By Randall Elvin · Entertainment Editor
Many movie adaptations have been made about Marvel’s wall-crawling hero, Spider-Man.
Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield found huge success in their respective Spider-Man movies, but neither comes close to touching Tom Holland’s Spider-Man. Compared with the other Spider-Men, Holland has become the most commercially successful version of the character. Backed by the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), Holland has been Spider-Man since his first appearance in “Captain America: Civil War” in 2016.
But the latest movie, “Spider-Man: Brand New Day,” has hit a level few movies touch. As of Aug. 30, the latest movie has reached $2.3 billion worldwide. Those numbers firmly secure “Brand New Day” at the number four spot for all-time grossing films worldwide. Additionally, “Brand New Day” is currently holding a 90% critic score and a 98% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.
The movie clearly has the numbers, but does it live up to its hype?
“Brand New Day” presents a more mature Spider-Man, as this is Holland’s fourth solo movie, so his maturity canonically follows suit. Unlike his previous movies, Holland’s Spider-Man relies less on the larger “Avengers” storyline. The producers went for a more street-level environment, and to do that they brought in Jon Batalon’s character, The Punisher.
For a franchise that usually focuses on massive superhero conflicts, the street-level tempo was a welcome addition for many fans. Holland was not the only star in the cast; Zendaya reprised her role as MJ, Mark Ruffalo returned as Bruce Banner, also known as the Hulk, and Sadie Sink joined the MCU as a newly introduced character.
The movie’s structure is one of its strongest qualities, which is certainly needed in a movie with a runtime of two hours and 30 minutes. The slower moments display the depth of Spider-Man in ways that haven’t reached the big screen before. Peter Parker clearly deals with the loneliness and responsibility that comes with the mask. These moments are coupled with the humor that follows Peter Parker and the action that follows Spider-Man. All these elements work together to create a movie that keeps audiences in their seats waiting for what comes next.
