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Jwe a few weeks ago, Tom Holland he was telling us that his role as Telemachus in Christopher Nolan’s Odyssey was his “last chance to play a kid”. Well, Holland is back as the young superhero Spider-Man. Not Spider-Boy admits, and today Holland is Spidey bigger and bigger than ever, flexing his beautiful biceps. He is maturing in the position. But the role is growing with him?
The point is that this film is a remake. At the end of the last film Spider-Man: No Homecomingwith the help of the great magical powers of Dr Strange – which may have been useful in this episode by accident, part of the global conflict that you have to ignore – Peter Parker was able to erase everyone’s knowledge that he is Spider-Man, and this includes his best friend Ned Leeds, MJ Jacob) (Zendaya).
So now Peter is back where he started, beloved by the people of New York for fighting crime like Spider-Man, living in one bright room with all his screens and gadgets, his secret is a secret, but looking for the people he loves. And they are not growing. How much of a “new day” is this?
Now Spidey has to deal with a new evil group that seems to have the bodies of important people around town – starting with the evil Scorpion (Michael Mando) – in order to attack and infiltrate the main government agency, the Department of Damage Control, run by Bill Metzger, played by the excellent Tramell Tillman (from TV’s Severance). It’s a disturbing new development that coincides with Parker’s unprecedented physical and mental challenges. He has a head, and this seems to take our hero into what I can only describe as David Cronenberg territory.
In order to deal with these internal and external problems, Parker/Spidey has to consult the Black Widow (a funny cameo from Florence Pugh) who talks to him while sitting at the bottom of the pool which a shy Spidey joins in his mask and underwear. He also has to seek advice from the aging expert Dr Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) AKA the Hulk, a reanimated fellow who is capable of chaos. And Spider-Man finds himself in a tense confrontation with the brave Frank “Punisher” Castle, who saved his life, played by his Holland Odyssey co-star Jon Bernthal.
But most of all, Parker is determined to find ways to cross paths with MJ, stalking her and rudely witnessing her flirting with her new boyfriend. And they have a lot of great, even slightly confusing, events Zendaya – another member of Odyssey, actually. These are experiences that give him a bitter hope that he can rekindle the fire, somehow, find happiness while doing his lonely work.
Zendaya saves the film. They save it from the silliness and generic deja vu overfamiliarity that always threatens to drown it out. Part of MJ’s non-standard, non-heroic nature makes Zendaya stand out in ways that are repulsed by every viewer, including Holland. Her natural ease and self-love make this story compelling, especially with the flashes of inappropriate sexuality she shows us at one point. Director Destin Daniel Cretton gets the best out of him.
Otherwise, things are the same in Spideyworld in ways that we will fondly recognize. As before, Spider-Man can fly through Manhattan without a horizontal plane above which his web would need to attach, even in unbuilt areas (although he can use electrical cables). And Spider-Man: Brand New Day, like all of the MCU movies, always gravitates toward the temporary but temporary destruction of a digital metropolis. It’s fun, but without the cinematic novelty of Spider-Verse animation. A continuous reboot is required.
