The first movie I ever saw in a theater was Spider-Man 3 back in 2007. Ever since then, I was captivated by the Spider-Man character thanks to his unique set of superpowers, his jovial nature, and his willingness to always do the right thing. He became my favorite fictional character and subsequently became my gateway into the world of comics and superheroes as a whole. All of this to say, it is always an absolute joy to see this character in any form of media, especially when he’s done correctly. Fortunately, each live-action incarnation of Spider-Man brought something special to this character. Tobey Maguire brought us an honest and mild-mannered Peter Parker while Andrew Garfield gave as a fun-loving and wisecracking portrayal of Spider-Man. However, never did I think I’d ever see a live-action protrayal of both Peter Parker and Spider-Man that near-perfectly captures every aspect of the character until Tom Holland, and Spider-Man: Brand New Day officially solidified that. Without giving away too many story spoilers, Spider-Man: Brand New Day mainly takes place years after the events of Spider-Man: No Way Home in which Doctor Strange casts a spell to make everyone forget Peter Parker in an attempt to save the multiverse. Fighting crime, the evolution of his spider DNA, and the pitfalls of self-isolation, Spidey faces a new threat that he soon realizes he may not be able to face alone. Along with the fantastic performances from the whole cast and the superb pacing despite the film’s longer runtime, the essence of the webslinging wallcrawler being captured this well almost guarantees an entertaining film. From hilarious quips and the inclusion of many villains from Spidey’s rogues gallery (The recreation of iconic comic book covers and moments with Scorpion, Tombstone, Boomerang as shown above, Tarantula, and Ramrod were incredibly dope) to the incredible cinematography and frenetic action sequences thanks to Shang-Chi and Wonder Man director Destin Daniel Cretton, this movie takes inspiration from all forms of Spider-Man media (from Spidey’s 60+ year history to even the most recent video games from Insomniac) and truly felt like a comic book come to life even more so than the previous three Tom Holland films. Adding to the film’s distinct Spider-Man comicbook feel, the city of New York felt fully realized and lived in, not only portraying the heart, the density, and the diversity of the beautiful city, but also never letting us forget we’re still in the Marvel universe. (This film features cameos from surprise characters that I won’t spoil and others that were featured in the promotional material such as Punisher, the Hand ninja clan, and Hulk. The Hulk fight scene and the Hand fight scene are two of my favorite action sequences in the whole MCU as of right now, and Spidey’s chemistry with the Punisher was surprisingly hilarious as well as heartfelt.) Honestly, if I keep stating the things I liked about this movie, I’d probably never stop, so I’ll wrap this review up with this. What made this movie so great was not only its portrayal of Spider-Man, its thrilling action, or the implications that this film’s antagonist and and ending has on the future of the MCU (which are quite exciting, might I add), but it was also his dynamic with the antagonist and his former friends, MJ and Ned, bolstering the film’s themes of hope and the importance of community that resonated with me the most. As long as Tom Holland continues playing this character and Destin Daniel Cretton continues to direct the Spider-Man films going forward, Marvel may have a winning Spidey formula on their hands. Score: 9/10
My Spider-Man Movie Ranking
As a Spider-Man fan, there are aspects of all of these films that I appreciate. In terms of the plots themselves, how the antagonists are handled, and how Spider-Man himself is portrayed, this is my ranking of favorite to least favorite.
- Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
- Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
- Spider-Man: No Way Home
- Spider-Man: Brand New Day
- Spider-Man 2
- Spider-Man: Homecoming
- Spider-Man: Far From Home
- Spider-Man
- The Amazing Spider-Man
- Spider-Man 3
- The Amazing Spider-Man 2
Noah Robinson 