Spider-Man Brand New Day- ★★★★☆

The latest instalment in the marvel cinematic universe comes in the form of Tom Holland’s latest superhero action film’Spider-Man Brand New Day’. Its opening weekend box office speaks for itself about fans’ engagement with this character and his franchise. After almost five years of waiting we have finally seen the consequences of Peter Parker’s actions to erase himself from the world.

Brand New Day picks up four years after No Way Home with Peter fighting crime across New York City while simultaneously living alone overcome with grief. After an attack on the Department of Damage Control utilising telepathy, Peter begins an investigation into what or who is orchestrating these attacks. While fighting this invisible force, he deals with extreme physical pain caused by what he believes is a biological mutation. He faces various foes throughout the movie which provides great moments of action and tension.

Tom Holland provides a strong performance in the title role conveying Peter’s isolation as he grieves everything he has lost. He cultivates a new version of this beloved character through his mature acting choices and complex emotional journey throughout the film. His desire for MJ and feelings of guilt surrounding the death of his aunt are on display and Tom Holland strikes the perfect balance between damaged and resilient. Holland showcases the intense physical strain Parker faces as the world continues around him.

Zendaya consistently performs with a unique flare which portrays MJ’s quirky yet independent personality. She stuns during her time on screen and fuels the heart ache from Holland by her intentional lack of chemistry. The MCU’s newest superhero, Jean Grey, was played by the ever-talented Sadie Sink who captures the resentment ignited within Grey incredibly well. Initially shown to be the movie’s villain, Sink exhibits a harsh and unforgiving nature but perfectly contrasts this with raw grief for her murdered sister. During Marisa Tomei’s sensational monologue, Sink’s thought process and emotional fluctuation is impressive and aides in justifying Grey’s actions.

Jon Bernthal returns as Punisher, the antithesis of Holland’s Spider-Man, which creates moments of much needed humour in ‘Brand New Day’ as well as an underlying theme of grief. Florence Pugh makes a return as ‘Black Widow’ to aide in Parker’s mission and unsurprisingly brings her quick humour, witty charm and loveable Eastern European accent.

The remaining principal cast was made up of Mark Ruffalo (Bruce Banner/The Hulk), Jacob Batalon (Ned), Michael Mando (Scorpion) and Liza Cólon-Zayas (Detective DeWolff). This strong cast supported Peter Parker's journey and emotional development but also provided captivating and memorable performances when on screen.

Destin Daniel Cretton returns for his third Marvel project and first Spider-Man film. Taking the franchise in a new direction, Daniel Cretton brings back the ‘friendly neighbour’ on a grounded level which feels distinctly Spider Man within a New York crime aesthetic. Combined with Brett Pawlak’s cinematography, action sequences were coordinated by the ever talented Peng Zhang. I was particularly impressed with Nathan Kim’s dance choreography for the body movements during Jean’s ‘body hopping’ as it created a fast paced sequence of telepathy. Brand New Day is a fantastic edition to the Spider Man franchise and there is no doubt that it was worth the wait.