tech
Spider-Man: Brand New Day succeeds by going small
There is a revealing scene in the new Spider-Man movie, Brand New Day, in which Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh) explains to Peter Parker that the Avengers handle the “big potatoes,” while Spider-Man deals with the “small potatoes.”
TL;DR
- The film distinguishes Spider-Man's role as dealing with "small potatoes" (local crime) versus the Avengers' "big potatoes" (global threats).
- Tom Holland portrays a more mature and comfortable Spider-Man, no longer seeking validation.
- Peter Parker experiences physical changes to his web-shooting and senses, mirroring his loss of identity.
- The inclusion of Frank Castle (The Punisher) provides some of the film's most engaging scenes due to their contrasting philosophies.
- The Department of Damage Control is introduced as a federal bureau that confiscates dangerous technologies.
- Jean Grey is introduced telepathically infiltrating Damage Control.
- The film gives Spider-Man's ethos a libertarian tint, contrasting his private heroism with corrupt bureaucracy.
- The narrative falters when focusing too much on Peter's attempts to reconnect with MJ, feeling like a separate film.
- Brand New Day sheds Marvel's multiverse focus for a story more connected to New York, succeeding when it remembers its "small potatoes" thesis.