Courtney Howard // Film Critic
SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY
Rated PG-13, 2 hours and 25 minutes
Directed by: Dustin Daniel Cretton
Starring: Tom Holland, Zendaya, Jon Bernthal, Jacob Batalon, Liza Colón-Zayas, Tramell Tillman, Mark Ruffalo, Sadie Sink, Marisa Tomei, Michael Mando
Over the past decade or so since Tom Holland has donned his red and blue spandex suit, we’ve seen both Peter Parker and Spider-Man mature by leaps and bounds, bumbling through his awkward high school years to face down one end-of-the-world threat after another. However, the character hasn’t necessarily been forced to truly evolve psychologically or physically, at least not until now. SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY tackles big themes of loneliness, sacrifice, grief and (you guessed it) personal evolution, while also featuring copious amounts of comic book fan service. While the part buddy comedy, part mystery thriller, part relationship drama is neither well-paced nor well-constructed, and is often taxed by its overstuffed narrative, when the thematic resonance hits, it hits hard.
Peter Parker (Holland) has been dealing with the fallout of his decision to wipe the memories of all who knew him and distance himself from his loved ones, but not in the healthiest of ways. He’s become mopey and introverted, pushing away anyone who could get close to him and watching his ex-girlfriend MJ (Zendaya) and bestie Ned (Jacob Batalon) from afar, peeping in on their fun college years – time they were meant to be living their best lives together – through their social media posts. Peter’s desperate need for friendship leads him to overcompensate, plunging himself into his work as New York City’s best crime-fighter, butting up against his irascible pal Frank/ The Punisher (Jon Bernthal). His body, however, is beginning to rebel, starting in the form of headaches and metastasizing into something much bigger involving his powers. Even his NYPD contact Detective Jean DeWolff (Liza Colón-Zayas) encourages him to take time off.
Yet just as Peter’s problems are dawning on him, a new shadowy threat is making itself known, attacking the city’s Department of Damage Control building that houses many of the criminal element Spider-Man has put away. When fighting Scorpion (Michael Mando), he witnesses a mind-control-esque entity that hops from body to body, spookily controlling the actions of its “Inhabited,” and when the innocent victims come to, they have no memory of what they’ve said or done. He consults a variety of sources – the first being an “insert-cameo-for-comedy-here,” and then the leader of the DODC, Bill Metzger (Tramell Tillman), who enlists Spider-Man’s help to protect the intended target hidden away in a top-security vault. As Peter is finally urged by Det. DeWolff to pull back from his gig as the city’s savior, he asks his buddy Bruce Banner/ The Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) for help modulating his sticky personal predicament in order to unmask whoever’s controlling The Inhabited.
Director Dustin Daniel Cretton, along with screenwriters Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers, brings a ton of thoughtful heart to the 4th film in Holland and company’s Spidey series. Grounding these superheroes’ powers in universally felt, heartrendingly humanist emotions works to the narrative’s advantage. Intertwining the mysterious, misunderstood antagonist (not villain!) played by Sadie Sink (whose character name the studio has maddeningly Mystery Boxed) with the protagonist’s struggles transforms the pair’s internal and external stakes, making thematic ties of longing, isolation and anguish loom large.
That said, the film lacks satiating follow-throughs for many of its set-ups. We are city blocks ahead of story reveals by the time they unfold, making the run time feel elongated. The filmmakers undermine themselves too with a confounding desperation to put finer points on their obvious connective through-lines, which actually soar in their subtler nuances when not pointed out. When the prescribed spectacle and action-forward sequences barrel into the character interplays, those sequences don’t always function at their best as they frequently fail at placing character drive at the forefront. It reads as empty calories to see fan-cast smack-downs between Spidey, Frank and Super Hulk, playing to the lowest common denominator when the filmmakers have established they can make the happenings palpably resonant in their reflective poignancy.
It’s disappointing the filmmakers can’t make all of the Big Action Set Pieces go further than just looking cool – something Spidey points out within the self-congratulatory dialogue when he battles an inhabited The Hand. The effects of the iridescent dome have nothing on the one in ANNIHILATION. Actually, action is the least memorable part of this superhero sequel. Though don’t get it twisted; the choreography of The Inhabited – bodies moving in a clipped, contemporary wave dance rhythm – visualizes the unseen menace in a singular, awesome way and lets the actors (including the extras, supporting cast and main players) genuinely emote, slipping into a dastardly slippery skin.
Holland is allowed to dig deeper into his dual character than ever before given the material is there for him to do so. His scenes with Zendaya and Batalon strike the right chords. But oddly, Holland and Bernthal’s banter and bickering is grating, not endearing. They display better chemistry on their episode of “Hot Ones” than in the film they’re promoting. The inside/ running joke between the pair might work for superfans in the know, but it doesn’t land for those who aren’t. Still, they earn their buddy-comedy’s concluding moments. As for the supporting players, Marisa Tomei, who revives Aunt May in one of Peter’s core memories, hammers home a heart-wrenching pep talk.
One of SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY’s major highlights is the calming centeredness emanating from the end credits, which feature relaxed, genteel backdrops of a picturesque New York City, filled with joyous city life on a perfect day. It acts as a brilliant contrast to the noisy soundscape and semi-ropey CG-enhanced visual cacophony we’ve just experienced. It’s a kind of day-spa-like decompression chamber, if you will, washing away whatever tension we might carry out the theater door with us. As is the case with most every nerd property, stay put in your seat until the last studio logo has appeared, as there’s a little bonus tag to send you on your way home.
Grade: 2.5 out of 5
SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY will be in theaters on July 31.
