SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY – Review by Susan Granger

Like many others, I was suffering from superhero fatigue – which is why I’m intrigued by the head-spinning success of Spider-Man: Brand New Day, scoring the highest grossing domestic box-office weekend ever.

What makes this installment different is that it’s character-driven, as opposed to the hocus-pocus of other comic-book adaptations. If you recall at the conclusion of Spider-Man: No Way Home, Peter Parker (Tom Holland) begged Doctor Strange to cast a spell that would cause everyone to forget that he is Spider-Man.

Now that his self-sacrificing wish has become reality, Peter is isolated, living alone in a New York City attic apartment. His devoted Aunt May (Marisa Tomei) is dead; his former best friend Ned (Jacob Batlon), eager to meet elusive man-behind-the-mask, has developed a Spidey-Tracker app; and the amnesia-stricken love-of-his-life, MJ (Zendaya), doesn’t even recognize him.

So lonely Peter Parker spends his days and nights fighting crime, coordinating with Detective Jean DeWolff (Lisa Colon-Zayas) and commiserating with Frank Castle’s vigilante Punisher (Jon Bernthal).

But suddenly there’s a new threat, an enigmatic entity that can assume the identity and possess the bodies of various people, seeking something hidden at Damage Control, an authoritarian agency headed by Bill Metzger (Tramell Tillman).

Meanwhile, Peter is acutely aware that his arachnid hormone levels are spiking, causing debilitating headaches and limiting his ability to shoot web fluid. To try to control this phenomenon, Peter visits Empire State University physics professor Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo), who wears a ‘gamma-inhibitor’ device that prevents him from morphing into the Hulk at inappropriate times.

At this point, the plot begins to encompass other characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, including Jean Grey (Sadie Sink), a sinister mutant with powerful telekinetic abilities who is seeking revenge for her kidnapped sister, Sara (Olivia Booth-Ford).

Scripted by Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers – with nods to creators Stan Lee and Steve Ditko – and directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, it marks Peter Parker’s web-slinging transition into maturity, acknowledging his all-too-human need for meaningful relationships.

On the Granger Gauge of 1 to 10, Spider-Man: Brand New Day is an enjoyable 8, playing in theaters. There’s a teasing post-credit scene but it’s not worth lingering for.