Spider-Man: Brand New Day follows Peter Parker into adulthood

Age rating: 12A

Runtime: 145 minutes

See this if you liked: Spider-Man: No Way Home

Synopsis:

Four years after the events of Spider-Man: No Way Home, Peter struggles with the sacrifices he’s made but, when faced with an invisible threat, he must confront his past choices or risk being consumed by them.

Review:

Tom Holland, Zendaya AND Jon Bernthal? You’d be forgiven if you thought I’d just been to see The Odyssey again (you can read my review for that here), but all three actors are back just two weeks later in another blockbuster that is bound to do big box office numbers.

this is Peter Parker as an adult, no longer wrestling with teenage hormones. This is Spider-Man grappling with the realities of becoming a young adult

This is Holland’s fourth solo outing as the web-slinger and you can tell he’s having more and more say over the direction of this franchise – bringing in long-time friend Bernthal for a start. His love for the character shines through and Destin Daniel Cretton’s directorial choice to recreate classic Spider-Man comics will delight nerds across the globe, I’m sure.

Brand New Day feels very different to the MCU’s first Spider-trilogy films. It’s a darker tone, for one, and this is Peter Parker as an adult, no longer wrestling with teenage hormones. This is Spider-Man grappling with the realities of becoming a young adult. Forgotten and alone, no longer surrounded by his friends and still grieving for his aunt, Peter throws himself into his Spidey work, taking down bad guys and criminal gangs. But after a chance encounter with his old crew, Peter’s spider-powers go haywire and mutate further than they have ever gone before.

It’s difficult to review this film without giving a lot away (although trailers and online rumours might have done that already – some surprises were dulled by the fact I had heard the rumours in advance). I shall therefore try and avoid any major plot points as much as I can.

Holland and Zendaya’s off-screen romance (and marriage!) permeates through their scenes together, they have incredible chemistry together, but are also able to pull off the emotional beats where things aren’t so romantic between the two.

Jacob Batalon’s Ned Leeds really shines in this film. He’s often been the comedic sidekick in these movies, but there’s something different about him in this one that really connects with the audience in a new way.

Jon Bernthal’s Punisher, an R-rated, violent anti-hero, first seen in the brutal Netflix series, is in this family-friendly movie a lot more than I thought he’d be. He is a lot less violent here though, and thankfully there’s no gore, but there is a lot of swearing – something to bear in mind if you’re bringing younger Spider-Man fans.

it was an emotional comic book film with some good action sequences but also a lot of great character work and heart

Sadie Sink’s mysterious character is, well, mysterious. She’s a fantastic actor and it’s good to see her career moving ahead after her stellar performance as Max in Stranger Things.

The screening I went to was fully booked and I was a lot closer to the screen than I normally am. As a result, I did get a little bit of vertigo towards the beginning of the film as Spider-Man leaps off buildings and swings around New York. The visual effects were a slightly mixed bag throughout the film. Some characters and sequences looked incredible, others felt as though there was something off about them. There’s definitely a sense that this is a smaller scale Spider-Man movie, which will make some fans happy—especially those who have been clamouring for a more street-level approach to the character—but at times it felt a little cheap and fan-made.

Overall, it was an emotional comic book film with some good action sequences but also a lot of great character work and heart.

Faith thoughts:

I found myself strongly relating to Peter Parker’s turmoil with finding himself alone and in a new phase of life.

Entering adulthood brings a lot of change and emotions. I remember being in my late teens/early twenties, figuring out who I was now that school was over. Becoming a young adult felt like I was starting all over again, like I almost had a new identity. Torn between the life I had before and the new one I was just beginning, there were many sleepless nights as I wrestled with the big questions of who I was.

I ended up turning away from God for a while, struggling to comprehend life but also confused as to whether I really believed everything I had been taught about faith. Thankfully, I had a friend who helped me through that time, and I came back to God (although I hadn’t fully walked away; I couldn’t escape God’s love for long).

Without the gentle support of a church family, we can lose our strength in times of great struggle

A lot of young people deconstruct their faith as they leave home or set out on their own journey. I think, perhaps controversially, this isn’t a bad thing. Doubt leads to searching, and we might not always find the answers, but it often leads us closer to God.

Young adults discover the flaws in churches and the wider Church as they get older. The systems that have silenced voices and caused so much injustice throughout history. The leaders who have not always acted in the Christ-like manner they are supposed to. Let down by the communities that were supposed to support them as they began their journey of faith and help them live and grow within God’s family.

Unfortunately, this can lead to young adults leaving the Church behind completely. Not necessarily leaving their faith behind, but instead it becomes a private faith, no longer lived in community.

Read more:

Life isn’t a fairy tale, so let’s raise our kids with realistic faith

Deconstructing church can help your kids find authentic faith

We’re not meant to do this alone though. Being alone means we fall victim to pride and selfishness. Without being held accountable by others, we can lose sight of God so easily. Without the gentle support of a church family, we can lose our strength in times of great struggle. Without the space to blurt out all of our insecurities, doubts and sadness, we can find ourselves buckled under the weight of life.

As the church, we need to love and support those starting out on their adult lives, who often feel so alone. They need reminding that they are not alone, least not because of God’s great love and compassion, but also because we as the Church are there to walk alongside them. They need to know that churches will let them down, that there are broken systems and fallen leaders, but we need to fix them together, not alone.