Plot Summary: A forgotten Peter Parker lives alone as a full-time Spider-Man until mounting pressure triggers a dangerous change and a powerful new enemy emerges.

Director: Destin Daniel Cretton

Writers: Chris McKenna, Erik Sommers, Stan Lee

Runtime: 2 hours 25 mins

Main Cast:

• Tom Holland as Peter Parker / Spider-Man
• Zendaya as MJ
• Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner / Hulk
• Jon Bernthal as Frank Castle / Punisher
• Jacob Batalon as Ned Leeds

Review by: Samuel Before I even get to my Likes and Dislikes, I want to say upfront that this film is EVERYTHING you want in a superhero movie; EVERYTHING you want if you are just a Spider-Man comic book fan; EVERYTHING you want if you are a fan of cinematography and the art of making film; and EVERYTHING you want if you are just looking for a good reason to go out and spend time in a theater. It is a Brand New Day for the MCU indeed.

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With that, we’ll start with the Dislikes because there are very few. 

What I Disliked:

1. The Trailers- Yes, while I commend the trailers for not actually telling you much at all about the main plot, certain aspects -like the Hulk’s involvement- were ruined, and it’s a shame.
2. The first act of the film is narratively and cinematically inferior to the remainder of the film. It almost feels like this was actually shot in order and the entire cast/crew hit their stride beginning with Act 2. Not that Act 1 was “bad,” but the CG, cinematography, and even the acting by some of the extras was DRAMATICALLY improved in the second and third acts. It actually got to the point where I whispered to a co-worker, “Wow, this movie is way better than I thought it was going to be.”
3. I do think the idea of Peter going through a metamorphosis was hyped up a bunch in the promotions leading to the release, but that plot point is really a huge obstacle to overcome in this film- it kind of felt like that entire plot line wasn’t fully developed. 

What I Liked:

This is going to be hard to discuss because the VAST majority of this plot is in spoiler territory. So I will start with Tom Holland- who has come to work this summer. As much as I adored him in the Odyssey, this role as Spider-Man will undoubtedly go down as what people remember him for this year. And I said Spider-Man on purpose, not Peter Parker, not only because he is in the suit for about 75% of the film, but also because he has decided to throw his old life away after the events of No Way Home.  

This is very much a Peter Parker who has decided that his life is too dangerous for attachments and therefore throws himself completely into the job. The entire first act kind of speed runs through a span of four years where we see him either in the suit taking on all types of comic-book villains (some of which are sure to be crowd pleasers) or lying alone in his apartment social media stalking his former BFFs, Ned and MJ, as they attend college. He is a tortured soul who has chosen this path of isolation for what he believes is the greater good and has fully devoted himself to being the hero of New York… in other words, he is SPIDER-MAN. This is the most accurate portrayal of the character since Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 2, which treaded similar waters. The reason people love Spider-Man so much is that he is the constant underdog who faces setback after setback personally but still maintains the qualities needed to be the hero the city needs. Even if it means his personal happiness takes a backseat, he knows that his power gives him responsibility. 

That was a huge spiel to say that Tom Holland plays an excellent Spider-Man here, and he carries all the emotional weight you would expect of someone who sacrificed what he has. 

I also like that the movie doesn’t shy away from that sacrifice. He doesn’t just undo the events of the last film to make himself and the audience happy- no, he stews in the pain of it for a majority of the runtime. Some of the themes of the film include the harm of isolation and the need for a connection. Spider-Man and others in the film (not to be revealed here) do an excellent job showing that on screen, which leads to this film having much more of an emotional impact than I would have anticipated. 

I do want to specifically mention that the moments we spend with Ned and especially those with MJ have a lot of heart, and the actors deserve all the credit for it. This film’s narrative has a lot of branches– some of which work better than others. Honestly, I was not anticipating caring about Ned and MJ’s storylines, and I credit Zendaya and Jacob Batalon for proving me wrong and making me care so much for their relationship with Spider-Man.  

Of course, the film is also fun, and that is in large part due to the inclusion of Frank Castle. He’s not just a cameo as you may think- he’s very much a supporting character, and believe it or not, he brings a lot of laughs. This is because his and Spider-Man’s methods are so opposite that they constantly bicker, but at the same time you can tell they have respect and are for each other. So, it plays out like an odd-couple buddy cop situation. More of them together, please- I would love an entire Spider-Man/Punisher film.

And then the action. Wow! We shouldn’t be surprised, as this director brought us the marvel that was Shang-Chi, but I can’t believe some of the stuff I saw. As I mentioned, the CG got to a point where is so crisp that it flowed seamlessly into sequences. The Hulk sequence and one involving the Hand stand out most as they both have things I’ve never seen Spider-Man do on screen before. Yet, even in the first act, which I said was the weakest, what saved it for me was incredible choreography. The crew must be fans of the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 games, because there were moves pulled directly from them that brought a great big smile to my face. 

All of it is accented by amazing camera work. The Director of Photography must have taken some cues from Sam Raimi because the camera shifts during these scenes look right out of his playbook. When he is punching, webbing, setting off web bombs, you feel like you are part of the action. Not to mention the swinging, which I think is the best we’ve ever seen in film. The POV shifts are done masterfully so you feel the epic heights Spider-Man reaches. 

Images Courtesy of IMDB