By Jasmine Ong
With great power comes great responsibility — a line that most of us Spider-Man fans would often recite when we’re asked the most memorable quote from the franchise.
But, in Spider-Man Brand New Day, this phrase takes on a different meaning, expanding this idea of responsibility for Peter Parker not just in the sense of his spidey power, but also on a deeper level as an accountability to himself.
Image courtesy of Sony Pictures.
Not giving too much away, the fourth installment of the Spider-Man franchise picks up from when we left off in Spider-Man: No Way Home, where nobody knows who Peter Parker (played by Tom Holland) is.
Despite this, we see Peter go about his life discreetly, crime-fighting as the web-slinging superhero until he encounters an incident that has him cross paths with someone or something that is mysterious, dangerous and powerful.
Image courtesy of Sony Pictures.
While tackling this mystery, Peter is thrown another curveball when his body begins showing signs of abnormality which threatens his ability to continue slinging around as the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.
This hurdle of his, of course, becomes the crucial element of the movie, which delves into important human connection is, especially in Peter’s case, where his isolation and loneliness has culminated into neglect and disregard for his own wellbeing.
Image courtesy of Sony Pictures.
When you peel back the layers of the movie, beneath the explosions, the stunning CGI, the witty dialogue and beautifully choreographed fight scenes (especially the one with The Hand), you see the heart of the film that not only highlights the fragility of human connection, but also deals with the ugly and real human emotions that we often, like Peter Parker, are prone to suppressing.
You could see this play out in one of the pivotal moments of the film where Peter was with the mystery character, where he finally took accountability for his loss of self, and acknowledged the loneliness and grief he had been carrying since the events of the last film, which had become an unnecessary weight on his shoulders.
Image courtesy of Sony Pictures.
It was only after reliving a memory with his departed Aunt May when he finally understood what her words meant, and he was able to reconnect with the people around him to build his community back up.
While I’ve always loved Tom Holland’s portrayal as Peter Parker aka Spider-Man, I felt that this film had a lot more dramatic scenes which gave him the opportunity to flex his acting chops in displaying raw emotions.
It probably also helped that Tom has very expressive eyes which really played a big part in his scenes with Zendaya (who plays MJ), especially when he was experiencing a roller coaster of emotions whenever it came to her.
Image courtesy of Sony Pictures.
His chemistry with Jon Bernthal (who plays Frank Castle) was a treat to watch too, as their banter came across so naturally; you almost forget that they were comic book characters. It helped that Jon was great in delivering Frank’s quips too, which reinforced the brilliant foresight and decision to cast him as The Punisher.
Even though Spider-Man Brand New Day is ultimately a superhero movie, I do enjoy the underlying message that resonates in today’s society, and the reminder that no matter how busy or occupied with our digital life we may be, we cannot forget the importance of the real human connection.
P.S. Do note that there is only one post credits scene that will come right at the end. So, be sure to stick around for that!
You can watch the trailer for Spider-Man Brand New Day here.
