I think that’s why Jean really works for me in this film. It’s deeply relatable to me as I definitely had my fair share of years as a troubled teenager. Granted, I never did anything as harmful as Jean, but I mean, again, that’s part of the greatness of the superhero metaphor for me. It’s seeing everyday struggles extrapolated into excess. 

Sadie Sink also does an incredible job here with her first outing of presumably many with the character, and I really hope she does end up being the lead of that upcoming X-Men film because I’d love to see more of this version of Jean. I think it’ll be fun to see how the dynamics of the X-Men change when one of their core members is as dysfunctional as she is presented here. 

Anyway, that’s it for all my thoughts on Spider-Man: Brand New Day. I definitely recommend it, but let’s be honest, you didn’t need me to tell you to see it because most everyone who wanted to see it has at this point. It almost had a billion-dollar opening weekend, like cmon now.