The following review contains MAJOR SPOILERS for Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Reader be warned.
Although Tom Holland’s Wall-Crawler has never been “my” Spider-Man, I get it. He’s Spidey for Gen Z, and I’ve enjoyed his solo outings to varying degrees, with No Way Home serving as the apex of Holland’s tenure (mainly because it incorporates actors and their characters from superior iterations). But with Peter Parker’s existence effectively erased from history at the end of that film, Holland’s Web-Head was poised to become more like the Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man that has endured for over six decades.
No money. No tech. No Avengers. No super-mentor figure. No family/friend emotional support network. Just a down-on-his-luck kid from Queens with a heart of gold and a spectacular power set.
And Holland’s latest outing, Brand New Day, flushes all that potential down the proverbial toilet as the film’s opening montage unveils a narrative incapable of moving on from past plot threads already neatly wrapped.
Backward Steps
While Peter selflessly decided to let go of his girlfriend, MJ (Zendaya), and best friend, Ned (Jacob Batalon), at the end of the last film, he tortures himself by following their social media videos for the ensuing four years….
Cole Powell is an arts and media commentator and award-winning singer/songwriter from Jayess, Mississippi, USA, with degrees in computer technology, liberal arts, and theology. Host Random Reactions, Words Like That, and Film Nerd by Night. https://colepowell.net