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Cast: Tom Holland, Zendaya, Sadie Sink, Jacob Batalon, Jon Bernthal, Tramell Tillman, Michael Mando, Mark Ruffalo Directed by: Destin Daniel...
Cast: Tom Holland, Zendaya, Sadie Sink, Jacob Batalon, Jon Bernthal, Tramell Tillman, Michael Mando, Mark Ruffalo
Directed by: Destin Daniel Cretton
I’ve never really expected anything humane from the MCU, neither has anyone else I assume; the MCU isn’t a studio that cares about the humaneness of the film (blatant CGI, and larger-than-life plots), it’s way more interested in the profit it will (inevitably) make. It purposely distances itself from humanity (humanity doesn’t work when it comes to the box-office, does it), and it specializes in not being humane (quite proudly so). Tom Holland’s Spider-Man films depict exactly this, though they do have the occasional teenage-boy perception of humanity that the film needs in order to connect to the audience in most minute of ways, but Brand New Day is surprisingly different from the rest of the MCU films, owing largely to the filmmaker’s previous ventures.
Destin Daniel Cretton’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021) was by no means impressive or different from the catalogue, so, naturally, him directing the new Spider-Man film didn’t make me as interested as hoped to have; but I came out of the film content with what I’d seen. For one, the film is definitely different from anything I’ve seen from the MCU recently: its a lot more sombre than any Spider-Man film, and it leans into this and makes the most of it. Whilst it is by no means a great film, it is definitely a step-up from whatever Marvel has been putting out recently.
The action sequences — there are a handful of fight sequences in this — are greatly choreographed, similar to Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, and are completely riveting. The camerawork compliments the action choreography, though it reeks of the staple Marvel-esque camerawork.
Tom Holland gives a great performance, something quite unexpected to be completely honest; he makes you sympathize with the character, something which benefits the film greatly. He is a lot more mellow with his performance here, something that wasn’t there in the earlier films. His chemistry with Zendaya (very subtle and understated by the film) is great, and Zendaya gives a good enough performance based on what her character requires. Sadie Sink, arguably, gives the best performance in the film. She portrays her character utterly menacingly but also through a sympathetic lens, making her character feel way more complex than she actually is. Mark Ruffalo is just there and his performance doesn’t impress nor does it disappoint.
The direction from Destin Daniel Cretton is good enough. His direction of the more sentimental and mellow scenes is obviously better than the direction of the large set pieces (the main attraction) and it shows. The screenplay by Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers is mediocre at best, bringing nothing new to the superhero genre.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day might turn some people off due to the gloomy direction it takes, but for what its worth, it definitely brings something new to the (MCU) catalogue.
Fighting crime full-time as Spider-Man in a world that doesn’t remember him—and the pressure of seeing his old friends move on without him—sparks a change in Peter Parker he may not have the power to control. But that transformation might also be the only thing that can stop a shocking new threat to the city and those he loves - a powerful villain no one can even see.
By Ravit Mishra
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