If there’s one
thing that writers at Marvel Comics hate it’s a happy Spider-Man. The guy might
catch thieves just like flies but he is really bad at catching breaks, and some
fans even argue that the more miserable he is the better his stories are. I am
not one of these people, because though Spider-Man: Brand New Day sees
Peter Parker at his lowest it does not see him at his best, as the film he
finds himself in is a bit overlong and has definite some writing issues,
despite being pretty good overall.
In Brand New Day Spider-Man finds
himself alone in a world that has forgotten him (well, Peter Parker, anyway...
it's complicated) thanks to the events of the last film, and because of this he
gets some new powers that are explained through lines of dialogue that remind
viewers just how silly and dumb comic and their adaptations can be. The
dialogue in Brand New Day ranges from cheese such as this to emotionally
sincere yet basic, but it is still not the most noticeable flaw in the writing.
The biggest casualty of the script is the primary villain of the film who does
things that are not only entirely out of character but also inconsistent within
the narrative itself, comic inspiration be damned. We are asked to empathize
with this villain despite the fact that they go out of their way to do some
truly reprehensible things for no apparent reason, things that are completely
divorced from their ultimate (and noble) goal.
This villain (whose identity is a spoiler,
hence me being vague) does offer interesting parallels to Peter Parker's story,
as do Hulk and Punisher, whose presence I appreciated. Peter's struggles are
compelling and make for some good drama, and the action is exciting and filmed
excellently. At just under two-and a half hours Brand New Day does feel
a bit on the long side, however. I don't know what they could have cut, but
they definitely could have shaved something off to make the experience leaner and
easier on my nine-year-old nephew's bladder. Spider-Man: Brand New Day
is ultimately my least favorite of the Tom Holland-lead Spider-Man
films, but I still had a great time.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day is now
playing in theaters.
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