[SPOILER WARNING]
Let’s talk about Spider-Man: Brand New Day, shall we?
Firstly, I’d like to acknowledge the elephant in the room. Is it better than previous installments of the Spider-Man franchise? YES. Now, is it the absolute BEST depiction of New York’s favorite superhero? Also… (In my professional opinion) YES!
Well, more specifically, in live action.
The director of this film, Destin Daniel Cretton, delivers on his promise to make our beloved web-slinger return to a street-level, character-driven, realistic film. Not only was it action-packed, but the visuals were astonishing, and the emotional beats reminded me why Tom Holland was meant for this role.
Now, that’s coming from someone who prefers Andrew Garfield’s version of Spider-Man…
I digress.
Sadie Sink’s performance also made me a little teary-eyed. She truly captured the sheer pain and inner torment that her character, Jean Grey, must have felt in her earlier years.
As the film progressed, I noticed a recurring theme in this film: battling your inner demons.
Peter Parker spends this entire film stuck in a limbo state. He spends a lot of time burying his trauma in order to focus on being Spider-Man. Not for his sake, but for the people he cares about.
Now, anyone who has dealt with a lot of trauma in their lives must immediately realize that this is a BAD thing to do. Repressed trauma can lead to more problems.
The Hulk makes an appearance in this film as well. It was a very clever way of showing how repressing your emotions can lead to catastrophe.
Now I’d like to take this moment to encourage those who are dealing with mental health issues to get the help that they need, much like Peter has to learn to do in this film.
I don’t want to spoil this film more than I already have, so here are my final thoughts…
Outstanding cast, music, comedy, drama, action, and an INCREDIBLE emotional impact not only on myself, but the people who saw it long before I FINALLY got a chance to…
