THE FUSE

I’ve been wrestling with various thoughts about Spider-Man: Brand New Day since I left the theater after seeing it last night, and as I try to articulate what I’m feeling about Tom Holland’s fourth Spider-Man movie, the spread of feelings I have about it is enough to make me feel like I’m Peter Parker, with his human and arachnid sides fighting for dominance. Early reviews and trailers had me expecting Brand New Day to feel like a mini-Avengers crossover movie, with some criticizing it for falling victim to the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s bloat and cloying need to use films as stepping stones that set up the next big crossover event. What I got was something that didn’t feel like it needed to expand the world but rather was content to live in the one that’s already been created.