ENTERTAINMENT

Spider-Man: Brand New Day was very interesting, to say the least. I actually enjoyed a lot of what they were doing with Peter Parker, especially because this movie feels like it is really about friendship, loneliness, and the importance of having people in your corner.

We pick up with Peter Parker, played by Tom Holland, basically dealing with the aftermath of everything that happened with MJ, played by Zendaya, and his best friend Ned Leeds, played by Jacob Batalon. After the events of No Way Home, everyone has forgotten Peter Parker, but they still remember Spider-Man. So Peter is walking around knowing that the people he loves don’t even remember who he is.

And honestly, that makes Peter feel really lonely.

You can see that loneliness start to affect him, and at the same time, he’s going through these strange changes with his Spider-Man abilities. One thing I thought was really interesting was the organic webbing coming directly from his wrists. That immediately reminded me of the original Tobey Maguire Spider-Man movies, where Peter also develops that ability.

But the part that really stood out to me was Peter seeing his best friend again. He follows Ned back to his apartment, where there is a party, and MJ is there too. Peter is basically standing in the same room with the people who used to be his closest friends, but they don’t actually remember him.

That’s has to be a pretty horrible feeling.

The interesting thing, though, is that even though Peter Parker has been erased from their memories, it almost feels like there are still pieces of those relationships left behind. Ned becomes obsessed with tracking Spider-Man, and even though he doesn’t know that Spider-Man is actually Peter, there’s still this sense that something about their friendship is pulling him toward Peter.

MJ is similar. She doesn’t remember Peter the way she used to, but she still ends up getting involved with Spider-Man and helping him. She’s smart, she’s capable, and she even helps Peter work through some of the problems he’s having with his suits and everything else going on.

And I think that’s one of the biggest things the movie is trying to tell us: you can erase someone’s memory, but you can’t necessarily erase the impact that person had on your life.

Then we get Frank Castle, played by Jon Bernthal, and, of course, he’s The Punisher. And honestly, The Punisher showing up was awesome. Jon Bernthal is just great as Frank Castle. He brings a completely different attitude to the movie because Spider-Man is always trying to save people and do the right thing without killing anyone, while Frank Castle is basically like, “We’re going to handle this problem.”

So when those two characters come together, you get some really fun action.

There are also some other interesting characters that show up, including Bruce Banner, played by Mark Ruffalo, and then we get Jean Grey, played by Sadie Sink. If you’ve watched the X-Men movies or know the comics, you already know that Jean Grey is connected to the Phoenix. But here, she’s younger, she’s alone, and she’s clearly struggling to understand what is happening to her.

She’s also causing a lot of the chaos throughout the city, and that’s what makes her interesting to me. I wouldn’t necessarily call her a traditional villain because it feels like she’s more of a lost person who doesn’t completely understand what she’s capable of. There are questions about exactly what she’s doing and who is getting hurt along the way, and that mystery makes her character pretty interesting.

Then you have The Hand, the criminal organization, along with some other familiar Marvel characters and villains popping up throughout the movie. There is a lot going on, but somehow it all comes together and makes for a pretty entertaining ride.

The action is definitely one of the stronger parts of the movie. There are some really good fight sequences, especially when you start combining Spider-Man, The Punisher, Hulk, Jean Grey, and all these different characters into the same story. It gives the movie a much bigger feeling than just another Spider-Man movie.

However, there was one thing that really bothered me about the movie, and that was the language. I felt like there was too much swearing throughout the movie, and there were also quite a few instances of people using the Lord’s name in vain. That was something I personally didn’t care for, and it took away from my enjoyment of some of the scenes.

But honestly, if I had to take one thing away from this movie, it’s this:

You can’t do everything alone.

Peter spends so much of the movie alone. He’s trying to be Spider-Man, trying to protect everybody, trying to deal with everything that’s happening to him, and he’s basically carrying the entire weight of the world on his shoulders.

But that’s not how life is supposed to work.

Sometimes you need your friends. Sometimes you need somebody who knows you, somebody who will stand beside you when things get rough, and sometimes you need somebody who will protect you when you’re not strong enough to protect yourself.

That’s actually one of the things I really liked about the friendship theme in this movie. Even when Peter’s friends don’t remember Peter Parker, they still find themselves being drawn back toward Spider-Man. There is something about those relationships that remains, even when the memories are gone.

And that reminds me of a Bible verse from Proverbs 17:17:

“A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.”

I think that fits Peter’s story perfectly. A real friend isn’t just somebody who’s around when everything is going well. A real friend is somebody who sticks with you when things get difficult.

Overall, I thought Spider-Man: Brand New Day had great action, good acting, some really interesting characters, and a story that goes deeper than just Spider-Man beating up bad guys.

Tom Holland and Zendaya still have great chemistry. Jacob Batalon brings that friendship element with Ned, and Jon Bernthal absolutely kills it as Frank Castle. Mark Ruffalo is great as Banner, and Sadie Sink brings something different to Jean Grey.

But for me, the biggest takeaway isn’t even the action or all the Marvel characters.

It’s friendship.

Peter Parker has all these powers, but he still needs people. And I think that’s something we can all relate to. You can be strong, independent, talented, and capable, but that doesn’t mean you are supposed to go through everything by yourself.

Sometimes the people who matter most are the ones who will stand beside you when things get rough even if they don’t completely understand what you’re going through.

And honestly, that’s why I think this movie leaves itself wide open for another Spider-Man movie. After everything Peter has been through, there is still a lot more story to tell.

So, yeah, give me a fifth Spider-Man movie. Give me a sixth one. I’m good with it.

Because at the end of the day, Spider-Man may be able to do whatever a spider can, but even Spider-Man needs his friends.