Spider-Man: Brand New Day

When last we saw Peter Parker/Spider-Man (Tom Holland), he was ordering coffee in a NYC café from his girlfriend, MJ (Zendaya)—who has no idea who Peter is. To protect the ones he loves, Peter reset the universe in the previous film, “Spider-Man: No Way Home” (2021). Now, Peter must learn how to live without the ones he cares about most—his guardian, Aunt May (Marisa Tomei); his best friend, Ned Leeds (Jacob Batalon); and MJ.

So how does Peter respond to such a catastrophic personal loss? By throwing himself into his work. The Friendly, Neighborhood Spider-Man is back with a vengeance, ensnaring countless criminals in webs and handing vanquished villains over to the police. Well, maybe remove “Friendly” from his moniker. This new version of Spidey is far more aggressive and reckless; when he goes on a rampage, there’s collateral damage, namely destruction of property and an injured cop.

With most of Spider-Man’s rogue’s gallery behind bars, a new threat emerges and begins terrorizing the city. First, a mysterious force orchestrates an elaborate jailbreak, then an attempt is made to infiltrate a corporate building that houses a secret vault. This unseen assailant can enter a person’s thoughts and manipulate them in any way desired. As Spidey searches for a way to regulate his heightened arachnid senses, he also must find the invisible enemy and prevent them from harming MJ, Ned and the entire city.

“Spider-Man: Brand New Day” is the fourth Spider-Man movie starring Tom Holland, who now becomes the most tenured actor to suit up in red spandex. Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton (“Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings”), “Brand New Day” is a significant departure from the earlier Holland trilogy; the “Harry Potter”-esque easy camaraderie and teen angst that existed among the central triad is replaced with an adult story and a darker tone as Spidey goes it alone… a new day indeed. Largely missing from the story, written by Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers, is any hint of lightness or levity; the movie only contains a few of Spidey’s signature quips. The one major exception is the uproariously funny “stretching scene”—worth the price of admission.

Cretton creates a moody atmosphere with a series of superb establishing shots of NYC, often under an overcast sky. The director also takes us into gritty corners of the city previously unexplored in the earlier Holland “Spider-Man” movies. These are excellent creative choices as they perfectly match the somber mood and tortured psyche of the titular hero.

Though the POV shots of Spidey swinging from building to building are thrilling and immersive, the CGI isn’t much better than what you’d see in the newer Spider-Man video games. The scenes where Spider-Man holds MJ while soaring through the air are also exhilarating and recall the Superman and Lois Lane flying sequence from “Superman” (1978).

“Brand New Day” boasts a bevy of side characters, both heroes and villains (and some heroes that act like villains). Though most only have bit parts, several familiar “Spider-Man” villains appear in the movie, including: Ramrod (Billy Clements), Scorpion (Michael Mando) and Tombstone (Marvin Jones III). On the good side are Frank Castle/Punisher (Jon Bernthal), Dr. Bruce Banner/Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) and Yelena Belova/Black Widow (Florence Pugh).

As an R-rated character, Punisher feels out of place alongside the wholesome wallcrawler, and his appearance here feels shoehorned (to raise awareness of the TV show on Disney+?). Dr. Banner and his alter ego have significant screen time, but ultimately, The Hulk is just a blunt object wielded by both the villain and the writers in the climactic action sequence. Though Black Widow provides valuable information to Spidey, her superfluous scenes (all shot in one room) could’ve been cut with little consequence.

Another new character for the good guys is NYPD Detective Jean DeWolff (Liza Colón-Zayas). Though she doesn’t know Spider-Man’s true identity, she has him on speed dial and they often consult on cases… her kids are big fans. Detective DeWolff is to Spider-Man what Commissioner Gordon is to Batman, but she doesn’t need a Bat-Signal to summon her superhero, just a cell signal.

For those who haven’t been following the news about “Brand New Day,” wild speculation has swirled around Sadie Sink’s unnamed role in the movie. Don’t worry, for those who haven’t already guessed, I won’t reveal the identity of the mystery character. I will say that a word linked with Sink’s character, “V-Max,” is a clever inside gag since her character’s name in “Stranger Things” is Max. Cutting deeper, “V-Max” is similar to “V’Ger” in “Star Trek: The Motion Picture” (1979) since both words contain missing letters that reveal important aspects of the plot during climactic moments of their respective movies.

And speaking of the plot, “Brand New Day” is a jumbled web of narrative elements that the writers mistakenly think is a complete, and satisfying, Spidey tale. The story is frustratingly uneven; it’s a tug-of-war between the hero and villain, where neither comes out ahead. The movie’s Achilles’ heel is that its focus is fractured: Peter’s emotional trauma, Peter’s physical changes, Peter’s attempts at reestablishing relationships with his former friends, Punisher, Banner, Scorpion, DeWolff, the new villain, corporate corruption, other story elements, ad nauseam. What’s the movie’s overall theme? More importantly, what’s the main takeaway?

Though effective at filling in the backstory and highlighting the emotional connections between the main characters, the movie has far too many flashbacks. First, we’re in Peter’s thoughts for a montage flashback sequence. Then we’re inside the villain’s flashback. Later, the villain is inside Peter’s flashback with Peter watching from the sideline. Which character should we focus on? Whose movie is it anyway?

Despite its plot deficiencies and overblown action sequences, “Brand New Day” has a handful of meaningful character moments. Though far too predictable, the scenes where Peter tries to reconnect with Ned and MJ are well acted and well executed. At the end of the film, the status of Peter and MJ’s relationship is… complicated. The final scene shows Peter’s tacit concession that befriending Ned is a far easier prospect than wooing MJ. Peter’s attempts at getting back together with MJ will surely be a major story element in the inevitable sequel.

For those who routinely sit through the entire movie to catch an additional clip, be advised that “Brand New Day” contains the lamest post-credits bonus scene ever. Oh, and James Bond called and wants his sign-off back.

Spiritual Aspects

As with many superhero movies, “Brand New Day” doesn’t dwell on spiritual principles. However, it addresses a few moral matters that we can examine here.

When Peter begins to experience physical changes, presumably due to added stress, he desperately searches for a way to keep his arachnid DNA from triggering aggressive behaviors during heightened situations. He wants to rein in the negative aspects of his mutant abilities, which are causing him to commit harmful actions. He doesn’t want to do what’s wrong, but he can’t stop himself. This recalls the Apostle Paul’s words in Romans 7:15,

“I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.”

Peter creates several versions of an inhibitor chip to better balance his human and spider selves, and to sublimate unwanted behaviors. After much trial and error, Peter discovers the correct frequencies and creates a tiny device that he places on the back of his neck. He then wonders if it’s possible to create a universal inhibitor that can control everyone. Unfortunately, he’s late to the party on that idea, since the Mad Hatter from the Batman mythos has already mastered that technology.

The need to control our lives, and the lives of others, either comes from a deep-rooted fear or a megalomaniacal need to play God. Attempting to ensure future outcomes is an exercise in futility since control is an illusion. Instead of fretting about the future, we should put our trust and confidence in the only sure bet in the universe—God. So, if you ever feel the need to control the future, remember the wise words in Matthew 6:34,

“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

The villain’s ability to enter a person’s mind, and then leapfrog from one person to another, is referred to as “possession.” One character says the phenomenon reminds her of a how a “ghost or demon” functions. Another person refers to it as “magic voodoo.” While demonic possession is very real, the villain’s powers are more like mental projection or telepathy. The villain can, in essence, hypnotize an individual and make that person do whatever they want; when the person snaps out of the spell, they don’t remember anything.

An ethical question arises—is a person responsible for what they’ve done while under the mental control of an evil mastermind? In one scene, a man being manipulated by the villain steps into oncoming traffic. The mysterious antagonist kills the person, seemingly without compunction or remorse. This action is a violation of the Sixth Commandment in Exodus 20:13, “You shall not murder.”

In one scene, MJ confess that she wants to save everyone. It’s unknown if this desire arises from a heart to help others or a hero complex. Peter’s motivations are probably a mixture of both. Regardless, none of us possess the ability to truly save people. That power is reserved for Jesus alone:

“Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” —Acts 4:12

Peter steals a woman’s clothes and compounds the transgression by lying to her, claiming that they don’t belong to her, even though they clearly don’t fit him. This action violates the Eighth Commandment, “You shall not steal,” and the Ninth Commandment, “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor” (Exodus 20:15-16). Since the stolen clothes help cover Peter’s exposed skin (he’s only wearing underwear), I’ll leave the higher morality of the situation up to God.

The villain seeks revenge for the death of a loved one. Though it might feel right in the moment, seeking revenge won’t bring a deceased individual back to life and is an affront to God, as referenced earlier in the Sixth Commandment. But the Bible has more to say on the subject, “Do not repay anyone evil for evil” (Romans 12:17a). As difficult as it is to let go of the anger when you’ve been wronged, revenge should be left up to God (Romans 12:19).

Despite the heinous things the villain does in the movie, Spider-Man steps in front of a bullet to protect the person. Such a sacrificial act recalls Christ’s death on a Roman cross to save us from our sins,

“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” —Romans 5:8

As a total aside, the telepathic range, or jump radius, of the villain is 33 feet. This is a rather specific, and therefore conspicuous, number. It’s also the age Jesus was when He was crucified. Symbolism or coincidence?

Objectionable Material

Offensive Language/Vulgarities: “Brand New Day” has an inordinate number of swear words, and over half of them are spoken by potty-mouthed Punisher. Language include: h*ll (7), d*mm*t (1), sh*t (8), b*llsh*t (3), h*rs*sh*t (2), *ss (2), *ssh*l* (1) and j*ck*ss (1). The movie also contains an egregious amount of irreverent speech, such as: “G*d d*mn” (7), J*s*s Chr*st (1), Jeez (1), Oh, G*d! (1) and “G*d, that’s cool” (1). Punisher begins to say “Mother—”, but Spider-Man mercifully seals his mouth with a web before he can say the F-word. There is some mildly offensive speech including, “fr*ck*ng” (1), “dumbbell” (1), and “I’m gonna’ kill this kid” (1).

Alcohol/Drugs: A college-age man purchases two kegs of beer. He also buys a couple “Sharkfire” beverages. It’s uncertain if these cans contain alcohol or if they’re energy drinks, but either way, it’s obvious the character is addicted to them. Peter visits a party where people drink from cups (presumably filled with alcoholic beverages) and beer bottles.

Nudity and Sexual Content: A bathing woman is shown from the shoulders up; though suggestive, there’s no nudity in the scene. The woman says to Peter, “Take off your clothes.” Peter obliges, wearing only his mask and underwear into the pool. The woman inquires if he has a girlfriend or boyfriend, which validates homosexual relationships. In another scene, Peter wakes up in just his underwear, and he runs through an alley and an apartment building in his skivvies. A woman kisses a man in one scene.

Violence and Graphic Content: There are far too many action scenes to detail here. Though violent, most of these sequences aren’t overly bloody or graphic. Early in the movie, Spidey incapacitates a number of street criminals just by dodging bullets and slinging webs. In one scene, an exploding tank does significant damage to a building. Spider-Man goes berserk in one action beat; he smashes cars (including a cop car) and pounds the daylights out of Scorpion. His aggressive behavior is similar to that of another Avenger—the Hulk. Though only in a few scenes, the not-so-jolly green giant does major damage to a building and tosses Spider-Man around like a ragdoll.

The mêlée where ninja-like warriors, The Hand, attack Spidey is the most elegantly storyboarded action sequence in the movie; it uses a variety of filming techniques including a Matrix-style slo-mo shot as Spidey bends away from throwing stars and another slo-mo shot when the warriors build a human pyramid to launch their leader at the webslinger—absolutely gorgeous cinematography. Spider-Man fights some security guards who carry machine guns and some type of electrical wand, which is similar to those brandished by General Grievous’ lackeys in “Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith” (2005). Spider-Man is impaled with a bullet in one scene.

Aside from the action scenes, one of the movie’s most graphic moments is when a character asks if Spider-Man finds a rooftop when he has to pee. TMI.

Final Thoughts

“Brand New Day” certainly lives up to its name since it’s a significant departure from the earlier movies in the Holland era. It’s a tale of unrequited love, anger, revenge, and the desire to control the negative aspects of our lives. It’s also a classic example of the hero’s dichotomy: to accomplish his goal, Spider-Man must face the enemy within and the enemy without.

Though “Brand New Day” has moved the series forward, it’s actually more of an origin story for the villain than a towering triumph for the hero, which is disappointing. Plus, the movie is unnecessarily serious (Joker agrees).

Sad to say, but compared to many other superhero movies, “Brand New Day” is small potatoes.

• Violence: Heavy
• Profane language: Heavy
• Vulgar/Crude language: Heavy
• Nudity: Moderately Heavy
• Drugs/Alcohol: Moderate
• Occult: Moderate
• Sex: Mild
• Wokeism: Mild

See list of Relevant Issues—questions-and-answers.