'Spider-Man: Brand New Day' review: Safe yet solid outing for Tom Holland
MANILA, Philippines — Tom Holland has well and truly grown as the Peter Parker of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).
Holland returns as the famous webslinger in his fourth solo outing "Spider-Man: Brand New Day."
The story picks up with Holland's Peter literally forgotten by the rest of the world thanks to the magic of Benedict Cumberbatch's Doctor Strange, all to preserve his identity and the safety of closest friends MJ (Zendaya) and Ned (Jacob Batalon).
Peter practically starts from scratch, rebuilding his lonely life while keeping tabs on Ned and MJ from a virtual distance. While apart from the life he used to live, he is thriving as Spider-Man, the friendly neighborhood hero of New York City putting villains behind bars.
Years pass and Peter comes face-to-face with a mysterious figure capable of jumping consciousnesses — but not his — and so-called allies like Frank Castle (Jon Bernthal) and Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh in a surprise cameo) do not offer much assistance.
All this happens as Peter grapples with all sorts of pain as a result of his struggling identity, a problem not dissimilar to Bruce Banner and the monster he contains within The Incredible Hulk (both Mark Ruffalo).
It has been a decade now since Holland's debut as the iconic webslinger and the reception to his performances has always been welcome. A solo trilogy and two "Avengers" movies later, the British actor has made the role his own.
Jon Watts passed over the directorial reins to Destin Daniel Cretton, whose MCU credits are "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings" and "Wonder Man," which gives "Brand New Day" a new jolt of action.
The fight choreography and, more importantly, the web swinging continues to improve, but where Cretton deserves more credit — as do returning screenwriters Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers — is injecting much-needed maturity for Peter (albeit in a lite way).
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Holland really does understand the path set out for his character. It is evident on how much he has grown as an actor, just take a quick look at his other July movie, "The Odyssey," directed by auteur Christopher Nolan.
Understandably like most MCU entries now, "Brand New Day" is a cog setting up the franchise's future, namely, the upcoming "Avengers" films "Doomsday" and "Secret Wars," which affects the storytelling of the latest "Spider-Man" movie.
Again, a lot of the film hinges on Holland's performance, which he again excels at particularly opposite now-wife Zendaya and the Filipino-American Batalon.
The trio has built their relationship from the ground up and it has carried over in a project where Zendaya and Batalon's characters are clueless about Peter Parker.
Sadie Sink, whose identity will affirm excitement for Marvel fans, plays an ideal foil to Holland in their characters' uniquesness navigation. The "Stranger Things" star's inclusion in MCU reiterates why she is one of this generation's exceptional performers like Zendaya.
Fans will also enjoy seeing Bernthal's Punisher on the big screen, naturally limited in profanity and carnage, plus the return of other franchise players though the likes of Liza Colón-Zayas, Michael Mando, and Marvin Jones III deserve more screentime.
"Brand New Day" is a safe yet solid outing for Holland as Spider-Man, a tragic character who must realize that having the greatest responsibilities do not mean facing challenges alone.
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