[Big Screen Baby]: Spider-Man: Brand New Day Offers the MCU and Hollywood a Fresh Start.

This review / op-ed is FREE FROM MAJOR spoilers but includes some details on what works and how the MCU can go forward from here.

Ever since Avengers: Endgame, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has ironically been looking for well... an ending. Not just for many of the heroes that survived that intense event but also for that era of franchise storytelling as a whole. That has long been the critique of the sprawling cinematic series which has struggled to find the same amount of consistent quality or blockbuster success post the Russo Bros' original record breaking — and supposedly final — two movie swan song.

That didn't go as planned and while Phase 5 and 6 did have some highlights — neveryone knows my feelings on The Eternals and my belief that we'd be in a better cinematic world if the world had been ready to receive Chloe Zhao's hard sci-fi masterpiece. — Despite that though the MCU hasn't been able to launch all the heroes that it wants into the next stratosphere often pulling back from real, game changing narrative shifts for shocking twists or cameos that don't pay off in the long term or ever even show up on screen again.

In Spider-Man: Brand New Day, that format noticeably changes focusing instead on actual character arcs, new vital characters who could change the future of the franchise. Simply by being a strong well-told, and action-packed entry into the franchise that also satisfyingly sets up the future for what the franchise will inevitably soon come, Brand New Day in my humble opinion offers the MCU and the industry that has been trying to ride its wake for almost two decades now a reminder on how to tell these kinds of stories and a chance to reset and recalibrate.

Much of the film's success lies in the hands of director Destin Daniel Cretton, who makes a strong case here for becoming the next architect of the superhero movie monolith, with his deft hand at mixing the emotional humanity at the core of Peter Parker with some of the best Spider-swinging action we've seen on screen. Adapting the slick yet frenetic action of the beloved Insomniac Spider-Man games, give the spider-slinging (and swinging) action an updated feel, that's more akin to the gorgeous hand to hand martial arts in Cretton's Shang-Chi than the heavily-militarized repetition of the often very gun heavy (new) Avengers outings.

Using at times ACME-level props we see Spider-Man take out bad guys in inventive ways throughout with one of the early scenes that was teased in the trailer, showcasing the differing "heroic" stylings of Punisher and Spidey really sings, especially as they banter in ever more authentic New York chatter. It's this relationship and the movie's commitment to actually exploring its arc and how the two characters matter to and change each other, showcases the charm and depth Cretton can brings to the screen, that other MCU directors have struggled with.

Speaking of The Punisher, some of you may recall that I wasn't particularly happy with how One Last Kill represented our most fucked up member of the MCU. Well, once again Bernthal is here to surprise and delight me with a performance so nuanced and full of raw emotion that you never question it. This is easily the largest amount of character development we've gotten for any on screen version of The Punisher and you actually come away from Brand New Day feeling like he's learned something and might actually change. Much of that is due to the clear discrepancy between the non-violent, idealistic hope that Peter feels inherently, and how Frank sees his violent life as something more akin to a prison sentence.

The chemistry between the pair transcends the previous "mentor/mentee" set up that has often framed Holland's time as Spider-Man, instead we see a coming of age for both men as they find a way to be heroes in New York. It also allows us to imagine Holland taking on that Tony Stark role for the next generation of heroes. So does he have the juice? That's been an ongoing question about our lead, but as a Holland believer, I feel like he's an undeniable star after this and The Odyssey. Here Peter is alone, heartbroken, and his wallet is as empty as his phonebook. Holland brings him to life in a complex, mature performance that is at its best when he shares the screen and sparks with his real life wife, Zendaya as MJ.

Young love has always been at the heart of Spider-Man both in the comics and on screen, but here Peter is down on his luck and completely forgotten by the woman who once made him promise he'd come back and find her. Zendaya balances the wide-eyed confusion of someone dealing with the unbelievable with her trademark wit and ease, that have made her one of the biggest stars on Earth. Reunite her and Holland with Jacob Batalon who plays Ned Leeds, and the sparks between the one-time best friend trio fly leading to some of the film's most magical moments.

Jumping between the many story threads —along with the swift opening that features a ton of classic spidey villains — may leave some viewers a little stumped, especially as Peter hunts down the seemingly unstoppable villain, but that's also very much the experience of reading a comic book fresh of the shelf. And that's what I want the MCU to learn from this film: You can make a fun, action packed, emotional movie that establishes where we go next while not sacrificing the story or relying too much on random cameos. And you can also make it for folks who care or are curious and want to know more, without over explaining.

With that said there is a huge new MCU cast addition here in the form of Sadie Sink, who absolutely does have that Omega-Level juice and delivers something far that'll remind audiences exactly why she was Oscar-nommed for that terrible fatphobic movie I don't even need to name here cos fuck that shit. The choice to introduce her here will surprise some and likely introduce many to a new version of the iconic Marvel character in an impactful and driven way. There are also huge implications going forward based 0n tech that Spider-Man creates during the film, that will have comic book fans screaming at the screen and its masked hero.

Tune into our massive spoiler-filled roundtable on XRV for more on that soon!

So how can Hollywood learn from this? Well, by not instantly trying to replicate it! By understanding that a film like this comes from letting a great director, Cretton, tell a complex and emotionally driven story that resonates. And also that a movie like Spider-Man: Brand New Day can open to 180 million plus even if some people would rather go and see Obsession or Backrooms.

The lesson here is to make good movies for an audience that wants them, to allow directors to choose their own team (Drive color grader Tom Poole gives this film a texture and palette that jumps off the screen in a way previous entries have struggled too), and to commit to ideas rather than teasing them and waiting to see how your audience reacts. This is an MCU movie that achieves that on its own terms, presenting both the franchise and the industry with a chance to move on.

Let's hope that they take it.

Seeing as I know this movie will be a big hit and I adore doing some nerdy deep dives I'll also be dropping some more in depth spoiler pieces here next week! Feel free to comment or reply to this newsletter with thoughts, comments, or questions you'd like me to cover about Spider-Man: Brand New Day and the MCU!