"No Banner. No girl. Only Hulk." - Hulk
"What do you know about me, kid? You think this is a choice? Living like this is a life style, is that what you think? Kid, this is a sentence." - Punisher
"Just because we've lost someone... it doesn't mean we have to do this alone. I mean we can't. Trust me, I've been trying. It doesn't work." - Peter Parker
Summer brings back the blockbuster action films, and that includes the comic book adaptations. The latest of the MCU films to come out is Spider-Man Brand New Day, directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, and reuniting cast members from the previous films and elsewhere in the MCU, while introducing new players along the way. It's a film that works very well in taking the lead character in new directions, while remaining true to who he is.
The last film saw Peter Parker (Tom Holland) known to the world as Spider-Man, but a mindwipe made everyone forget. With his aunt May (Marisa Tomei) dead, Peter is living anonymously as himself, and spending all of his spare time as his webbed counterpart, protecting New York. MJ (Zendaya) and Ned (Jacob Batalon) don't remember him, and have gone off to college. We see that time has passed, and Spidey has been busy, working closely with the police to take down threats. It's about the only part of his life that is going reasonably well. Home is a dark apartment where his only company seems to be a Stark Tech A.I. assisting him as needed.
And his anonymity is making him miserable, even as his enhanced physiology starts to take him in some unexpected directions. While he's getting along with the police, he's bickering with the more lethal vigilante Frank Castle, the Punisher (Jon Bernthal), and connecting with other figures of the MCU, like Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) and Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh). Peter finds himself dealing with a very different kind of antagonist- one that can jump from body to body, that has their own agenda that plays out as the movie goes along.
Cretton keeps things balanced nicely, weaving between jaw dropping action and quiet character moments. There are a lot of easter eggs in here for comics fans, from visual tributes for comic covers to characters that enter the MCU for the first time, or return after time away. These include small cameos by rogues like the Scorpion, Tombstone, or the Hand- any of which could be a major villain in their own right. But as the film goes along, things are not what they seem, and the true villain stands exposed for what they are.
Jon Bernthal has been playing the Punisher in the Daredevil series. The character is harder, more brutal than Spider-Man; as in the comics, here in the MCU they disagree about where the line is drawn in stopping criminals. Bernthal plays him that way- tough as nails, holding close the family he has lost. but still as a man with a conscience, and it's interesting to see the dynamic between Spider-Man and the Punisher evolve as the story goes along. Ruffalo returns as Bruce Banner, using an inhibitor to keep his Hulk side in check. He's working as a professor, which you would expect, and wary of a return to his big green self. But this is an MCU film, and when the Hulk makes his presence known, it's very well played out.
Marisa Tomei's May Parker died in the last film. However, she appears here in flashback- and in a context best seen for yourself, wise and compassionate in a way that is pivotal at a critical moment. Liza Colan-Zayas plays Jean DeWolff, a detective with the NYPD who is the closest thing Spidey has to a partner. She gives the character a tough but concerned tone in her performance. Florence Pugh does a cameo as Yelena Belova, bantering with Holland's Spidey in a playful scene.
Batalon has been playing Ned for several films now, and as things start, he's the geek slowly growing up, posting videos online that MJ wonders who would be watching, neither of them knowing it's Peter's only way of keeping touch with them. Ned and MJ are sharing an apartment and maintaining their friendship, all while unaware of the missing part of their lives. Sadie Sink, from Stranger Things, appears in a critical role with a lot of dramatic weight. Zendaya continues to play MJ, who finds herself drawn back into the orbit of Spider-Man again. She's grown as an actress, and the turmoil that the situation brings upon her character is met by her performance.
Holland has also grown as an actor; Peter is no longer the high school student we first met, but years into the role. It's a darker, more isolated take on the character, who has lost all that mattered to him. Peter is withdrawn from the world, forgotten by those he loved, due to the choices he had to make. His life as Spider-Man starts to spin out of control too, and mistakes are made. But Holland conveys the core of what makes this character so compelling- that in the end, he is an inherently good person always striving to make things right. And the character's journey in this film includes coming back to himself.
The end result is a highly entertaining but thoughtful adaptation, with great visuals, high stakes, and emotional grounding in its characters. It takes some twists and turns along the way, but does so in keeping with the story. All in all, a worthy addition to the MCU, with a mid-credits moment that leaves the viewer wondering 'what the hell...'
