Spider-Man: Brand New Day

By Joanna Langfield

Sure, Spidey soars and stretches (no spoilers), but the biggest surprise to me was how grounded this new chapter is.

The mesh of action, adventure, love story and actual drama, under Destin Daniel Cretton’s direction, is as supple as Spiderman’s suit. A smart re-introduction sequence gets us back up to speed with the up and down tale of the New York City based superhero, fighting to save his city as well as his own loved ones. Tom Holland continues to impress, in a role that feels he was born to play. He’s lithe, charming, and sympathetic, which helps carry a lot of the weight in this chapter.

Because, yes, while there is more than enough high flying and often intense action to satisfy the fans, there is also a far more serious side at play. Turns out that for Peter Parker, living a self imposed solitary life isn’t a good thing. The stress of being alone, staring at screens all day, talking to others only remotely, takes its toll. And this warning, in the real life lonely days of remote work and obsessive gaming, is especially pungent and relevant.

But let’s talk about the superhero stuff, which is really why the crowds will show up. It’s very much there, no worries. In fact, even with guest appearances and a let’s keep this franchise going twist, it does go on for a bit too long. As we shift into the third act of the almost two and a half hours, the gears may not be grinding to a halt, but they sure feel a bit bumpy.

And that’s no fault of the cast, with a wonderful Zendaya, Jacob Batalon, Jon Bernthal and Sadie Sink in support of a package that fills its web with more than just the expected stuff.