Spider-Man Brand New Day…

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WAS AMAZING.

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Far from a perfect film, I have some critiques, of course. But an amazing Spider-Man movie that, above anything else, felt like, for the first time, A SPIDER-MAN MOVIE.

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Before I get into my few nitpicks, let me talk about some stuff I liked.

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Immediately from the opening title card, I was already feeling emotional; showing scenes of Peter, MJ, and Ned, knowing as a viewer what they couldn't remember, was already heartbreaking.

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And the theme really dialed that in for me. Tom's Spider-Man theme feels more melancholy than it normally does. The Homecoming suite felt young, bright, and peppy.

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Where this one feels… depressing? And not only did they change the speed and instruments of the song, they also removed notes of the main theme to make it feel darker and heavier while also still sounding like Tom's theme.

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Now for the actual movie stuff. The plot itself, physically, was probably the weakest point, but it was still really good; just compared to the rest of the movie, not phenomenal.

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The first 20 minutes felt pretty meandering, as if we didn't know where we were going, though I did not particularly mind just seeing what Peter had been up to and what his daily life looks like.

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And the saddest thing is that Scorpion, Tarantula, and Boomerang got such little screen time.
Peter's emotional journey is so rich in the movie, and I really appreciated the parallel between his powers and social life.

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For example, when he is fighting his DNA and suppressing his powers, he is doing it to protect people after he saw what he did when fighting Scorpion. He also suppressed Peter and his relationship with his friends to keep them safe.

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But when circumstances made him realize what he was missing with his friends, connecting with MJ and Ned again, the next time he had a battle, he realized that just like he needed to let his friends in, he needed to let his powers in too.

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And his relationship with MJ is CRUSHING; it's so sad, bro. AND WHEN SADIE SINK'S CHARACTER MAKES MJ ACT LIKE SHE REMEMBERS PETER, OMG. I cried. But they were happy tears, and then they crushed my happy soul instantly afterward.

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Little things I noticed:

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Punisher and Spidey's dynamic is awesome. 10/10. Punisher gives that "one risky but kind uncle" vibe and I love it. I'm glad he got a character arc and I'd love to see in the future if he values Spidey's opinions or if any of the actions here have ramifications on his thought process.

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The fact that No Way Home had an effect on this Peter—"Peter 2 had organic webs and he's cool, so this is cool"—was a favorite line of mine. And the way he caught MJ when she was dropped was clearly inspired by Andrew Garfield's catch in No Way Home.

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I loved that the new Avengers are just an accepted thing in this universe. I'm glad they have a presence between Thunderbolts and Doomsday.

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Now for Sadie Sink's character, the first MCU 616 X-Men character… JEAN GREY and golly. She plays her so well.

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She as a primary antagonist is impeccable!! I could feel the rawness in her emotion and her storyline with her sister is heartbreaking and incredible, with the V-Max twist being SO INCREDIBLY DARK IF YOU THINK ABOUT IT.

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DODC was evil as always, and I kind of love that there is an overarching street-level threat, with DODC in Spider-Man: NWH and Daredevil and Wonder Man, and now BND. It's exciting.

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There were a few things I didn't like, mostly the plot being lost or basic at times, and that Peter just let Bruce hulk out instead of slapping that chip on him right at the start.

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My main critique is that I would have liked them to paint Jean as the villain earlier and more. And have the DODC twist closer to the end, redeem Jean, and have some actual justice.

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I'm also very shocked that Punisher didn't kill the main Damage Control guy.

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Also, humor was top par for Marvel; no notes!

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9/10 would recommend!

Caden Hodgson Author of ​"The Warriors of Ravenhelm"​, lifelong movie and media aficionado, and proud employer of water’s non‑wetness... Click ​HERE​ to read more about Caden!

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