SMBND

Your favorite wall-crawler takes to the big screen once again, but for him, it’s a Brand New Day. Welcome to a spoiler-free review.

The story takes place after the events of No Way Home. Peter Parker is now working his superhero role full-time. Working with a detective to clean up New York and occasionally with another vigilante, who many will recognize when he makes his appearance. A new threat enters the New York scene, one which only Spider-man is immune to. As the threat increase, Spiderman must find the identity and motive of the threat while struggling with his disconnection of his friends. To add to the massive wall of problems, Parker’s hormones are evolving. For a little over two hours, we watch the now adult Spiderman juggle all these complications to protect the city he loves.

First and foremost, I am a huge Spiderman fan. I have watched all blockbuster films since Tobey Maguire. During the Spiderman meet up in No Way Home, my jaw dropped, watching Maguire and Garfield step out of the portal. If I were a screamer, I am positive I would have screamed during multiple scenes. I was also a huge comic book reader. I read Spiderman for years. This films touches on some story arcs from the comic books, and if you're a true Spiderman fan, you will recognize this story arc throughout the film. It explains what is happening to Parker. The film doesn’t cover it, but true believers will catch on quickly.

I love how the film picks up where No Way Home ended. The transition from the moment Parker bids MJ farewell to when both Ned and MJ graduate from college was well-thought out. Truthfully, with all three characters aging in real time, hats off to the writers for creating a collage of the elapse time instead of throwing the audience into present time. During the showing, you will be stuck wondering the big question on everyone’s mind: Will MJ remember Peter like she promised? The film delivers your answer in more ways than one.

The antagonist’s identity is well-kept hidden throughout the film until the big reveal. Sure, if you already have done some side research on the film, you already know who the identity of the villain. However, to keep it a secret, I will not reveal it. The villain’s identity reveal comes with multiple twists and I think it worked. Some may complain it added minutes to the overall film, but with modern superhero films we can’t keep the same formula: hero, villain, big fight, the end. There needs to be something more to captivate the audience. I will say, the film is not over until the very end.

Speaking of endings, there are two end-credit cut scenes. One immediately after the film and the other after the credits. Make sure you stay until the end to watch both of them. Where this is going to lead, I cannot say, but I am sure those who love researching and speculating marvel films will do the research and speculate.

As Tom Holland points out at the very beginning of the film, you will laugh. You may cry (depending on how attached you are to the characters), and you might cheer. I love the character development of all characters in the film. Parker’s struggle with changes, his friends and their memory crisis, Parker’s unlikely odd partner who learns not all problems require a “bang” for a solution, and a mystery character who learns they are not alone…ever.

Last, the cinematographer is one of my favorites. During the film, we capture in-flight view of Spidey’s web swinging. It provided a sense of nostalgia from the Maguire films. When Tobey swung through the city, we followed him. Experiencing every swing as if we are a drone. This film puts the camera right on Spidey. Like a go-pro. We feel every thwip of the web shooting from the shooters. The wind brushing over Spidey’s body. The flips. The turns. We finally experience what Parker experiences while swinging through the city. I am here for it!

If you plan to watch it, please share your thoughts below. Remember, keep it as spoiler free as you can. I may write another review with spoilers. I want to give people a chance to see the film first. There are many aspects I would love to dive deeper into. Until then…enjoy the movies!