‘I’ ON CULTURE
Few movies have been anticipated as much as Spider-Man: Brand New Day, the fourth in the current series. I have always thought this was the best of the Marvel Universe, in that its main characters were young enough to change and grow. And this movie actually lives up to the hype. While long, it keeps everyone’s interest as the main people involved actually change, show growth and, well, are interesting not only because of superhero abilities but as people.
For those who never saw the last film. Peter Parker/Spider-Man (Tom Holland) got Dr. Strange to cast a spell ensuring that everyone forgets his real identity. And now he is alone, although he spends his days and nights working with the New York City police to reduce crime. He winds up battling a new enemy when a tank crashes through New York and breaks into a “Department of Damage Control” (DODC) building, guided by a driver who had been controlled telepathically. The telepath hops from person to person easily, making capture almost impossible. DODC Director Bill Metzger (Tramell Tillman) claims to know almost nothing about what happened.
But Peter is lonely. At one point, he runs into Ned (Jacob Batalon), his best friend from high school, and follows him to a party, where he actually speaks to “MJ” (Zendaya), his great love. Neither recognize him. He is so upset that the next day, he winds up changing, with heightened power and senses that seem to break him apart.
As Peter begins to lose control, he speaks to Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) about an inhibiting device to cut back on his powers and builds one to prevent a loss of control and starts on a second. But the telepath, played by Sadie Sink, finds him first, gets into his brain and learns about MJ and learns Spider-Man’s identity. But Peter, meanwhile, learns who telepath is.
This leads to more contact with MJ and a plot twist that is fantastic as Peter, and we, learn that much of what he believed was true, was not. That is the one unbelievable plot point. You have to somehow believe that part of the government might actually lie to us! OK, enough of the sarcasm.
The action is great, but also the acting. Holland gives the best performance of his career. Peter learns a lot, grows, gets some heartbreak and even deals with really complex emotions. And he does them so well. We understand that the character has grown into an adult. Zendaya manages to keep MJ quirky and makes her scenes with Holland really moving. Jon Bernthal as Frank Castle/the Punisher is very strong as a supporting character who manages to be a sympathetic vigilante. Tramell Tillman’s DODC director also gives a strong performance.
Florence Pugh in a cameo as Yelena Belova has a wonderfully funny scene where she insists Spider-Man hop into a hot tub with her, and he comes out of a dressing room wearing his underpants and Spider-Man mask. Ruffalo has some good scenes as Banner, and the Hulk makes his usual overwhelming presence felt. There were a few charming moments when Peter’s Aunt May (Marisa Tomei) makes an appearance in flashbacks. But Sadie Sink adds so much to the film. Her complex character provides a stunning impact. I expect we’ll see a lot more of her in the Marvel Universe, and I look forward to it.
The action was very good, although the print I actually saw seemed to mix 3D backgrounds behind regular focus on the main action, a distraction in a film that cost nearly $20 for a senior at a weekday matinee. But the battles were really well done. Director Destin Daniel Cretton keeps the action and the drama moving. The emotions during the scenes where the performers interact was more powerful. But the characters we’ve seen before have changed; they are no longer kids. Life decisions are not that simple, and we see how that plays out.
This is the best of the Marvel movies since, well, the last Spider-Man film and that was five years ago. But, thanks to a strong script and really good actors, I felt just as I did long ago when I was a strong Marvel fan. The film is expensive, but is, frankly, one of the best I’ve seen in years.
