Spider-Man: Brand New Day

Tom Holland’s Spider-Man is definitely the best one that has graced the silver screen, and this may be the defining version of him: rebooted to a nobody that no one knows, with all of his supports taken away from him by the ending of No Way Home (don’t worry, you don’t need to have watched that one to enjoy this one, although it will make the viewing richer). Alone in New York City, Peter Parker spends all of his time being Spider-Man, and none of it being just a person. But he can’t stay away from MJ (Zendaya) or his best buddy Ned (Jacob Balaton), watching out for them while “teaming up” with the Punisher and facing down multiple threats. This is a film not about magic sky-beams and big CGI armies like many Marvel movies these days, but about heart, love, and vulnerability. It’s more adult than most super-hero movies not in its language (although the Punisher can get a little spicy), but in its themes. It currently has a 90% Tomatometer (critics) and a 98% Popcornmeter (audiences) on Rotten Tomatoes.

“This street-level adventure of our friendly neighborhood MCU Spider-Man is a breath of fresh air.” -Sara Michelle Fetters, MovieFreak.com
“Brand New Day, with its mix of universe building, top-notch buddy comedy with Frank and Peter, and a richer vision of Spidey from Holland, is a chapter you may well come back to.” -Richard Whittaker, Austin Chronicle
“Beneath the MCU obligations and superhero spectacle lies something surprisingly heartfelt: a Spider-Man movie about loneliness and the struggle to be an adult.” -Adam Kempenaar, Filmspotting
“The emotional core of Brand New Day is what elevates it from the regular run of superhero blockbusters. The lead’s connecting vulnerability keeps you hooked; he feels like the most resonant of superheroes.” -Nikki Gemmell, The Australian
“The latest Spider-Man picture correctly identifies that one of the most potent superpowers a comic book hero can wield is vulnerability.” -Wendy Ide, Observer (UK)
“[Director] Cretton ensures that distinctive style and emotional stakes take precedence over necessary MCU groundwork.” -Katie Walsh, Tribune News Service
“Cretton seizes small moments to put his stamp on this installment. Just as Zendaya’s aspirationally chill MJ insists she won’t work for some “soulless corporation,” he’s quietly made a humanist super-flick” -Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times
“Holland and Zendaya have gracefully grown with their older but wiser characters and their performances are thoughtful and as grounded in a way that balances the heightened tone of any story that involves a person swinging on spider-webs can be.” -Nell Minow, Movie Mom
“Proper Spider-Man films – the ones that embrace the character’s particular qualities and foibles – should be proper New York movies too. Brand New Day, basking in the sun as it rises over the Manhattan skyline, is both.” -Robbie Collin, Daily Telegraph (UK)
“While “Brand New Day” might not be the most rambunctious or exciting of Holland’s Spider-flicks, it aims to be a little deeper than the average MCU installment while trapping you in its gratifying web.” -Brian Truitt, USA Today
“We don’t get many great MCU movies anymore. That this is one of the highlights of the whole franchise feels amazing. And spectacular. And sensational.” -William Bibbiani, TheWrap
“A remarkably coherent, often joyful film, dedicated to giving the character some growth and grace.” -Liz Shannon Miller, Consequence

Spider-Man: Brand New Day swings into The Clyde on Friday, August 21, and plays Friday, Saturday, Sunday, & Monday at 7:30 for two weeks.