In Director Destin Daniel Cretton’s Spider-Man: Brand New Day, Tom Holland plays Peter Parker and superhero Spider-Man. Peter lets powerful telepathic telekinetic mutant Jean Grey, played by quiet powerful Sadie Sink, enter his mind. There Jean sits in young Peter’s place as she listens to his late Aunt May, played by sublime Marisa Tomei. Aunt May discovered Peter was Spider-Man and learned about his superpowers.
Aunt May says, “And the people, who love you, love you not because you’re special. We love you, because you’re you…”
Jean cried. I cried in the movie theater, too. That’s what Jean needed to hear. In Spider-Man: Brand New Day, we all need to hear that. The ones who love us, love us because of who we are. In Destin Daniel Cretton and screenwriters Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers’s Spider-Man: Brand New Day, the hero has the courage to be themselves. Tom Holland is powerful and vulnerable in his transformational journey to become the hero, become a good man.
Brand New Day opens 5 years after Spider-Man: No Way Home. Sorcerer Supreme Doctor Strange, played Benidict Cumberbatch, cast the spell where the world forgot Peter Parker was Spider-Man for the greater good. So basically, no one knows Peter Parker is Spider-Man. That includes his best friend Ned, played by Jacob Batalon, and the love of his life MJ, played by Zendaya, who have no memories of Peter. Peter is all alone suffering in loneliness.
Peter works from his attic apartment in New York City with Detective Jean DeWolff, played by sincere intrepid Liza Colon-Zayas. Together they fight crime in the city. Actually, reducing the crime rate. Peter notices changes to his body. He can shoot spider webs from his wrists along with experiencing debilitating headaches.
Peter crashes Ned and MJ’s MIT graduation party, where he’s a stranger to both. He meets MJ’s boyfriend. That trauma sources Peter’s transformation from the spider DNA in his body. The enhanced “Spidey” sense, strength, and agility scare Peter, who’s becoming greater than he knows.
Peter seeks advice from Dr. Bruce Banner (aka the Hulk), played by kind wise Mark Ruffalo, the expert on molecular DNA. Banner invented the inhibitor that controls his own Hulk transformation. Peter wants to design his own DNA inhibitor to control his spider metamorphosis. Bruce warns that inhibiting his transformation can block both the bad and the good.
Jean Grey targets her vast telepathic powers on Spider-Man by controlling the minds of those around him and jumping from body to body. Initially shrouded in her hoodie, Jean wants Peter to break into the Department of Damage Control (DODC) and find “Vmax”. The DODC is the Government Agency that hunts down unauthorized superhuman individuals, run by William Metzger, played with duplicitous charisma by Tramell Tillman. Metzger and the DODC abducted Jean’s older telepathic sister Sara, played by strong smart Olivia Booth-Ford, and experimented on her.
Spider-Man joins forces with the Punisher Frank Castle, played by powerful, brooding funny Jon Bernthal, to find Jean Grey. Frank Castle is the Special Forces vigilante driven mad by the murder of this wife and children. Ironically and touchingly, Frank has a big brother vibe for Peter. Tom Holland and Jon Bernthal’s playful heartfelt chemistry is the surprising soul of Brand New Day.
Peter’s Spider-Man convinces MJ that he will protect her, although she doesn’t know him, because of Doctor Strange’s spell. Peter asks Frank to watch over MJ, while he finds Jean. MJ discovers the letter Peter wrote for MJ explaining who he is to her and what she means to him.
In the poignant narrative arc, Peter says, “I love you.” Tearful MJ says, “I don’t love you.” Destin Daniel Cretton captures the touching heartbreak in Tom Holland’s eyes. Zendaya is authentic as MJ, who wants to love Peter, but has no idea who he is to her. That embodies Peter’s tragic journey.
Along with great heart, Director Destin Daniel Cretton and Cinematographer Brett Pawlak create electrifying images of Spider-Man swinging through New York City. When Jean Grey controlled Hulk thrashing Spider-Man and the Punisher, that’s breathtaking. The high-wire martial art fight with powerfully transformed Spider-Man and the Ninja Clan Hand is full throttle artistic brutality.
In the Brand New Day climatic emotional arc, Peter sacrifices selflessly. In the aftermath, Frank said, “I’ve seen real bravery in my day, kid. But that… that was something else.” Then Peter woke up. He asked, “You crying?” I laughed and cried.
In Spider-Man: Brand New Day, people love you, because you’re you. You can be the hero, because you’re you. That’s the profound heart and humanity of Destin Daniel Cretton’s Spider-Man: Brand New Day. It’s very special. It’s one of my favorite movies of the year.
