Spider-Man: Brand New Day (Christian Movie Review)
Forgoing cosmic threats and multiverses for more personal stakes, Spider-Man: Brand New Day is a mature and emotional story about battling loneliness rather than interdimensional villains, in a film that recaptures the magic of the early MCU and inspires hope for its future.
About the Film
Our friendly neighborhood Spider-Man has been doing more than just help the people of New York City; he’s also been spinning his webs to try and prop up the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Even as the MCU has struggled to rediscover its once solid footing, the Spider-Man films have been a consistent bright spot, thanks in no small part to the perfect casting of Tom Holland. Spiderman: Brand New Day may not be the most fun Spider-Man adventure, but it’s arguably the best and most meaningful. Forgoing cosmic threats and multiverses for more personal stakes, Spider-Man: Brand New Day is a mature and emotional story about battling loneliness rather than interdimensional villains, in a film that recaptures the magic of the early MCU and inspires hope for its future.
A central problem with the later phases of the MCU is that they have been more about expanding the world than deeply exploring the characters. Spider-Man: Brand New Day takes a refreshing “less is more” approach. The entire film takes place within New York City. The stakes are not to save “The World” but to protect the loved ones in Peter Parker’s own immediate world. It’s a film that has something meaningful to say and does so in ways that are both highly entertaining and deeply moving.
Tom Holland is excellent once again in perhaps his most demanding dramatic role yet. With this film’s release he has now headlined more movies as the web-slinging hero than either Tobey Maguire or Andrew Garfield. Making his first MCU appearance when he was still a teenager, both the actor and character have grown up on screen. This adds another dimension to this film’s theme about maturing and learning to embrace the difficult changes that come with growing up. On the other side of the conflict, the film’s villain is also among Marvel’s most interesting and compelling (in part due to an excellent acting performance) and provides some enticing implications for the future of the MCU (which I won’t spoil here).
What makes Brand New Day effective is the clear sense of purpose and intentionality in the way the story is woven together. Side characters like Bruce Banner (aka The Hulk) and Frank Castle (aka the Punisher) are fun, and they contribute to the film’s action spectacle and connection to the larger MCU, but they also serve an important thematic function in Peter Parker’s character journey. As Peter Parker struggles to navigate his growing and changing powers, the two supporting characters represent opposite ends of the spectrum in trying to contain the “monster inside” (both literally and metaphorically). The film manages to fit clearly into the established MCU world, without ever feeling merely in service of it.
Despite its more mature storytelling and themes, the film is still very much a fun Spider-Man flick. Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton (who helmed the underrated MCU film Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings), it has some of the best comic book action in recent memory. It’s inventive and visually thrilling, but in contrast to a film like the recent Supergirl, in which pointless action scenes are inserted periodically seemingly out of genre necessity, the action here always goes beyond the punching, kicking, and web slinging. To remove any of the impressive action sequences from the film would be to remove important story and thematic elements. As a result, whether it’s an emotionally weighty conversation and dramatic scene, or Spider-Man in an epic battle against a group of ninja warriors, the focus is always on character and furthering the story.
Not everything works perfectly. The film is a bit too long and does miss some of the levity and earnest fun of the earlier films. The limited scenes featuring Peter Parker and his friends MJ and Ned emphasize how important those relationships were to series, and that dynamic is missed at times here. As a parent, I should also note that the character of Spider-Man has traditionally had great appeal to younger audiences, but the more serious and gloomy tone, as well as some possible content concerns (see below), may make it more of a challenge. My two 11-year-old sons loved it, and there’s nothing overly concerning here, but the more mature material may not be as welcome from a parent’s perspective as it is for older viewers. (Also, as a PSA: the after credits scene is not worth your time.)
In the end, as the enjoyable Thunderbolts* did last year, Spider-Man: Brand New Day proves that it’s still possible to explore relatable and universal human stakes even in the middle of a sprawling comic-book world. After all, the MCU was built on meaningful stories about relatable heroes, not just cameos and fan-service team-ups. The bombastic Avengers films may offer the glorious cinematic payoff, but such a spectacle is only as meaningful as the characters at the center of those stories. Peter Parker may no longer be in high school, but he clearly understood the assignment, and he breathes some much-needed life back into the MCU.
For Consideration
On the Surface—(Profanity, Sexual content, violence, etc.).
Language: A character says “motherf—” before being silenced. There is also a higher volume of other profanities than typical of a Marvel movie (mostly due to the inclusion of The Punisher), including frequent uses of “s—”, “a—”, and “h—”. Both God and Jesus’ names are used frequently as curses (often in the phrase “G— D—”).
Violence: Nothing shown on screen beyond typical comic-book, bloodless action.
Sexuality: Two characters have a meeting while soaking in a pool (a male in just a mask and underwear, and a female who is naked and visible from the shoulders up), although the moment is not necessarily presented with any sexual implications. A woman asks whether Spider-Man has a girlfriend or a boyfriend and then references some seemingly graphic sexual fanart she saw online about him. Peter Parker spends multiple scenes wearing only his underwear. Also, it’s possible to see the visual depiction of Parker’s body changing and his developing organic webs to have some sexual connotations.
Engage The Film
An Epidemic of Loneliness
The story takes place entirely within the busy and highly populated New York City, yet each of the central characters find themselves isolated and alone. After the events of the previous film, Peter Parker has been erased from memory, leaving him completely anonymous (a more devastating prospect than any of the superpowered bad guys he’s faced). There’s an interesting contrast in which Spider-Man now has more personal human connections in the world than Peter Parker does.
He is known (even admired), but he is not truly known. Spider-Man may be the most famous person in New York, but Peter Parker spends his evenings alone in his apartment, eating Little Caesar’s pizza, and looking at his computer screens, lamenting the happy lives that others seem to be having. In this way, his superhero mask takes on a deeper symbolic significance. It can be seen as a sort of representation of our own online personas, in which we are more widely visible and connected than previous generations, while (statistically speaking) being as lonely and isolated than ever before.
In scripture, God promises to never leave or forsake us (Matthew 28:20; Hebrews 13:5). At the same time, we were created with an innate need for human connection. Jesus said, “Whenever two or three gather in my name, there I am with them” (Matthew 18:20). God is with the one as much as with the two or three, but there’s special blessing and purpose that comes when life is lived within community as God intended. To be alone is dehumanizing, and healing comes through relationships.
In a powerful ending scene, it is ultimately not the strength and powers of Spider-Man that is needed to save the city, but the availability and empathy of Peter Parker. It’s fitting that the film’s end credits feature a beautiful visual montage of regular people in New York engaging in communal activities (sports, playing chess in the park, sharing a meal together, etc.). The film seems to suggest that it is these simple connections, more than superpowered heroes, that are truly needed in our world right now.
