Tom Holland and Zendaya Bring Much Needed Charm to the MCU in Darker, Action-Packed ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’

Alci Rengifo

Peter Parker aka Spider-Man belongs to that particular and classic crop of superheroes who can survive the ravages of franchise overload. Despite the Marvel Cinematic Universe slowing down after a few soft (for them) deliveries at the box office, Spider-Man, like Batman over at DC, undeniably retains broad appeal. “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” contains everything that keeps the MCU hopelessly crammed but balances it out with those basic essentials that make Peter Parker so enduring. He’s one of the most relatable of superheroes, rushing to save the world when his own personal life only grows more complicated. All of the grandiose comic book elements are expressions of Spidey’s grounded hassles.

It has been five years since “Spider-Man: No Way Home” injected some life into the pandemic-struck box office, and the plot of “Brand New Day” pretty much picks up where we left off. Peter (Tom Holland) is still fighting crime as the friendly neighborhood web slinger, but he is now completely alone following the death of Aunt May (Marisa Tomei) and a spell that was cast erasing everyone’s memories of his existence, thus saving the world and preserving Spider-Man’s secret identity. Peter still pines for MJ (Zendaya), his former girlfriend who now has no recollection of their time together. He can only watch on social media as she and his former best friend Ned (Jacob Batalon) move in together, go to college at MIT and return to New York after graduating. At least the public adores Spider-Man, turning him into a local fixture and cheering on as he stops various super villains like Scorpion (Michael Mando) or your average bank robber. When a tank is hijacked, Spider-Man jumps in to the rescue but is faced with a mysterious new villain who can possess the minds and bodies of anyone they want. The timing is terrible considering Peter is also beginning to feel a strange mutation taking place in his body. 

While the overall grand scheme of the MCU is still in the hands of producer Kevin Feige, “Brand New Day” has a distinct feel thanks to director Destin Daniel Cretton, who helmed 2021’s “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” now relegated to the curiosity of being a very strong Marvel title left without a sequel. Cretton and writers Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers write this latest tale like the aftermath of a traumatic moment, which it is. “No Way Home” garnered much attention at the time for bringing back villains and Spider-Mans from the films of the 2000s and 2010s, using the multiverse as a convenient yet effective dramatic tool. It ended on a truly heartbreaking note as Peter had to tell MJ and Ned there was no choice left but to be erased from their memories. In essence, “Brand New Day” confirms these characters are no longer kids. Now, cinematographer Brett Pawlak brings a moodier, though exciting feel to Spider-Man soaring through Manhattan under cloudy skies. Twilights now have a sadder glow. Peter is truly a man of his time stalking MJ and Ned on social media, watching their lives evolve from afar. He still has that letter from the last movie, the one he planned to read to MJ informing her about their past life together. Peter drops in to his former friends’ housewarming party with Tame Impala’s “Loser” playing on the soundtrack, still unable to tell them the truth.

In terms of performances, there are some good ones here. Tom Holland brings out the angst of Peter Parker with a different maturity. Zendaya, who has been a constant this year more than at any other, starring in “The Drama,” “The Odyssey,” the final season of “Euphoria” and “Dune: Part Three” before the year ends, makes us forget she and Holland are together in real life. She makes MJ someone who has grown without letting go of their quirkier, scrappy character. The tragedy is that while she is still the same girl Peter fell in love with, meeting her all over again does not guarantee the same results. We could follow their plight without the cosmic crises, but this remains a Marvel film and room is made for Frank Castle aka The Punisher (Jon Bernthal). The vigilante is brought back from the former Netflix show as Spider-Man’s remaining friend, easily annoyed with the younger guy’s rejection of extreme violence, but clearly caring for him. The script finds convenient plot details to bring in Bruce Banner aka Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) as someone Peter seeks out to help figure out a way to derail his growing mutation. Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh) of “Black Widow” and “Thunderbolts*” also pops in to consult Peter on the mysterious new, invisible villain and chastise him for being so lonely. No room is left to explain how Peter is even making a living. 

As MCU fans know, the terrain is being set for the big event of “Avengers: Doomsday” at the end of this year. “Brand New Day” thus wrestles with telling a good Spider-Man yarn, initiating the big mutation that will eventually turn Peter into a monstrous spider creature, while he tries to get close to MJ again. Instead of providing a self-contained story specific to this character’s world, Cretton is tasked with bringing in Sadie Sink as a character nodding at how Feige and company are finally laying the groundwork to properly revamp the X-Men. All you have to know is that if all remains faithful to its universe, Sink’s character will eventually be dating Cyclops. There is also a nefarious new agency running around, Damage Control, led by Bill Metzger (Tramell Tillman), which specializes in capturing super villains and grabbing their powers or tools. Of course we can’t trust this guy one bit. Pile on the crimson-clad ninja squad The Hand and you can see why the movie lasts about two and a half hours. It is skillful enough to where the action scenes are engaging, even if they can drag on, and the filmmakers avoid the cliché MCU climax of having the final battle become the entire annihilation of a city or some massive structure.

After all the Easter eggs are dropped in and the big reveals take place, what remains are the truly heartfelt moments in “Brand New Day.” There is a particular poignancy in the best comic book stories, because they become pop art that reaches into something deeper than just colorful entertainment. Spider-Man swings through the NYC skyline, MJ nervously holding on, but now it’s so melancholy because she doesn’t know him. The story uses memory loss in the way others use time travel. Peter can try ever so hard to meet MJ again, but would she fall in love with him? Are relationships decreed by fate or a question of luck and timing? Such story elements are much more entertaining than the slow motion shots of Spider-Man evading ninja stars or getting pounded by the Hulk. Marvel remains a franchise too concerned with setting up the next product we are expected to go in droves to watch, yet “Brand New Day” is never boring and packs plenty of Peter Parker’s genuine, downtrodden charm.

“Spider-Man: Brand New Day” releases July 31 in theaters nationwide.