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A ‘Soft’ Reset for our friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man

It has been five years since we have since Spider-Man as a solo film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Lot has happened since then and with Marvel trying to figure out its current phase post Endgame. Spider-Man: Brand New Day offers a brief reprieve from high stakes world ending scenarios to something more grounded and thoughtful. I enjoyed my time with Spider-Man: Brand New Day and it seems I am not the only one with the film hitting $1B worldwide in the box office.

Although, I may have had some issues, the latest outing of our favourite web crawler is both intimate and endearing. Spider-Man has not lost its worldwide appeal and I would consider it to be Marvel’s crown jewel in delivering a relatable character trying to do good in the world.

What I enjoyed from the film is that it focuses on Peter Parker who has isolated himself from the world fully investing himself into being Spider-Man and how that has taken a toll on him being rather sad and mopey. Director Destin Daniel Cretton made a film that stands out visually, not looking flat but that there’s clear intention when it comes to making the film colourful with actual lighting involved.

It seems like a breath of fresh air, not simply tied down solely to green screen and CGI with Tom Holland having an actual suit with clear practical effects displayed. It all adds up to a solid film that tries to strip away all the fanciness of being a superhero and I appreciate the moments of dialogue that help deliver much more strong characterisation. For example, Jon Bernthal as The Punisher (Frank Castle) contrasts so well to Tom Holland whom they bounce off each other. You see what things could be like if Peter decided to become as extreme as The Punisher who suffers in silence.

There are some really good character moments but as an overall package I just did not completely feel moved. The film has moments that come and go, and you just wish there was more to the film in terms of character exploration that culminate towards more of an epic climax. However, that does not detract the slickness and inventiveness of the fight scenes, although I wish we had some more.

To conclude, Spider-Man: Brand New Day offers a solid fun and enjoyable movie with some real heart, which is what you want from one of the most beloved characters in all of fiction.